Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 review: Impressive TWS earphones

Google's first generation Pixel Buds Pro (2022) was a fantastic premium True Wireless Stereo (TWS) earphones. After two years, the company has launched its successor.

It comes with big upgrades to deliver better audio output. But, does it deliver the goods? Let's check it out.

Design and build quality

Google's new Buds Pro 2 carries forward the pebble stone-inspired design language with the dual-tone colourway of the predecessor. I am not complaining as the new Pixel Buds are the best-looking TWS earphones in the market.

The dark black underneath the lid of the charging case and the lower half of the earbuds add value to the visual appeal of the vibrantly coloured earphones. And, the light ivory-coloured case with a matte finish makes it stand out among rival brands, which often come with a glossy finish and tend to get stained very easily.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2's charging case.

Our review unit is Wintergreen. It is amazing and gets instantly noticed by people around you. Google also offers three other colour options--Porcelain (white), Hazel (black) and Peony (pink), which are also very pretty as well.

One of the most noticeable changes we see in the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is a tad smaller and very light too. And, yet they fit the ears perfectly and can be worn comfortably for hours without any issues.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Each earbud weighs just 4.7g and the charging case (with earbuds) weighs 65g. But, they are made of premium materials and sturdy.

Google says the new design of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 was conceptualised by using 45 million data points from ear scans to come up with the optimal shape for maximum comfort and a secure fit.

Another interesting aspect of the earphones is the twist-to-adjust stabiliser. Users can twist the earphones onto ears to seal off outside noise and also ensure they are tightly fit. With the Pixel Buds app, users can even perform sound and ear tip seal checks. It plays a sample sound for a few seconds to see if the earphones are correctly placed on the ears. Ensure to perform this test in a quiet room.

If the seal check fails, you can change the ear tip with any of three extra pairs of tips. The company offers in three sizes- Large, Small and Extra Small.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

This way, there is less chance of the Pixel Buds falling off from the ears and the audio is delivered with less distortion.

However, if you travel on mass transit vehicles such as the metro or buses during peak business hours, it is better to remove them from the ears and keep them in your pockets; wear them back, when you settle inside or get down at the stop.

However, while jogging on an open track, there is no issue of the earphones falling off. They hang on to the ears.

The earbuds come with an IP54 rating, which means, they can survive accidental water splashes, light rain and heavy sweat during workouts at the gym and jogging outdoors. And, the case comes with an IPX4 rating, meaning it can resist water splashes only.

User-Interface and Performance

Setting up Pixel Buds Pro 2 is really easy. It supports iPhones and Android mobiles. But, the earbuds deliver the best experience with the Pixel Buds app for Android and even more Pixel phones, as they offer personalisation options (more on that later).

The top coloured panel with the brand "G" on both the earbuds are touch sensitive and they are super responsive.

With a single tap gesture, you can pause the music or answer calls. With a double tap, you can hang up the call or move to the next track on the music playlist. Or, stop the conversation with the digital assistant.

With a triple tap, the user can go to the previous track.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

By swiping forward, you can increase the volume and by swiping backwards, you can reduce the volume.

And, to trigger the Active Noise Cancellation, you just have to long press the top panel. There is also smart technology embedded in the Pixel Buds Pro 2. It can detect if the user is talking and it will automatically pause the music and turn on ambient mode, which enables the user to hear the outside sound; This way, the user doesn't have to remove the earbuds to talk to a person in front of them.

Under the hood, each earbud houses a large 11 mm driver for powerful bass, a new high-frequency chamber for smooth treble and spatial audio with head tracking.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

And, it features Google's proprietary Tensor A1 chipset, a first for any Pixel Buds earphones. It promises 2X better ANC compared to the Pixel Bud Pro (Gen 1).

Also, it comes with beamforming mics, and wind-blocking mesh covers and uses Google AI technology to make you and the person that you're talking to sound extra clear.

It excels with Active Noise Cancellation with the Silent Seal 2.0 feature. Even during the annoying traffic noise with loud horns on the road, the microphones of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 (when paired to an iPhone) were able to pick up my voice and deliver clearly on to the other side of the call.

Not just during phone calls, it managed to deliver clear and crisp audio with less distortion while listening to the music.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 supports Gemini Live. It offers a mobile conversational experience that uses Google’s state-of-the-art speech technology to let users have extended conversations with the Gemini AI assistant.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 supports the Clear Calling feature. It ensures you can hear the other end of the phone call, even when it’s noisy. But, it can be experienced only when paired with Pixel 7 or newer Pixel phones.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 also supports spatial audio with head tracking, but again it is exclusive to Google phones (Pixel 6 and newer models)only.

For precise tracking of misplaced Pixel Buds Pro, phone (with Android 9.0 or newer versions) users can install the Find My Device app and be able to locate the lost earbuds or the case. Once you get closer, you can ring the case and by hearing, you can locate it faster.

The Pixel Buds app also offers insights on hearing wellness. The buds will track how loud the user plays over time. If it senses that loudness is nearing a dangerous level, it will suggest the user lower the volume to prolong good hearing health.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 comes with Type-C port and a speaker at the base,

For a little over a week, I paired the Pixel Buds Pro 2 with the iPhone via Bluetooth. But, it was not as enjoyable as tethered with an Android phone. The Pixel Buds app provides way more customisation options to explore almost all the capabilities of the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Each earbud comes with a 200mAh cell and the case has 800mAh capacity. With a full charge, Pixel Buds Pro 2 can deliver up to eight hours of battery life with ANC on and 30 hours with the case.

Usually, I spend close to two and a half hours a day in traffic while commuting (via bus) between home and office. So, I plugin the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to listen to podcasts and watch travel vlogs on YouTube. During the review period, I charged only once every 10 days.

It supports fast charging. A quick 15-minute charge provides up to three hours of extra battery life. And, it also supports wireless charging as well.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2.

Final thoughts

The overall experience of using Pixel Buds Pro 2 was amazing. It has the best design language and excels with ANC capabilities on par with the top-tier earphones from Sony and Apple.

If you own a Pixel phone or any latest premium Android phone, go for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. It will be totally worth your investment.

In India, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 costs Rs 22,900.

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