What’d you say, sonny?
Second, Pixel Buds 2 does not include an active noise-cancellation feature, so your total listening experience will vary depending on your environment. Pixel Buds 2 seal pretty well in the ear, owing to their wing-based construction, so medium-volume music will sound fine in lower-volume environments, and loud music will do great anywhere. But even the mildest noise-canceling earbuds surpass Google’s option when walking down a noisy street or enduring the ever-present din of an airplane (which I had to simulate using speakers in my home office).
I’ve personally yet to test noise-canceling earbuds that surpass over-ear headphones released in the same year, so I don’t prioritize noise cancellation in my own earbud use. But earbuds are getting better at this trick in many other manufacturers’ lineups, so I wouldn’t blame you for calling that a deal breaker in terms of a $180 pair of earbuds in 2020.
Additionally, there’s no way to enable a form of “pass-through audio” for Pixel Buds 2, which most other modern earbud options include as a default. If I wear Pixel Buds 2 while picking up a takeout order at a neighborhood bakery or restaurant, and I want to chat with the clerk for a minute while standing outside, I run into this issue roughly half the time: the Pixel Buds 2 obscure just enough outside noise that I find myself mishearing the other person within 20 seconds. That’s not ideal for a brief, polite exchange. As a result, I either remove Google’s earbuds outright or twist them within my ear so that the wings are dislodged. The latter is quite uncomfortable after only a few seconds, so I typically find myself popping an earbud out—not ideal for tiny, expensive earbuds.
While I’m on the subject: Pixel Buds 2 include an “adaptive sound” option, which Google describes as “subtly and automatically optimiz[ing] volume based on the noise level of your environment.” Subtle my tuchus. If I walk down the street and a single loud truck zooms past with this function enabled, Pixel Buds 2 wait a full second to react by cranking my volume as if I’d tapped the “volume-up” button twice. It’s jarring, it always comes too late, and then it takes too long to drop back down. I’ll wait for Google to retune this feature before I even think of enabling it again.
Comfort, battery, and microphones
In terms of long-term comfort, I began my tests unsure whether the Pixel Buds 2 was ideal for my preferences. But after two full days of testing, the mild discomfort I felt from their specific fit faded away. I’m typing this nine days into my testing, and I’ve reached a point where I can leave them in for their rated five-hour battery life and feel pretty much the same as I do with any other comfortable earbuds I own (particularly Koss’ line, which is still my gold standard for comfort and fit). No matter how they’re constructed, buds are foreign objects in your ears and are nice to remove every few hours, but the Pixel Buds 2 are otherwise not oppressive, itchy, or painful. And no, they never feel like they’re about to fall out.
Comparatively, the Airpods Pro rank mildly higher in terms of comfort—especially since they don’t require any twisting to get into their “ideal” fit state—while I burnt through five out of the seven included ear-tip pieces that come with the Sony WF-1000XM3 in search of a comfortable fit. Even once I found their best mix of sound quality and tight fit, I found myself noticing and disliking their tightness within seconds of each use—a sensation I’ve never really gotten used to.
Like most other modern earbuds, Pixel Buds 2 drain battery when they’re left out of their charging case, and this is a good motivator to regularly put them into their satisfyingly clicky, egg-like home. They run at lower power while out of your ears and not playing audio, and they have a handy “don’t play audio when they’re not in my ears” feature, enabled by a new sensor. That standby time is only about 12 hours (which will become relevant in a bit), compared to roughly five hours of active music- or podcast-listening time. Google’s earbuds pop into and out of their case easily enough, thanks to a firm-yet-loose magnetic system, and their fast-charge promise is no joke: 10 minutes in their little egg will indeed charge to roughly 100 minutes of listening time.
Figuring out exactly how good your favorite Bluetooth earbuds’ microphones will sound in audio and video calls can be tricky, owing to many Android recording apps relying on a phone’s built-in microphone array. By using a freeware Bluetooth-specific app, I confirmed what I suspected: Pixel Buds 2 don’t magically improve recording quality, instead hovering neck and neck with the competition. The results seemed a smidgen ahead of Airpods Pro but not enough to where I’d recommend one over the other in that metric. Ultimately, if you want to sound good while calling someone on your smartphone, none of the earbuds I tested hold a candle to a dedicated microphone that hovers close to your mouth. (You know, like the ones you’ll find on 3.5mm-compatible headsets.)
Touch-sensitive bulbs, included app
The last thing to review is Pixel Buds 2’s touch-control system, which was easily the best aspect of Google’s first Buds, and its return is welcome. The touch controls have improved over last time, but they’re still not perfect.
Many earbuds ask users to click into a firm button, which usually jams their plastic bodies further into your ear canal. This is absolutely a deal breaker for me—truly, the reason you’ll never see me purchase push-button models from Jabra, Jaybird, and Beats. Pixel Buds 2, conversely, ask you to tap, swipe, or hold a finger on their touch-sensitive bulbs. These bulbs, which hover in the ear canal, are nearly identical in size to the last ones: at a finger-friendly diameter of 0.77 inches (19.5mm).
Finger recognition is absolutely improved since last time, as is the earbuds’ ability to differentiate between taps and swipes. If you’re sitting still and need to play/pause (tap), skip ahead (tap twice), rewind (tap three times), adjust volume (swipe forward for more, backward for less), or bring up Google Assistant (hold your finger until you hear a tone, then either speak a command or let go to hear notifications), all of these work as you’d expect.
I can’t say the same for trying these maneuvers when you’re walking briskly or jogging, on the other hand. The bulbs’ diameter is just small enough to make accurate tapping placement a bit tricky when they become moving targets. Worse, any dreams of accessing Google Assistant with sweaty ears and fingers is an utterly lost cause; the required press-and-hold is a nightmare with sweat in the picture.
One solution to this issue might be tap customization—especially since Pixel Buds 2 feature touch controls on both ears this time, compared to a single ear in the original model. However, as of press time, Google has opted to duplicate the same commands for both ears and deny any discrete customization control. I appreciate Google making its touch controls identical across both ears by default; figuring out Sony’s spread of controls across both WF-1000XM3s was a pain in the butt as a new user. But denying any additional options to picky users is ridiculous, especially for earbuds that come with their own dedicated app.
Really, the Pixel Buds app is a snoozer. Its best toggle as of press time is a “find device” toggle, which makes each Pixel Bud 2 ring in case you’ve dropped or lost either. (At least, so long as you haven’t exceeded their aforementioned 12-hour standby time.) Otherwise, the app controls the Buds’ Adaptive Sound option (remember: it stinks, turn it off), lets you disable the handy in-ear detection system (remember: it’s great, leave it on), confirms each earbud’s battery level, and explains how the touch panel works if you’ve forgotten. You won’t find an equalizer or any other customization options here.
Wake in the morning feelin’ like Pixel Diddy
Personally, I steer clear of equalizer options on any audio device. I’m one of those weird sticklers for listening to music the way artists and producers delivered it, even if that comes at the cost of sounding “flat” compared to what you might get out of an equalizer. I’ll always err on the side of ponying up for better audio hardware to improve everything I listen to across the board, as opposed to an equalizer I have to fiddle with as I hop from genre to genre.
Unlike the original Pixel Buds, which engaged in automatic frequency-tweaking tomfoolery, Pixel Buds 2 either don’t need such a poor-sounding gimmick or do it so masterfully that I’ve never noticed. Either way, my massive music-testing library, which ranges from fields of static noise and ambient warbling to delicately finger-picked guitar as well as from critically acclaimed ’60s hard-bop jazz to the stupidest party jams ever written by Kesha, always compared favorably on Pixel Buds 2 to my favorite bookshelf speakers and favorite wired headphones.
As a result, every time I glance at my earbud shelf, covered in seven options, I keep instinctively reaching for Pixel Buds 2 before taking my music or podcasts on the go. That being said, I’m the kind of user who’s willing to contend with Pixel Buds 2’s clear failings compared to the competition: a total lack of noise cancellation and pass-through audio options, and the need to frequently check the earbuds’ fit to guarantee optimal sound quality. If either of those would annoy you in high-end earbuds, the Apple Airpods Pro will make you happier. For me, once I’m past the $100 mark for audio gear, sound quality is paramount—so long as the rest of the package is quality enough. For that reason, I’m swallowing Pixel Buds 2’s biggest issues and sticking with them as my Bluetooth audio option for the foreseeable future.
The Good:
- Musical reproduction. Higher frequencies are the slightest bit diminished, yet overall impact is best-in-class.
- You’ll love toting this comfortable, handsome, satisfyingly clicky charging case in your pocket.
- Snug, comfortable fit, once I got used to the rubber wing tips—and they stay put, even when drenched in sweat.
- Five hours of musical playback per recharge is enough for me, and the quick-recharge case works as advertised.
- The only good things from the first Pixel Buds, the touch-sensitive bulbs, return in improved fashion.
The Bad:
- No noise cancellation.
- No pass-through audio option.
- If the idea of fussing with rubber wings for optimal audio during sweaty workouts sounds annoying, these may not be for you.
- Five hours of musical playback per recharge may not be enough for you.
- Touch-sensitive bulbs are more finicky during sweaty workouts than I’d hoped.
The Ugly:
- Why can’t we customize the tapping and swiping gestures, Google? What year is this?
Verdict: Google’s latest stab at great earbuds for a wide audience is a surprising success. If you need Android earbuds and want to spend big, consider these strongly (but not universally) recommended.