Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Fantastic TWS earbuds

Recently, Google launched the premium Pixel Buds Pro series along with the Pixel 6a in India.

. It costs Rs 19,900 and competes with the Sony WF-1000XM4, Apple AirPods (3rd Gen), Samsung Galaxy Buds2, and AirPods Pro (1st Gen) among others in the market.

. To offer a good user experience, Google has incorporated good hardware including custom developed 11mm dynamic driver to deliver crisp audio quality and the Active Noise Cancellation feature that promises to offer noise-free phone calls and a music listening experience on a handset/tablet or a PC. But, does it have the goods delivered and stand out among rival brands? Let's check it out.

. Design and build quality Having seen hundreds and reviewed more than two dozen TWS (True Wireless Stereo) earbuds in the last couple of years and I believe, Google has an excellent job with Pixel Buds Pro's design, not just the earbuds but also the case. Many brands have tried to emulate pebble stones but failed miserably by making them glossy.

. On the other hand, Google is offering all four colours--Coral, Fog, Charcoal, and Lemongrass--with the visually beautifully greyish case, which can almost be mistaken as real pebble stone. It has a smooth matte finish, most people can mistake it for real pebble stone. There is uniformity of colour across the body and when opened, the lid underneath is black just the like the amazing Black Mamba's mouth (deadly but a beautiful snake) if you buy any colour model, the contrast is very pleasing to the eyes.

. Our review unit is a charcoal variant and the main body of earbuds and the silicone ear tips are pitch dark black in colour, but the top part is kind of greyish and has G engraved on it. In the middle, the right (R) and left (L) engravings are clearly marked to avoid confusion while putting them on to the ears.

. Also, on the outside, the earbuds feature large microphone openings with protective mesh. This is said to be designed to control wind noise during phone calls and listening to music.

. Each earbud with silicone tips (medium size) weighs just 6.2grams and the case weighs 62grams. It should be noted that Google offerings two pairs of small and large ear tips with the retail box. They come in a tiny cylindrical case.

. With a smooth design, the Pixel Buds Pro's case can easily slip into the pocket with ease and even the earbuds too fit easily to my ears, and never felt discomfort while wearing it either. Most importantly, they were able to fit my ears perfectly.

. In all my reviews, I mention having anxiety issues with TWS earbuds. I had the same with AirPods 3rd Gen too. But, I did not feel any such problem with the Pixel Buds Pro even when traveling on the bus during rush hour. They stood in their places and even when doing swiping gestures (more on that later), to receive calls or while controlling music tracks, they stayed intact.

. And, the Pixel Buds Pro comes with an IPX4 rating, meaning they can resist heavy sweating and even water splashes from all angles. However, the case comes with just IPX2, and can survive water splashes only from certain angles (15-degrees or less).

. Performance Setting up the Pixel Buds Pro is really simple and hardly takes 10 minutes to pair the earbuds to the phone. This also includes the procedure to check the ear tip seal to ensure the earbuds fit perfectly and there is less or no seepage of outside noise in the ears.

. Users (with Android phones) just have to install the Pixel Buds app and one advantage of this is to train yourself on swipe gestures to control music and even accept or reject calls. And, also with the app, you can assign a custom function for swipe gestures.

. However, those with iPhones, don't get any such privileges, as there is no Google Pixel Buds application on Apple App Store. Users have to pair manually via Bluetooth and get the get swipe gesture feature details from the user guide booklet in the retail box. Once paired, it will automatically reconnect whenever you put the earbuds into the ear.

. It houses a custom-designed 11 mm dynamic speaker driver and with Volume EQ, the Pixel Buds EQ tuning feature can dynamically adjust listening volume. So, while playing the music, if the user reduces the volume, the earbuds can make subtle changes to certain aspects, and yet offer clear vocals and also punchy bass, so there is consistency in delivering pleasant music and less distortion. I tested Pixel Buds Pro with different genres of music and even acoustic too. I had a really good time. Also, while watching TV series and movies on my phone, the audio was always in sync with motion pictures, and did not face any lag-ness.

. Furthermore, Google Pixel Buds has a dedicated built-in custom 6-core audio chip that runs proprietary Google-developed algorithms tuned by its own audio engineering team and custom speakers to power the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) feature. To be honest, the Pixel Buds Pro really excels with ANC in a busy office indoors and even in crowded public space.

. And, during rush hour traffic, the earbuds do a fine job controlling the blaring horn sounds from vehicles, but cannot fully block it. But, I have to note that I was able to hear the voice of the person clearly during a phone call and also did not face any pressing issues while listening to the music.

. What I am most impressed with is its ability to control the outside noise while on a phone call. It has three microphones and a voice accelerometer. It picks just my voice to send clear audio to the person on the other side of the phone call. Though the person was able to know I was stuck in traffic but had no issues hearing my voice.

. In terms of ANC and controlling traffic noise during a phone call, Pixel Buds Pro comes close second to Sony's WF-1000XM4 ( review ) TWS buds.

. However, Google Pixel Buds Pro excels in touch sensitivity. The top part of the earbuds is really responsive to the swipe gestures. With each tap or swipe, it makes a subtle sound to assure the input is registered and performs the tasks. Double tap takes you to the next track; a single tap will pause or resume music or answer a call. With triple taps, you can back to the start of a song or a previous track. With short swipes up or down, you can control volume. And, with a long press on either of the earbuds, you can activate the ANC or go back to transparency mode or call Google Assistant. You can customize this latter option via the Pixel Buds app.

. I tested the Pixel Buds Pro on three devices-- iPhone 13 Pro Max (primary driver), Pixel 6a, and Samsung Galaxy Flip4 (secondary driver). I had paired the earbuds first with the latter and when playing music on iPhone, Pixel Buds Pro also used to get alerts about the messages I received on the Flip4. Also, I could even call on Google Assistant and get a task done on an Android phone with ease.

. I have to say, Google has done a fabulous job with the multipoint and audio switching features.

. As far as the battery life is concerned, Pixel Buds Pro promises to offer up to seven hours of listening time on a single charge with ANC on and close to 20 hours on the charging case.

. During the entire review period, I never faced any anxiety about Pixel Buds Pro dying out in the middle of a phone call or while listening to music during the long commute between home and the office. With accurate battery readings on the app, I always ensured the case gets charged whenever it hit below 20 per cent mark or when I notice the case's LED shows yellow blinking light. Also, it supports wireless charging and users buy any Qi-certified charger.

. It should be noted that it also supports fast charging. With just five minutes of charging, it can last for close to one hour with ANC on. I'd like to note that it really lives up to the promise of long battery life.

. Also with the Google Find My Device app, you can trace the misplaced Pixel Buds Pro buds with ease and also be able to make the case ring to locate it more easily within the home or in the crevice of a sofa, or inside a backpack. However, if you lose the entire buds case, you won't be able to ring up the individual earbud. But, you can see the last known location via location history on phone settings.

. Final thoughts (4/5) In recent years, particularly during and after the post-Covid-19 pandemic-induced lockdown period, there has been a huge demand for compact Truly Wireless Stereo (TWS) earbuds. The compact form factor makes them easy to carry around in the pockets and offers the convenience to users to instantly connect to a video conference via phone anytime and place.

. However, the affordable models (under Rs 7,000) lack consistently in terms of audio quality and battery life, and most importantly the user interface between devices are not great.

. Here comes the Pixel Buds Pro. It checks all the right boxes to make it into my top three TWS earbuds recommended list (the other two are Sony WF-1000XM4 and Apple AirPods Pro).

. The case has a beautiful pebble stone-inspired design with a matte finish. It slips into the pocket with ease. And, the fast pairing with the Android phones is great and with the Pixel phone, it is even better.

. However, on iPhones, the Pixel Buds Pro can only be paired via Bluetooth. There is no app support for the customisation of swipe gestures on earbuds. This is understandable given the fact that Apple doesn't show the same courtesy for Android phone users who like to buy AirPods and Google has no obligation to iPhone owners too. Even Samsung too has taken a similar stand against Apple products with the Galaxy Buds series.

. To sum up, Pixel Buds Pro is an ideal premium TWS earbud for Android phone users. The audio delivery and ANC features are great and also the battery life is really impressive too. It is worth investing the money and you won't regret it a bit. It costs Rs 19,990 on Flipkart in India.

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Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Fantastic TWS earbuds

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