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The vast majority of our reviews come from verified purchases. Reviews from customers may include My Best Buy members, employees, and Tech Insider Network members (as tagged). Select reviewers may receive discounted products, promotional considerations or entries into drawings for honest, helpful reviews.

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Great sound, ANC, and comfortable all in one

  • Top 500 Contributor
  • Tech Insider Network Member

  I’m really enjoying these pixel buds 2a so far. I have an original pixel buds without ANC and unfortunately the batteries started to get so bad I can barely use them. So I figured now's as good as any to upgrade and I’m really impressed with the new fit and features in the buds 2a. PROS: First thing I noticed was before I could figure out how to turn on pairing, my android phone (and pixel buds app) was already asking me if I want to set up my new pixel buds 2a. I really love when google products do that and I don’t have to find the pair button and figure out how long to hold it. You just open the lid of the case and the app knows they’re there. Once I put the buds on, I was impressed with the comfort difference from the older pixel buds. I am a bit of a headphones collector and have a lot of bluetooth headphones from a lot of the big brands and the fit is always what makes me come back to one pair more than another. If I know I’m going to have the headphones in for more than an hour, I will sacrifice features for fit. But luckily I don’t have to do that with these buds. The ear tips felt good but I tested others and ultimately ended up with two different sizes in each ear. (something I usually end up doing with most brands.) I’m really happy to see 4 size options instead of 3 as well. This allows for people with very narrow ears to still find a comfortable fit without too much pressure pain. The audio quality was the next thing I noticed after getting all the setup and updates done. I turned on ANC and felt the world click off as I sat on my porch in silence. I turned on some music and noticed a really full and rounded sound. I jumped into the 5 band EQ and made adjustments to my liking. I think for this price, and not being the pro level buds, these have a surprisingly good sound. Podcasts are clear, music is full and the base is strong. Combined with ANC on, you can really get lost in the sound. And I really do enjoy that feeling of ANC clicking on and I gotta say, for a lower budget bud, the ANC is really impressive here. It does a fabulous job of knocking out lower end rumbles, better than high frequencies, but still a really solid noise canceling. Especially for the price. Google says this is thanks to the Tensor A1 chip which also allows the buds to work with gemini and provide better battery life. Which was the last big thing I noticed in my initial first test. The battery life is really good. And I don’t mean in hours, although google does say 7 hours of ANC and 20 hours from the case, but in real world use, you’re not really doing the math. To me, a good battery means I’m done with the headphones before the battery is. Meaning if I want to go mow the lawn or do a workout or go for a run, I’ll be done with that activity before the battery is done. And I got that from these buds. All of my day to day uses were never interrupted with a low battery. This is also in part due to taking them out and putting them in the case from time to time as well, providing little top ups. Maybe a went for a run, but then put them in the case while I showered then took them out to listen to music while I did laundry and so on. What this doesn’t cover, is long distance travel or maybe an all day wear need. But I think generally speaking, you’ll need to take them out of your ears for at least one reason or another in any given 7 hour time. And remember, you can turn off ANC to get even longer battery life in a pinch. CONS: So what about the cons? Honestly, I haven’t really hit any big ones yet. I think my biggest complaint is that there is no wireless charging on the case, BUT Google says this is the first pixel buds case to have a replaceable battery. Which is something. I assume the ability to change the battery is why it’s not wireless charging, but I don’t know for sure on that. What I do know is, in my experience, the batteries in the headphones go bad faster than the case, but I still appreciate this feature of changing the battery more than the con of no wireless charging. To be honest, the wireless charge usually didn’t work great on my older pixel buds anyway and I tend to just plug them in for a faster and safer charge. I guess another con could be the fit for some people. I think the twist option is really nice and I like that the buds fit both ways, but I do think some people with sensitive ears or maybe odd shapes may find the support fin to be a little uncomfortable. I find I get the best air seal when I twist them tighter (counter clockwise) so I tend to wear them that way always, but I do feel a little irritation on my right ear after an hour or so. And since I’m fishing for another con, this is really nitpicky but the tap controls to turn ANC on and off only toggle between ANC and Transparency mode. It does not include simply turning them both off. For battery reasons, I often will turn ANC and transparency off. As of right now, you can only do that through the app. Although I hope an update would add the 3rd setting to the rotation. OVERALL: So overall I have to give these buds a high score. I think google does a great job integrating into the android ecosystem and for all their flaws, they still make good products and are easy for anyone to understand. The buds sound great, there’s plenty of EQ and setting tweaking and for an “a” series, they still have ANC and great battery life. Google is clearly trying to put more into their lower tier products and I think for the average user, these pixel buds 2a are the best bang for the buck for any android user. Bonus, they don’t have some weird awkward stem hanging out the bottom of your ear screaming out for attention. They sit snug and small in your ear and go about their work delivering great sound. I would recommend for sure

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  Posted 1 month ago by bTobin

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Sleek, high-performace buds at a decent price.

  • Tech Insider Network Member
  • Top 250 Contributor

  Wow, have these little guys surprised me. The design language has not changed all that much from that classic minimalist, twist-in design. The case looks and feels the same, although a bit smaller. It is oddly satisfying to hold the eggshell-like case, which fits comfortably in any pocket. The buds are super comfortable to wear, and they stayed on no matter how much I shook my head thanks to their fin-stabilizer design. I dare say they might be more comfortable than their more advanced brothers. I am glad that these buds are rated IP54 so a bit of rain or sweat will not be any issue. Also, the case itself is rated IPX4, which is certainly welcome. Having a Pixel phone, the buds were recognized immediately with no fuss. In other phones you may need the app. The same with my Pixel Tablet. Featuring Bluetooth 5.4, they stayed connected at decent distances and throughout my apartment. I did notice some very slight sync and lag issues, especially when gaming. The case does not support wireless charging, only via USB-C, which may matter to some, but I found it a non-issue. The buds’ battery can last for quite some time. It was after almost 4 days using them about 4 hours a day before I had to charge them -that’s with ANC/Ambient on. They also have quick charge where 5 minutes in the case add 1 hour of playtime. In addition, the case’s battery can be replaced! The noise cancellation is very good. I used them on the subway on my commute, and they were very good at muting lower frequencies like engines. Some higher frequencies did come through. It was certainly enough to enjoy my content. The Transparency mode is decent, but I did notice that it does amplify certain frequencies to an annoying level. The controls are a bit disappointing. While I can control playback, calls, ANC/Transparency mode, and the assistant, there is no volume control or swiping at all. I have to either use my device, smart watch, or ask the assistant. It’s not very convenient. The buds do feature auto-pause/play when taking/putting them on. The call quality is excellent in my experience. I was able to hold a clear conversation regardless of the noise around me. What really impressed me was the audio coming out of the 11mm dynamic drivers. The sound is warm and full. The bass is clear with a nice subwoofer feel when it is needed. The mids allow for vocals and instruments to come through. The treble adds clarity and sparkle. The sound separation is good and there is decent imaging. While the buds may not win any audio awards, it is quite enjoyable no matter the content. I feel that this is a very good deal, especially if you are into the Pixel ecosystem. Sure there are some corners cut, but again, the sound is great, the ANC/Transparency mode performs well, and they are super portable -all at a price that won’t break the bank.

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  Posted 1 month ago by insomniak1

• Rated 5 out of 5 stars

  Google buds

  • Incentivized
  • Verified Purchaser
  • Owned for less than 1 week

  They're perfect, better than others I've used. I really like them and recommend them. The price is perfect too.

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  Posted 5 days ago by RandyG