The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a fine set of active noise cancelling buds, but their style and feature set make them especially suited to existing Pixel phone owners – which isn’t a surprise at all.
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Active Noise cancelling filters well | Transparency mode hiss is distracting |
| Range of Pixel matching colours | Gemini AI isn’t always that smart |
| Gemini integration | Touch controls are a bit hit and miss. Mostly miss. |
Score: 3.5/5
 |
Buy The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2! | Buy On Amazon |
In this review
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Specifications
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Design
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Performance
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Battery
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Conclusion
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Design
Google’s updated pro-level true wireless earbuds don’t have a particularly sexy name – Pixel Buds Pro 2 is about as anodyne as you can get – but in design terms you do at least get some choices. Specifically that’s around colour, with choices that match current Pixel phone colours Porcelain, Peony, Hazel or the Wintergreen set that Google sent me for review.
They’re certainly quite green, though every time I do pick them up to drop them into my ears I’m struck by the fact that it somewhat looks like I’m sticking tic tacs into my ears. Perhaps if I had more hair (or any hair) this would be less evident, and naturally enough, you can choose a style and colour that suits you. The one catch here, I feel is that while they're a natural match for Pixel colours, that's not true for other phones or styles.
Outside of the coloured exterior, the design is small and simple, with a fixed wing tip that you rotate into your ear for best fit and a rubber tip – Google provides a range of sizes in the box – which is what goes into your actual ear canal. I’m fussy about such matters, but I did find the standard, already installed tips fit just fine into my ears and stayed there comfortably over a longer span of time, or while exercising.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 use capacitive touch controls for your usual play/pause, assistant and noise cancellation selection modes, and here I have mixed feelings. I did rather like that Google's opted for a horizontal swipe motion to change volume levels, because across the disc shape of the Pixel Buds this works rather well. However, I still don't like tapping on my ears that much, because it's imprecise and can be uncomfortable. I can't be the only one, can I?
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 case is smooth and oval shaped, with a pop-open lid and space for each bud to slide in and attach magnetically for charging. One nice touch that I genuinely do prefer is that Google has stuck to having a simple physical pairing button on the back of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 case, rather than relying on a double touch or inductive panel. It makes pairing the Pixel Buds Pro 2 to other devices a whole lot simpler, which is why I prefer it.
In terms of durability, each of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 buds are IP54 rated, while the case only boasts IPX4 resistance. That essentially means you can sweat in them, but they’re not rated for swimming, not that Bluetooth works all that well in those instances anyway.
Performance
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are Bluetooth 5.4 compliant, which means that they will theoretically pair with just about anything that can take Bluetooth audio. For best results, however, you’re going to want something running the Pixel Buds app, which means an Android device of some type. Yes, you can pair them to Apple’s iOS devices – and I did test this – but doing so will leave you with buds that you can’t really modify in any significant way.
As you might expect, the Pixel Buds app is already pre-installed on Pixel devices, so when I popped them open near the Pixel 9 Pro Fold, it automatically recognised them and offered to pair them up. From there, you should then be able to easily pair from any Android device you have, because they’re then linked to your Google account.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 support active noise cancelling, with Google claiming this as one of the major updates from the original Pixel Buds Pro I reviewed a few years back.
Having tested them while out running, on trains and in general public spaces, I’m inclined to agree with them. It was certainly something I felt was lacking in the prior set, though I do feel that Google is still just a step behind its competitors in this higher price tier. You’d need to drop other sets in your ears to pick the difference however; for most users the level of ANC on offer is going to be essentially pleasing, with lower level background noise rather nicely sliced out when I wanted it to be.
I was a little less impressed with the Pixel Buds Pro 2’s transparency mode. This is designed to let you hear the world around you, so you can still have your music (or other audio source) going but not miss out on conversations.
It’s not that this doesn’t work to hear those around you, but more that I noticed some distinct low level hiss if I didn’t have some audio going through the buds themselves – like, for example, between music tracks.
Not a killer problem, but not something I’d ideally like on a “Pro” level set of buds, especially as their conversation detection mode – which switches you between ANC and transparency – really does work rather well. The issue here is that sometimes it’ll take a while after a conversation to detect that you’re no longer chatting, leaving you in a more hiss-prone soundscape until the music kicks back in again.
On the music front, the soundscape that they present is quite good. Everyone’s test tracks and preferences vary, but I found the way that it presented tracks such as Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World” to hit both the lower tones of his voice very nicely against the underlying higher flute well, while switching it entirely to the Beastie Boys “Sabotage” did a good job presenting the grungier guitar-led sound there. Prince’s “Purple Rain” remains one of my go-to tracks to check the wider quality of a set of headphones, and here the Pixel Buds Pro 2 presented well.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2’s microphone performance is fair for what they are, with some of the classic Bluetooth “distance” problems being evident when using them for calling. Audio quality was fine according to callers, but it did sound as though I was further away from the phone than I was when using them, a position verified by switching audio sources to check.
Google is of course heavily invested in AI right now, so naturally the Pixel Buds Pro 2 have to include some of that action as well. This leverages the Tensor A1 chip and Google’s Gemini assistant to in theory give you a more conversational approach to your queries.
I say in theory, because my own interactions with it were more on the frustrating side, all too often ending up with Gemini telling me it didn’t understand rather than continuing what would otherwise have been a more natural conversation. It’s the nature of AI that it’s only likely to continue to improve, and I hope it does, because right now it’s more frustrating than useful.
Battery
Google’s claim with the Pixel Buds Pro 2’s battery life is that they’re capable of up to 12 hours of ANC-free playback, or up to 8 hours with ANC enabled.
Who spends $379 on a set of ANC buds and doesn’t want to use ANC?
That’s why I’ve treated them as though they were just ANC buds, and in this respect, they’ve essentially lived up to Google’s claims, at least within my testing and volume limits. The case is good for a further 22 hours of ANC playback, making 30 in total, though you would have to account for charging time as well if you needed them for, say, a longer international flight.
On the charging front, there’s no in-box charger or USB cable, though USB-c cable charging and Qi wireless charging are supported.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: Alex’s Verdict
It’s pretty clear that the serious target market for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are Pixel owners, in the same way that I don’t expect too many non-Samsung phone owners to particularly be buying Samsung’s Galaxy Buds in any great quantity.
The style is nicely complimentary to the Pixels and while Gemini integration is spreading to more Android devices over time, they’re clearly much more central to the Pixel experience than with any other smartphone.
Within that market, they’re quite good, though of course they’re not your only option when it comes to premium Bluetooth headphones.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: Pricing and availability
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 retail in Australia for $379.
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