Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro wireless earbuds start shipping in July, feature ANC, and very impressive battery life stats – here’s everything you need to know…
Remember Google’s first attempt at wireless earbuds? Me too. They were some of the worst wireless headphones I ever tested. With the Pixel Buds Pro, Google is aiming to dethrone Apple’s AirPods Pro.
But what’s the deal with these earbuds? What kind of specs are they running? And, most importantly, what kind of battery life are you looking at? Let’s take a detailed look at Google’s Pixel Buds Pro to find out more about what makes these wireless earbuds tick…
Pixel Buds Pro Specs
- Audio driver: 11mm with active pressure relief
- Eartips: “Moldable”
- Connection: Bluetooth 5.0 with Multipoint support
- Chip: Custom six-core audio processor
- Earbud battery life: 11 hours without ANC, seven hours with
- Earbud + case battery life: 31 hours without ANC, 20 hours with
- Spatial Audio: Coming with an update
- Active Noise Cancellation: Yes
- Colors: Charcoal, Fog, Lemongrass, Coral
- Water resistance: IPX4 earbuds, IPX2 case
- Charging: Qi or USB-C
- Price: $199
The Pixel Buds Pro Use Custom Audio Processors
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are not cheap earbuds. In fact, they sit pretty squarely in the premium sector of the market, retailing for just shy of $200, packing in things like ANC, wireless charging, Google Assistant, and real-time translation, just like the more affordable Pixel Buds A-Series.
Inside, the Pixel Buds Pro run custom audio chips that were developed in-house by Google’s team. This chip’s main job will be handling the Pixel Buds Pro’s ANC functionality but it will also help improve the earbud’s overall sound quality and performance in general, making them more efficient with things like power usage and, of course, doing smart things like real-time translation.
The Pixel Buds Pro will use 11mm drivers and have “active pressure relief” which is a technology that Google developed to make the earbuds more comfortable for longer durations – it basically stops that plugged/underwater feeling you get in your ears with certain ANC earbuds.
On top of this, the Pixel Buds Pro also features “moldable” eartips that are designed to more easily accommodate different types of ear canal; this feature allows the eartip to effectively mold to any shape or surface it is exposed to, thus improving the “lock in” and the Pixel Buds Pro’s ANC performance.
The Pixel Buds Pro Battery Life is IMPRESSIVE
One of the biggest drawbacks of Apple’s AirPods – all of them – is that battery life is pretty bad. If you want to use wireless headphones, and you want extended battery life, your only real option is over-ear headphones – the Bose QC45 or the Sony WH-1000XM5.
Google has clearly taken note of this and doubled down on the Pixel Buds Pro’s battery performance. Google claims you’ll get 20 hours of battery life from its Pixel Buds Pro’s charging case with ANC switched on – impressive. Or, if you want to go longer, switch off ANC and you’ll get 31 hours.
The Pixel Buds Pro themselves will last seven hours with ANC switched on and 11 hours with active noise cancellation switched off. Again, this is impressive and would surpass nearly all of the Pixel Buds Pro’s nearest rivals, including Apple’s AirPods Pro (4.5 hours) and its cheaper AirPods.
In fact, the only other set of wireless earbuds that come close to this kind of battery performance over ANC is Sony’s WF-1000XM4 earbuds which retail for $278 – so quite a bit more than Google’s Pixel Buds Pro.
You Also Get Support For Wireless Charging
When it comes to charging the Pixel Buds Pro, you have a couple of options: you can use wireless Qi charging – either using a Qi charging platform or reverse charging on a phone or via the Pixel Buds Pro’s built-in USB Type C port.
Google DOES NOT ship the Pixel Buds Pro with a charging cable, however, which despite being rather annoying is more or less par for the course these days.
Fortunately, most people tend to have one or two spare USB Type C charging cables around their homes. And even if you don’t, you can get one via Amazon for next to nothing.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro go on sale for $199/£179 in July 2022 via the Google Play Store.
