The Google Pixel Buds, the first true wireless earbuds to offer hands-free Google Assistant, have arrived to take on the Apple AirPods.
They're priced competitively at $179 (about £140 / AU$270) and have a number of neat features but they face some steep competition from other cheaper models from Samsung, Sony, Jabra and others.
So are they the right earbuds for you? What's their deal? Here's everything you need to know about the Google Pixel Buds.
Google Pixel Buds True Wireless In-Ear Earbuds | $179.99 @ Best Buy
If you're looking to buy a pair of the new true wireless model, you can find them on the Google Store or, if you have some gift cards laying around, over at Best Buy in all-white for $179.99. View Deal
Cut to the chase
- What are they? The Google Pixel Buds, a pair of true wireless earbuds
- How much will they cost? $179 (about £140 / AU$270)
- When will they be released? April 27 2020
What are the Google Pixel Buds?
Google is a huge name in the world of smartphones and smart speakers, but the tech giant hasn’t exactly made waves in the realm of personal audio. However, that might all be about to change, with the release of the new Google Pixel Buds.
Announced back in October at the Made by Google event that brought us the Google Nest Mini, the new Pixel Buds are wireless earbuds that come with Google Assistant built-in, for hands-free access to the company’s super-smart voice assistant.
Not to be confused with the original Pixel Buds, which featured a neckbud design, these sleek-looking buds completely cut the cord, just like the AirPods, the Sony WF-1000XM3, and the Powerbeats Pro.
Unfortunately, however, they don't feature noise-cancellation, which can be kind disappointing if you wanted something that can keep you focused on your work.
The Google Pixel Buds look very dainty from the images we’ve seen already, with smooth, flat housings that sit flush against your ear.
According to Google, the design was based on scans of “thousands of ears”, and should deliver a “customizable, secure fit”. A small earfin – which Google calls a ‘stabilizer arc’ – should keep the buds snugly in your ears, while what look to be silicone eartips will hopefully come in a range of sizes to suit all ears.
Google says they Pixel Buds are sweat and water-resistant too, so they should be fine for use during workouts – though the brand hasn’t confirmed whether the earbuds come with an IPX rating. They also come with a spatial vent that should allow a little outside noise to pass though the buds; this isn’t ideal if you were hoping for noise cancelation, but it should allow you to be aware of your surroundings and prevent the suction-like seal that is associated with in-ear headphones.
The outer housings of the Pixel Buds are touch sensitive, allowing you to tap to play and pause your music, and swipe to change the volume. To summon Google Assistant, you’ll have to rely on your voice.
It looks like the Google Pixel Buds will be available in four colors: orange, white, mint-green, and black, echoing some of the colors we’ve seen on the Google Nest Mini.
Google Pixel Buds release date and price
The Google Pixel Buds dropped on Tuesday, April 27 2020 in four colors - Oh So Orange, Clearly White, Quite Mint, and Almost Black.
The Google Pixel Buds cost $179 (for reference that works out at about £140 / AU$270) but we’re still waiting for official global pricing.
That means that (in the US at least), the Pixel Buds are more expensive than the Apple AirPods with the standard charging case. However, they’re still $20 cheaper than the AirPods with Apple’s Wireless Charging Case, though.
Google Pixel Buds battery life and connectivity
The battery life of the Google Pixel Buds is the same as the Apple AirPods: five hours with the buds alone, and "up to 24 hours" with the wireless charging case. That's not the best battery life we've seen for true wireless earbuds, but it should be enough to get you through your commute with juice to spare.
Speaking of wireless charging, this is a feature that would have to come as part of a new Pixel phone, but we don’t think it’s likely that the upcoming Pixel 4a will support reverse wireless charging, as a cheaper version of the Pixel 4.
It’s possible that it could come with the yet-to-be-announced Pixel 5, but we’ll have to wait a while to find out.
According to Google's senior vice president of Devices & Services, Rick Osterloh, the upgraded earbuds come with an incredibly long-range Bluetooth connection, making it possible, for example, to leave your phone in your locker at the gym and still be able to listen to your music wirelessly.
Google says the buds' connectivity is so far-reaching that you could leave a distance the length of an American football field between your device and the new Pixel Buds – for non-football fans, that's 100 yards (around 90 meters).
That suggests that the Pixel Buds support the latest Bluetooth 5.0 wireless streaming standard.
Google Pixel Buds audio
It’s the most important aspect of any headphones: audio. Without having tested them ourselves we can’t say how good they sound - our review sample is due any day now - but we do know a little bit about the tech held within the buds.
Inside they have custom-designed 12mm dynamic drivers, which should provide a punchy, powerful sound; dynamic drivers displace lots of air to create vibrations (and therefore soundwaves), and are usually compact and lightweight.
Phone calls should sound clear thanks to the inclusion of an accelerometer that detects when you’re talking, alongside mics directed towards your mouth that Google says ensures that “background noise stays in the background”.
Hopefully these mics are better than the ones built into the original Pixel Buds, which we found weren’t always adept at picking up our voice.
The Google Pixel buds come with the Google Assistant built-in, just like Google Home / Nest smart speakers. That means you can summon the voice assistant hands-free, by simply saying “Hey Google”, or “OK Google”. You can then ask the assistant questions, for news and weather updates, or to carry out tasks, like calling a contact on your phone, and controlling your smart home devices.
Google also says that the Pixel Buds will be able to handle real-time language translations, a feature we saw in the original Pixel Buds that requires the Google Translate app to be installed on your phone.
The recently launched Google Pixel Buds app adds extra features like controls for touch controls, adaptive sound, in-ear detection, Google Assistant settings, and a Find My Device feature. You'll also be able to use the app to check the battery levels of your buds.
Should you buy them?
We'll reserve final judgment until we've had some more time with them, but so far the consensus seems to be that they're good true wireless earbuds. They're not perfect, as reviewers have pointed out that they have a short battery life compared to other true wireless earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus and don't include active noise cancellation tech, but hands-free Google Assistant is a game-changer and the adaptive audio volume is a neat add-on.
If you're an Android owner and you want the Android equivalent of Apple AirPods, these are them.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMiMGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlY2hyYWRhci5jb20vbmV3cy9nb29nbGUtcGl4ZWwtYnVkc9IBNGh0dHBzOi8vd3d3LnRlY2hyYWRhci5jb20vYW1wL25ld3MvZ29vZ2xlLXBpeGVsLWJ1ZHM?oc=5
2020-04-28 21:26:00Z
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