Customer Ratings & Reviews

An overall worthy successor of the Google Pixel Buds Pro.

Amazing quality and the noise canceling is moloch better than the first generation

📦 UNBOXING: The Pixel Buds 2 Pro come in a small box with recyclable packaging. Inside you’ll find the charging case and buds with Medium ear tips pre-installed, and another set of Large, Small and Extra Small ear tips. Other than that, you’ll receive a quick start guide and safety information. No charging cable is included, which is the same as the original Pixel Buds Pro. 💪 BUILD: The case is largely unchanged from the previous Pixel Buds Pro launched 2 years ago. It’s made of a soft-touch smooth plastic. It’s slippery, so I’d advise some caution, but unlike other earbuds with glossy cases, these won’t exhibit hundreds of micro scratches over time. The buds themselves are easier to remove from the case compared to the original design. And while they’re still quite smooth, they don’t feel nearly as slippery. I had accidentally dropped my original Pixel Buds Pro earbuds multiple times due to how slippery they were. Now, the Pixel Buds app has a toggle under the Notifications to remind you to clean the buds from time to time, which I think is a great addition. But one of the biggest improvements is the new The buds have touch-sensitive controls on the exterior, an IR sensor to detect when they’re in your ears, and there are microphones for their ANC and Transparency modes. 👂 COMFORT: Compared to the original, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have much better fit thanks to the new twist-to-adjust stabilizer. I was able to pull them into my ears without having to constantly re-seat them, and I didn’t feel any discomfort or pressure using them for a couple hours. While the original buds were comfortable and had decent fit, they just weren’t as easy to find a good fit. But Google’s really gone back to the drawing board here and I think this new stabilizer makes a pretty significant impact on the overall experience. 📱 SETUP: To pair to your device, you can open the lid of the case, then press and hold the button on the rear of the case, and the front LED will blink to indicate it’s in pairing mode. Once you pair with your device, you may be prompted to download the Pixel Buds app. If not, you can download the app from the Play Store. The Pixel Buds app may run through all the features, and you can manually perform the firmware update through the app as well. But since the Pixel Buds app is Android-only, you’ll need an Android device to perform firmware update. 🧠 FEATURES: The Pixel Buds Pro 2 feature much of the same capabilities as the original. It has Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), Transparency Mode, touch sensitive controls, multipoint audio and automatic switching, conversation detection, and a ton of Google Assistant integration. In addition, you also have the USB-C charging on the case and Qi Wireless charging. The touch-sensitive controls are pretty intuitive compared to other earbuds, but you can reconfigure them through the app. I’ve set my right earbud to toggle between ANC and Transparency modes, while holding my left earbud will engage Google Assistant. You can also use the popular “Okay Google” or “Hey Google” voice activation keywords. On the original Pixel Buds, there was a push-to-talk type of feature for Google Assistant where you could hold the earbud to speak, then release touch to finish your command, but it seems Google has removed that capability from their app. Another thing I noticed is that Google is no longer advertising their live translation mode for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. It used to be the case that you could tell Google Assistant to “Be my translator” and it would interpret a foreign language for you, but I tried to re-engage this feature but was unsuccessful. I tried to engage the multipoint audio with my Windows Laptop and found it to be pretty unreliable. I would encounter issues when pausing audio on one device and switching to the other, so I ended up disabling this feature altogether. Perhaps it would function more reliably with a Chromebook, but I don’t have one to test with. Your mileage may vary. Conversation Detection also worked quite well, in my experience. Saying “Yep” wouldn’t trigger it no matter how loud I would say it, but saying “Hello there” would always trigger it, even with quiet speaking levels. However, speaking with my “head voice” was much less likely to trigger it, so it will work better for people that have more resonant voices. Another feature which I found interesting was Gemini Live. If you set Gemini as your default Android voice assistant, you can say “Hey Google, Let’s Talk” and it enables a conversation mode where you can have a free-flowing conversation with Gemini. This could be useful for creative purposes like planning a trip or getting some information. Overall, I thought it was a cool idea, and it is unique to Pixel Buds Pro, but I’m not sure that there is any technical reason for this. And lastly, there is the Find My Device feature to help you locate your buds if you lose them. 🔉 SOUND: The default stock signature on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is balanced, but I think a lot of people will want to use the “Heavy Bass” EQ preset for some additional bass that in my opinion, is tastefully done. One notable improvement from the original Pixel Buds Pro is that the treble response has been refined so that it’s not sibilant or sharp. In all my testing, my music and other content sounded pleasantly natural without any fatigue—even at louder volumes. Honestly, there is much less to complain about with the Pixel Buds Pro 2 when it comes to sound. And compared to similar Earbuds, I do think they’re quite competitive. There is also the Volume EQ which enhances bass and treble frequencies at lower volumes, and it actually did a pretty good job compared to the original Pixel Buds Pro. Moreover, they have a number of EQ presets that you can engage, as well as a basic 5-band EQ. 🏙️ ANC & TRANSPARENCY: The ANC on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 performs well when it comes to lower-end droning noises, but doesn’t quite do as well when it comes to higher-frequency noise compared to some other earbuds. But listening to energetic music at even low listening volumes would mask some of this high-frequency noise, making it a great option. But there’s no doubt there are better ANC options on the market. The Transparency mode on the Pixel Buds Pro is also improved from the previous generation. In my testing, things sounded quite natural—almost like you weren’t wearing any earbuds at all, but what gives it away is a lightly audible noise floor from the onboard microphones. You might not really hear it if you have significant tinnitus, but I didn’t find it to be distracting. 🎙️ MICROPHONE: The microphone is also very good, and sounds very clear. Under ideal conditions, this might be one of the best sounding microphones you can find on a set of earbuds. To my ear, the microphone sounded more like being on a speakerphone call—it delivers more lower-end body in the speaker’s voice, and doesn’t distort sibilant and consonant sounds during speech. It does a good job canceling out wind noise when you’re not talking, and it does a decent job at keeping your speech intelligible even with wind noise. While it can’t get rid of wind noise altogether, it still makes speech a priority and the speaker shouldn’t be cut out just because of some wind. 🔋 BATTERY: Google says the Pixel Buds Pro should last 8 hours with ANC on and 12 hours without. And with the charging case, they should get up to 30 hours of battery with ANC, and 48 hours without ANC. I imagine most people will use them with ANC, and I do think 30 hours is a reasonable expectation based on my testing. 🧐 CONCLUSION: Overall, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a solid upgrade to the original Pixel Buds Pro in terms of sound, comfort and fit. If you were already quite happy with the Pixel Buds Pro, I’m not sure that the collective improvements will justify an upgrade, but I do think they’ve made some very good refinements this year and made a product that’s much more compelling for Pixel fans and Android users, alike. However, there’s been a lot of competition in the last 2 years since the original Pixel Buds Pro launched, and some of those other options come in at very competitive price points that deliver similar or better performance that ought to be considered. Even so, there are a lot of things to like about the Pixel Buds Pro 2, and would not count them out.

As someone who has used the Google Pixel Buds Pro for the past 2 years, it’s been a real treat using the Pro 2. I’ve been testing them with my Pixel 7 Pro, Pixel Watch 3, ROG Ally, and work laptop, so these earbuds have been used in a variety of conditions with plenty of devices. And overall… This is a solid generational upgrade. Everything has been improved across the board and these earbuds are feature-rich, just like the original Pixel Buds Pro. FIT AND COMFORT On the original Pixel Buds Pro, the fit and sizing were not great. Ignoring the issues I had with the sizing of the ear tips, it was hard to get the buds to stay in while working out. I would go for 3-4 mile runs and have my buds falling out of my ear almost immediately after I started working up a sweat. It was extremely annoying to have wet/sweaty hands, adjust the earbuds, and accidentally adjust the volume or move to the next music track. The Pro 2 buds have a twist-to-adjust stabilizer (wing) that keeps the earbuds in my ears while I’m moving around and working out – which means I can finally stop adjusting my earbuds constantly during workouts! Comfort is another key point here, and due to the reshaping of the earbuds plus the wings/stabilizers, the buds sit comfortably in my ears. I enjoy being able to turn the buds up and down to either “lock” or “unlock” the buds from my ears. When I’m just casually wearing the earbuds, I don’t need to have the wings providing additional stability, so having that pressure off of my ear makes them very comfortable to wear for multiple hours. ACTIVE NOISE CANCELLING AND TRANSPARENCY MODES Many tech nerds, myself included, have known for a long time that a certain pair of “pro” buds have some of the best noise cancelling and transparency modes on the market. But Google is now giving every competitor a run for their money. In transparency mode, everything external sounds natural – and I’m serious about that statement too. The original Pixel Buds Pro’s transparency mode was okay, but everything was slightly muted and muffled, which I wasn’t a fan of. With the Pro 2 buds, that is no longer an issue. Everything sounds – almost – perfect in transparency. When I’m talking in transparency mode, my voice sounds a bit altered and “heady”, but it’s a minor issue since the world around me sounds as clean as it does. The Active Noise Cancelling has also received a big boost, which I expected, but I didn’t expect it to be as big an improvement as it has been. According to Google, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 cancel twice as much noise as the first-generation buds, and honestly, I believe it. It’s easy to tell that the Pro 2 buds pick up on a broader amount of higher and lower frequencies and does a better job of blocking them out. Along with that, Google’s A1 Tensor chip samples the ambient audio 90 times faster than the speed of sound, so the increased sample rate absolutely helps the active noise cancelling. SOUND/MUSIC QUALITY This piece of the puzzle is interesting, because I have a strong feeling that Google is planning to improve the default pre-amp and equalizer. I felt that the default equalizer setting was underwhelming in most aspects. I wasn’t a fan of the bass, treble, highs, or lows… Mids were the only piece that sounded proper to me. Needless to say, I’m thankful that the equalizer allows for custom settings, because the sound quality is solid on these buds with some tweaks. My advice is simple – be sure to tweak the audio profile to fit what you’re listening to and you’ll enjoy the sound quality. When it comes to voice calls though, meetings and the like, the audio is perfectly crisp. I’m a huge fan of how clear the voice quality is on my side – and while this may sound hard to believe – the voice quality sounds better than all of my other headphones, including the Bluetooth headset I use for work, which is rather expensive. To anyone who uses their earbuds for lots of meetings and phone calls, you will truly enjoy the Pro 2 buds. Between the high-quality transparency mode and busy days of meetings I’ve had at work recently, I’ve kept these earbuds in for 6+ hours, and I would not do that with any other headphones/headsets/buds I own. BATTERY LIFE Let it be known that these earbuds have amazing battery life! The original Pixel Buds Pro didn’t have bad battery life by any means, but I felt that the charging was slow (for the case and individual buds as well), and I always appreciate more battery life. I’ve personally tested using the Active Noise Cancelling for 2 hours and had 77% battery life remaining on each earbud – so you can absolutely get 8 hours of audio with noise cancelling turned on. Along with that, I’ve noticed that the case charges faster, both wireless and wired, so I’m not charging my headphones for very long at all. Most of the time, after about 20 minutes on the charger, I’m almost at 100% and ready to tackle the day with my Pixel Buds ready to go. I know these aren’t accurate numbers/stats, but the battery life and fast charging experience has been wonderful so far. EXTRA FEATURES Google’s Conversation Detection feature works pretty well out of the box. It detects that you’re speaking and then puts the earbuds into transparency mode and pauses the music. I tend to keep it turned off because it will pause my music even when I’m already using transparency mode. Maybe Google will allow some tweaking for this setting in the future. Find my Device works great, I’ve tested it with each individual earbud as well as the case – and I’m really happy that the case has its own speaker now! I couldn’t find my case just the other day and I was able to ring it from my phone. Automatic audio switching is still a bit buggy at times, but when it works, it works beautifully. I really enjoy being able to go from a call on my personal phone to listening to a video on my work laptop and have the audio just switch automagically. Please note, I did have some times where I finished a call or video, tried to listen to content on my other device, and the audio wouldn’t switch properly. Again, I would expect Google to deliver software updates to improve this experience as time goes on, because that’s exactly what they did with the first-generation Pixel Buds Pro. CONCLUSION The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the ideal package for someone like me. There might be some audiophiles who crave the highest quality audio and look for alternatives, but honestly, these earbuds are the full package. I don’t want to say that the Pixel Buds Pro 2 lack in audio quality, but as someone who uses devices with premium audio, I’d like to see Google push some software updates to improve the default sound settings. The earbuds themselves have high quality drivers, great battery life, and are packed to the teeth with features. I’d give these earbuds a strong recommendation, and to anyone who uses Pixel devices, these earbuds should be at the top of your wish list.

great earbuds, work perfectly with Google ecosystem :)

The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 sound great for music, audio books, and calls. I pair it with my Pixel 9 phone and once establishing a good connection, the buds work great. The controls on the buds are easy to use so you can quickly switch between Noise Cancelation or Transparency modes as well as change the volume and skip track or go to a previous track by tapping or swiping each earbud. The case is nice and sleek with a matte finish. Audio Quality These Pixel Buds Pro 2 have good audio quality, in my opinion. I listen to a variety of media throughout the day, and I have been satisfied with the audio quality on music, audio books, YouTube videos, and calls. Seems like the Tensor A1 Chip is doing its job! The Active Noise Cancellation with “Silent Seal 2.0” works very well - I am able to block out a lot of outside noise and you can really tell the difference between the Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode. The Transparency mode lets me listen in on my environment when needed - for me, that’s necessary when cooking, I still need to be able to have conversations with others and hear what’s going on. Switching between ANC and Transparency is as easy as long-pressing an earbud for about a second or two. It’s not a button, so a light touch is enough to trigger the actions, which I really like - the less pressure on my ear, the better. I picked up and made multiple calls while wearing the earbuds and everyone on the other end was satisfied with the quality - I experienced no interruptions on calls. I’ve had other earbuds in the past that sound muddled or quiet on either end of a call, but that was not my experience with this pair. Comfort & Setup These earbuds are comfortable and stay in place, although I can’t speak toward heavy physical activity, I mostly just go on walks and do light workouts and the buds have stayed put, especially once you twist them to “lock” them in. I ended up wearing them continuously for hours and didn’t have much discomfort, if any. I have sensitive skin and small ears so I went with the XS earbud tips and that size worked best by creating the least amount of pressure in my ear while still being able to block noise when needed. My Pixel 9 prompted me to “set up” the earbuds which goes through a tutorial and tests for noise reduction to determine if the eartip size fits best for you. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 come with the Medium tips attached but offer XS, S, and L tips which are easy to replace. Battery Life The battery life itself has been good, and I’ve been able to use them for a few hours at a time each day after an initial full charge overnight. Although I did have some initial connectivity issues, I concluded the case/earbuds were just not charged enough, even though when I did charge them, the steady white light was on indicating a full charge. I trusted the steady white light but that didn’t seem to be accurate. Despite that small hiccup, afterwards the case did a good job of charging the earbuds. There are multiple ways to gauge battery life - once connected, my phone will show the battery life of each earbud, but you can also open the case (with the earbuds in it) to see the indicator light which blinks slowly to show the buds are charging from the case and have more than 20% charge, or a solid white light to show 100% charge. When you close the case, the indicator light will glow white (case has more than 20%) or glow orange (less than 20%, case needs charge). Connectivity Once the earbuds have a full charge and have been connected to a device, they remember the device, so when I put them in my ears, they’ll automatically connect to my phone (assuming the Bluetooth is on). To connect to a new device, just hold down the button on the case and that enables the Pixel buds to be found via Bluetooth, the indicator light on the case will glow orange to indicate it’s in pairing mode. Overall I like having my bundle of Pixel products - they work well together. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are comfortable and sound good so I’ll be happy to continue using these when I want to listen to my own media.

I picked up the Buds Pro 2 because I wanted to give Pixel a shot when it comes to my ear pods. I was using Galaxy Buds Pro 2 before with only minor complaints, with a Samsung phone. Now I have a Pixel 9 I wanted to try the same brand on both. Much like with Samsung, the automatic integration was superb. Upon initially opening the pods case, the phone automatically detects them and takes you through a rather seamless setup process. Here is a quick summary on my thoughts. Pros Great sound quality Extremely comfortable even after extended use Good battery life Active Noise Cancellation Cons AI stuff Software can be finnicky at first To start off with build and quality, these are more like Galaxy Buds than Apple airpods. There is no stem, its their own design which I prefer. The buds feature two fitting settings. Simply pop them in your ears and your in comfort mode, if you're doing physical activities give them a twist and the bud will grip into your ear (not as comfortable but its not bad). The only complaint I have with the build on these is the grey outside. I'd have preferred a solid black look, or maybe white, but the grey just stands out on the black earpiece. The Buds have built in touch controls that are very easy to learn, with simply presses for play/pause, swiping for volume up and down, double tap for skipping, and long presses for turning on and off noise cancellation. The long press is also assignable so you can swap that out with something else like the AI assistant. The buds come with a few different sizes for you to fit to your ear. I would recommend waiting until the setup process though before swapping them out for what you think is right. The software has a feature that will test the fitment in your ear for you. For me, the software and my own comfort decided on the already installed ear cups. The software itself is good for the most part. I did run into an issue (which is pretty common apparently) where on first setup the software will not give you a Conversation Detection toggle. This has nothing to do with the software version or the firmware on the device, it simply will appear after some time. Once it did show up, I had no issues with the software. It has built in Hearing Health features, can tell you the decibels being put out by the ear buds as well as your surrounding environment and tell you when you should stop listening if you've been listening too long. Sound quality as stated was great. I found them to be slightly better than my Galaxy buds, and the built in EQ settings were nice (I prefer the bass boost mode). They get plenty loud, up to 95db as the software measured them. The sound quality didn't seem to distort at higher volume levels either like you'd have with other listening devices. I tested out an all day use with these when I first got them. The battery life of the buds never ran all the way down, though I wasn't listening to music all day. I used it with both noise cancellation on and off with the noise cancellation coming in handy for the really loud environments. The built in AI coprocessor supposedly real time tunes the sound for your environment but honestly I couldn't tell a difference. What I wish it was useful for was the Conversation Detection. I was pretty excited to try out that feature, but to my dismay it didn't work that well. If you are the one initiating the conversation it will pause your audio just fine. But if someone is talking at you, or having a conversation around you, it doesn't do anything until you talk. So I feel like thats a bit of a miss. Overall very happy with the Pixel Buds Pro 2 though. They work better in almost all regards compared to my previous devices while being extremely comfortable.

I am glad the case still retains that iconic eggshell look and feel. It just feels so good in the hand and is quite pocketable. The buds are nice as well, and while I like the Hazel color, I can’t help but want the Wintergreen for fun or Porcelain to match the case. The buds are quite small and are super comfortable to wear for hours. The “fin” allows for a very secure fit which stayed on no matter how much I shook my head. At the beginning, they felt like they were not lodged well, and the buds were kind of “out there” since I could barely feel them. However, I realized that this is actually a feature. They are great for working out, especially since they’re IP54 rated, and the case is IPX4(!). So, a little water or rain won’t be an issue. Having a Pixel phone, the buds paired automatically with no fuss and were updated automatically. I have not had any issues or disconnections, and noticed no lag or sync issues, especially in gaming mode. It also paired well with multi-point to my Pixel tablet. The touch controls are very responsive and intuitive, and I am glad everything can be controlled through them. The added AI features are welcome and makes me want to use Gemini much more. The battery life is not too shabby. I clocked them at about 7.5 hours with ANC/transparency mode on, which suits me just fine. The case adds 22 more hours. and is Qi wireless charger ready. When choosing the right size tips, the “silent seal” noise cancellation is quite decent, almost eliminating all low sounds, such as traffic and crowd noise, although high frequency noise can still come through, especially when taking the subway train. This is a non-issue when listening to audio. But what is truly impressive is the transparency mode. When on, everything sounds natural with no seemingly artificial augmentation, I can carry on a conversation without that “in my head” audio, making me forget that I was actually wearing them. The conversation detection mode is cool, but since I like to hum along music, did not have it on for too long. The call quality is superb. I was heard loud and clear. In transparency mode, it does feel like I was having a conversation in person. The integrated app on the Pixel phone provides robust customization. There, I can update the firmware, customize touch controls, and adjust the 5-band equalizer. I appreciate the “find my device” feature which not only tells you where the buds are, but also makes them ring. All the tech is great, but how’s the sound? Well, I am happy to report that the buds did not disappoint. I am a little sad that there are no Hi-Res LDAC or aptX codec support. However, out of the box, the 11mm drivers deliver very detailed audio that is more on the reference side. The bass is distinct and punchy, with a subdued sub-woofer feel. The midrange is rich and natural, which is great for vocals and spoken content, and the treble soars without being harsh. This is my preference, but for those who like more bass, or like to tinker with the EQ, the app offers a lot of customization and presets. The imaging is very clear, and the soundstage is expansive. I tried the spatial audio, which is great if you have a compatible source, but can also hurt the music experience. I found the head-tracking kind of useless with music, but interesting while watching content on my tablet. Lastly, I appreciate the Hearing Wellness feature which (hopefully) helps in protecting my hearing. In the end, I am quite happy with the Buds Pro 2. It all came down to audio quality and comfort. Since I still use the originals, I trust these will last for a very long time. The other features are just icing on the cake.

The best earbuds I've ever owned, well worth the upgrade! They are so light that my ears are fatigued after wearing them.

Product is very nice and I got good help and support from best buy during the buying process.

The quality was nice however I would like it more if it connected to my laptop as seamlessly as my iPhone.

Best ear buds. I used to use air pods but when I switched to the pixel phone, these ended up being better

Overall its a very good earbuds for day-to-day usuage . Suits perfectly for my google pixel 9 pro. Unfortunately out of 450000 ear data points, my ear shape doesn't came , it seems . My ears are smaller than normal and started getting pain after 15mins of usuage. Google ahould come up with a better model that suits all ears.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are hands down some of the best wireless earbuds I’ve used. The active noise cancellation is impressive — it blocks out background noise extremely well without making things feel unnatural. Sound quality is crisp and balanced, with deep bass and clear mids and highs, whether I’m listening to music, podcasts, or taking calls. They pair instantly and stay connected reliably, and the Bluetooth range has been solid. The touch controls are intuitive and responsive, and I really like how customizable they are through the Pixel Buds app. Battery life is more than enough to get through long days, and the charging case is compact and easy to carry. Comfort is another big win — I can wear them for hours without irritation, and they stay secure even during workouts. The Hazel color also looks clean and premium. Overall, these earbuds deliver on sound, comfort, and smart features. Highly recommend if you want high-quality wireless earbuds with excellent noise cancellation.

If you already own the 1st gen of the Pixel Buds and are looking to replace them, then the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a pretty good upgrade. Sound, comfort and features are great at the price point. Even non-audiophiles will think they are a looker. In the great recyclable packaging comes the flat egg charging case, buds, multiple sizes of ear tips and a quick start guide. No charging cable provided so you must supply your own USB C power or use a wireless charger. The build quality feels great for both the charger and buds. The magnet to hold in the buds are super strong and will offer some degree of protection if dropped. Setup is pretty straight forward. You can either pair them directly to your device or if you have Android, you can download and use (I highly recommend this) the Pixel Buds app. Using the app unlocks the buds to their full potential. App features a multitude of useful features like ear tip seal checker, preset EQs, customizable EQs, digital assistant (Gemini), buds finder etc. Comfort is excellent for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. You can just stick them in your ear for a good seal and you are good or you can with the new design is slightly twist it as it comes with a little "stem" that sticks out to lock with the lower inner part of your ear for extra stability. I have been using them at the gym and not once did they feel loose or about to fall off at any point. Mind you, these have a rating of IP54 so splashes of water or sweat is no problem but they are not submersible like others at IPX7. Battery life is standard for the BT Buds. With ANC turned off the buds can give you up to 12hrs. With ANC on (default setting) and prefer it on, you will roughly get about 8hrs. I found this to be true as while I worked a typical work day, the battery level at 5pm was around 6% from a full charge at 8am. Google claims 5 minutes in the charging case can give you about 1.5hrs of life. ANC (Active Noise Cancellation) was about par with most other buds on the market I have tried. I recommend leaving it on. Pass through had too much of a hissing noise to my liking and just turning it off had no effect to me on anything. Sound quality is great. With the EQ presets or your own customized one, everything sounded excellent. Calls were standard and had no issues with people on the other side hearing me and can make out everything I said just fine. Audiophiles corner. The buds I found were only compatible with SBC and AAC codecs (also heard OPUS as well). They are not compatible with LDAC or any of the aptX codecs with make me sad coming from a flagship product. Other than that, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a solid contender in the BT earbuds market and have a excellent price to performance ratio.

So far this has been a great pair of earbuds, had to choose from a plethora of options out there and went with these, great choice, connectivity was seamless and sound was great, awesome battery life and looks good too. I chose these as the EarPods are not a good fit for my ears and over the ear was not a good option, and earbuds are not always a good fit but these fit perfectly.

Been using Pixel Buds 2 for about a week and they are about as good as you can hope for in the Pixel ear bud family. For the price, these will be hard to beat and still give you everything that ties them to your Pixel ecosystem. The Buds sound great at any volume. Although, settings in the app can let you know when you listened too long at higher volumes that could lead hearing damage, kinda neat. ANC is perfect for all but the most demanding uses that I mention below. And being able to get a conversation going with Gemini is easier with a long touch and summoning the google dudes. Touch pad is a bit better for me this time, even though the touch zone is smaller with a new more compact better fitting design. Setup/Design/Comfort: Setup on a Pixel phone is literally just opening the case and opting in to screen prompts. Other phones might be the same, but I used a Pixel Pro 9 series phone and it was brain dead simple. Some might need to get the app from the store. Design wise, the case is essentially the same shape/size this year, except that it can emit sounds for charge status and battery level, have not heard it yet. The buds design changed quite a bit from the 1st gen. They are smaller, easier to pull from case, and include a small fin to lock them in the ear. So far, they stay put very well, not that it was a huge issue for me last time. More vigorous activities should be less of an issue for most. Fit is great and only requires a minimal twist to lock into the ear. My manly ears could wear these all day with out much issue. App: Very thorough and easy to navigate app to change settings and tweak audio quality. First thing will be to update firmware. After that, the biggest reason to use the app is to find your audio preset or equalizer under "Sound" tab. You get 6 presets or use the 5 band equalizer to dial in the profile you prefer. Then, maybe set ANC options. Lastly, definitely go into "Hearing Wellness" and make sure to tick on the "volume level notifications" tab. Very useful info. You only get 2 ears and this might help keep them safe for the long run. Sound: As I like a heavier bass preference to my listening. These do well, and can put a nice bit of thump in between my ears. Some songs just don't deliver and others do, so you will need to find your go to music and dial it in. Bitrate of my audio might be the issue here, not the buds. You will need the better/higher audio bitrates to see the buds shine. I think the sweet spot when dialed in with the apps 5 band equalizer will get you very close to preferred audio bliss. Perfect bass is a lot to ask for when earbuds are so small like these are. No doubt these sound great. Other feature like Spatial audio works well with the included demo, but I do not encounter many music tracks to test beyond the demo with spatial audio. I do leave it turned on in case a random track has this ability. Touch Pad/ANC: The touchpads are often so much of pain when testing different buds. Big fat rough fingers may be part of my inability to get accurate taps. Luckily Pixel Buds 2 even though smaller, are pretty responsive for track forward, pause and volume. Pixel Buds 2 uses the most common taps gestures. My hiccup is always getting the timing for 3 taps to replay a track. Even the Pixel Buds 2 hiccups here. Either I get pause or the next track. Wish Pixel would adopt a right bud and left bud full customization. Not just the current assistant/ANC option. For me, having a left earbud double tab control rewind and right do forward is better. Maybe a firmware update can offer this. Anyways, day to day use answering a call or going forward on your tracks work reliably. The best is the volume, simple swipe forward or backwards to raise/lower worked every time. The ANC - Active Noise Cancellation, Is great. It will eliminate most audio noise from outside influences around you. You will be in a cocoon of what you want to hear from the buds. While its very good. The Pixel Buds 2 did not beat the ANC of a different set of buds I have that can cancel out the noise from my zero turn mower, granted this is an extreme case noise to muffle. The buds make the music very audible, but still have mower noise at half volume. The other side of ANC I love about the Buds 2, the new Transparent ANC audio quality. It might sound better than real life without the buds in ear. And the feature can be activated when you start talking. Great for an environment where you might need to interact with people occasionally, not so much if you like to sing out loud while listening to music, as every time you sing/hum the audio stops, lol. I prefer to leave talk off and stick to long press to activate ANC levels. Ai: While I think the new A1 chip in the buds has made the buds better, the use for Ai is subjective. They do help with ANC processing as I mentioned above. The "Hey google" summons Gemini and works as good as it always did now with updated google tasks. You can also summon Gemini Live for a conversation with "Hey google, let's talk". Fun for various uses, and can be very handy when you need someone to talk to as a sound board for ideas. Calls (Clear Calling in Pixel settings) also seem to benefit from the new chip. Call quality is very good for both ends. No one asked if I was on headset or in a tunnel. Good set of buds and an an improvement over gen 1.

I’ve never been a big fan of ear buds in general. I’ve tried out a couple of lower priced brands, but they were either uncomfortable to use for very long or didn’t fit well enough and for the most part, the noise cancelling features were underwhelming and unintuitive. However, I guess the old adage that “you get what you pay for” is true in this case because I am truly impressed so far with the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 in my tests so far and I’ve found myself wearing them more than any other in ear speakers I’ve ever used. Ironically, one of the reasons I never considered Pixel Buds before was that in pictures they always looked so big and awkward. Having never seen them in person, I was completely surprised at how small they actually are. To this end, in my review pics I’ve included a coin for scale to give you an idea of their actual size. Even the charging case was smaller than I imagined and fit nicely in a jacket or pants pocket. (And I really appreciate that Google has wireless charging; makes things so easy!) The initial pairing and setting up my Pixel 8 Pro were seamless and easy to complete. Device setup is one of the things that I think Google doesn’t get enough credit for; it really gets better in every new iteration. Extra high points for the controls on the buds being so intuitive; with other buds I had to constantly refer to the help docs on how to do simple things like change the volume or take a call, but the Pixel Buds are so instinctual that I was up and running immediately. Sound quality is a subjective thing, as everyone’s hearing is different as are their preferences for volume and equalization so it’s a hard metric to review. I will say that while I wouldn’t consider myself a professional audiophile, I was a working musician for years (mostly in clubs and some studio work) and I found the quality of reproduction to be quite remarkable, even without any equalization adjustments. Personally, I don’t know if I’ll even change the EQ as I was quite pleased with the balance and spectrum. To me, a few of the standout features are the fit, the noise cancellation and the integration with Google’s new Gemini assistant. It's amazing how a few design tweaks from the original Pixel Buds have made all the difference. I had to ask a buddy to check out their version 1 buds and the difference is night and day. The Pixel Bud Pro 2’s insert easily and with a simple twist, lock firmly but gently in place. The medium size ear tips installed by default felt quite comfortable and sealed my ears well, though Google thoughtfully includes different size ear tips for a custom fit. (I liked how the setup procedure even tested how well they sealed!) I could see myself wearing these for long periods of time and in fact I watched an entire movie without any discomfort. As an aside, I was surprised how well the sound quality was when I paired the buds to my ShieldTV box. I have a pretty decent 5.1 theater set up with quality speakers and a great AV amp. I’d never tried headphones or ear buds for a movie because I felt like I’d be taking a step back in quality. But watching a movie with the buds was a whole new experience for me. It was immersive and the Spatial Sound setting really gave it good separation and theater-like quality. Combined with the Automatic Noise Cancelling, it was a worthwhile alternative to annoying my neighbors if I want to watch an action flick late at night! The Noise Cancelling was another standout for me; it really is impressive in its implementation. And as well as it works, the transparency settings allow you to cut background noise while still leaving you ‘situationally aware’. The addition of the Tensor chip to the buds is more than just window dressing; being able to run the noise cancelling algorithms on the buds themselves in real time is not only a major engineering accomplishment, but it also works incredibly well. Better than any other ANC buds I have tested to date, in fact. I’ve been playing with Gemini a lot lately and the integration with Gemini Live was a nice addition in my opinion. While I look forward to more integration with other Google services, Gemini has come a long way in a short time recently and I know that closer integration is likely weeks away. But for now, being able to have normal conversations with Gemini via the buds is not only fun, but really useful. In short, I’d highly recommend the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 not only to anyone who is a fan of earbuds but also invite those who may have had underwhelming experiences in the past to check them out. They could change your opinion like they did mine.

I’m using the new Pixel Pro buds 2 with the new Pixel 9 Pro XL phone. The two work wonderfully together. The buds ship in a cream colored matte finish oval charging case that even slightly resembles the OEM charger for the phone. Although the buds can be used with other phones, The Pixel Pro Buds 2 are best paired with Pixel phones. The relationship is so natural and seamless, it reminds me of a similar set of “Pro” buds used exclusively with my other phone brand. The Pixel buds appeared on the Pixel phone display automatically as soon as I opened the charging case lid. I said yes when asked if I wanted to connect to the buds and the phone took care of everything else. The Pixel buds app was already preinstalled and ready for use. I wasn’t required to download the app or perform any manual pairing like other phones require. The Pixel buds app provides the ability to update the buds firmware, adjust sound options and settings, and help guide users into establishing a proper tip fit and seal. Sound quality is pretty good. I wouldn’t crown these the best sounding buds ever, but they are clearly in the upper tier. Music has a warm sound profile with decent bass and clear highs by default (no EQ). Instruments and voices have good distinction and blend nicely with no noticeable distortion. The Pixel buds offer six EQ presets, a five-band manual EQ, and spatial sound option for sound enhancement. It also has guided setups for ensuring the fit and seal provide the best possible sound quality and noise cancelling. The buds are also good for voice conversations, whether phone calls or videoconferencing. Voices are clear and decipherable on my end and the mics do a great job of ensuring parties on the other end hear me loud and clear. The clear calling feature helps improve call quality in noisy environments. ANC works well, but again isn’t among the best I’ve tried. It’s effective in most instances but certain higher pitched sounds tend to bleed through. The Pixel buds Pro 2 battery life is on par with similar options. I get about a week of listening time between charges. The case re-charges the buds between listening sessions and itself can be charged via Qi wireless or the USB-C port. Oddly, no charging accessories were included, not even a USB-C cable. Thankfully, I have plenty of extra chargers and cables, including the Pixel 9 phone charger which I also use for the buds. The only thing included besides the buds and case are extra sets of tips in different sizes. Among extras are integration with Google Gemini AI for voice driven AI commands and full conversation chatbot capability. The buds also have a locator feature that can locate the last known location of the buds even if offline. They appear on a map in-app and a sound can be sent to help pinpoint location. To summarize, the Pro 2 buds sound great, have decent battery life, good AI integration, good ANC, good communications performance and decent extras. Solid performance across the board, except for the exclusion of any charging accessories. I don’t know why it bothers me so much, but it does. This is my first pair of Pixel buds, so maybe I’m overreacting at something that has always been that way. It just feels like omitting something as cheap as a small cheesy USB-C cable is a sign of the times. A race to see who can give consumers the least in return for the most. Ok, soap box moment over.

When I unboxed the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, I was at first a bit disappointed because the case looks exactly the same as the first generation except for a small hole to now emit sounds for the Find My Device feature. Then I opened the case and immediately noticed how much smaller the newer generation are. I thought they’d be too small but upon inserting them in my ear and twisting them into position I was sold. They are incredibly comfortable. The new model now includes a small and subtle fin that also help with fit. These may possibly be the best earbuds on the market for Android users. With a Google Pixel phone, like the Pixel 9 Pro Fold that I use, you already have the Pixel Buds app installed and the earbuds automatically pair. On any other device you can download the Pixel Buds app from the Google Play Store. Once paired, they can be linked to your Google account to work on any other Pixel device or Android 8+ device that has Google Play services enabled. They can even be paired to multiple Android devices and seamlessly switch between them. I can confirm this feature worked flawlessly on my Samsung Galaxy tablet. I only turned it on and saw a message that my Pixel Buds Pro 2 had connected and simply starting media on my tablet paused it on my phone. While listening to my tablet, a phone call came in and the music stopped as the Buds Pro 2 switched back to my phone. The new Pixel Buds Pro 2 includes a Tensor A1 chip that improves just about everything from the original including latency, noise cancelation, sound quality, and even battery life. Comparing them to the original, this isn’t just your typical new product marketing speak, the noise cancellation is remarkably better. With my old Pixel Buds, I could still hear my fan humming faintly in the background but that noise is just gone with the new model. It’s just as good as some of my over-ear cans. Transparency has also been improved dramatically. With the older ones and transparency on, I could hear myself talk which constantly reminded me the earbuds are in my ears. On the Pro 2, this is not the case, it’s much more natural and makes features like Conversation Assist so much better. The audio quality certainly sounds better compared to the original, but I honestly can’t tell if it’s actually better because I already thought the first gen buds had great quality. A large part of why it sounds so much better I think is because the comfort and noise cancellation is so much improved. In any case, they sound great, but if you need to tweak things, there is an EQ setting in the Pixel app. There are five default presets available for you like Heavy Bass or “Clarity” which hikes up the treble. You can also customize it and create your own preset. With Google’s new Find My Device feature, you can now track and play a sound on the case or either earbud themselves, which is useful when one falls behind a couch cushion. I carry mine around daily and am constantly misplacing them around the house so besides the improved noise cancellation and comfort this is my favorite new feature. The touch controls are intuitive. You can control the volume by swiping forward or backward on either earbud. A single tap for play pause, double tab for next track and triple for previous track. You can customize the touch “hold” gesture on either earbud to either toggle ANC or summon Gemini/Assistant. Pros: - Superb Sound Quality with Tensor A1 Chip - Great Bass Response - Intuitive Touch Controls - Fast Pairing on Android and Pixel - Includes Multiple Eartips - Wireless Charging - Spatial Audio Support - Conversation Detection - Find My Device - Gemini AI Conversational Support Cons: - None really – other than I wouldn’t recommend these for Apple iPhone users simply because you’ll be missing out on a lot of the features. Overall – These are excellent earbuds, a solid improvement over the first-gen especially in transparency and noise cancellation, a must have for Pixel owners.