Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 – BT/ANC and a quantum leap forward (AV review)

Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a quantum leap forward using an extremely potent Tensor A1 chip that can reduce external noise by 2X and samples your sound environment a staggering three million times a second.

A new sleeker design based on 45 million different data point ear types has resulted in an integrated wing stabiliser that makes slipping them into the ear more intuitive. As someone who wears buds, I can attest that these are more comfortable for longer.

Call quality is improved by beam-forming mics, and wind-blocking mesh covers reduce that noise.

Listening time ANC on/off is 8/12 hours (yes, that is theoretical), and there is another 22/36 hours in the USB-C/Qi wireless charge case.

Australian Review: Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Website	Product page
RRP	$379 with case – no charger
Colour	Porcelain (off-white), Hazel (very dark green), Wintergreen (minty green), and Peony (pink)
Warranty	Two years
Made in	Vietnam
About	Google is an American company most commonly known as a search engine. Although the company made its name as a search engine and most of its income comes from advertising, it has branched out into Made By Google Hardware.
More	CyberShack Google news and reviews

New ratings in 2024

We use Fail (below expectations), Pass (meets expectations), and Exceed (surpasses expectations or is the class leader) against many of the items below. We occasionally give a Pass(able) rating that is not as good as it could be and a Pass ‘+’ rating to show it is good but does not quite make it to Exceed. You can click on most images for an enlargement.

We are also tightening up on grading. Pass means meeting expectations for the price bracket. We consider a Pass mark to be 70+/100 with extra points added for class-leading and excellence.

First Impression – very Google – Pass+

Google has a distinct design ethos: clean lines, matte colours, and great attention to detail.

They are smaller at 22.74mm x 23.08mm x 17.03mm and lighter at 4.7g. They have four ear tips in extra small, small, medium, and large. The App has a fitting test.

Comfort – Pass+

My daily drive is the superb Sennheiser Momentum 4, which weighs 6.2g each and are comfortable for long-haul wear. I found the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, at 4.7g, lighter and more comfortable. They also have Active in-ear pressure relief, which works well for Pulsatile Tinnitus sufferers (where you hear your heartbeat in your ears). Most ANC buds feel like there is pressure against your ear drums. How does it work when you need a good seal for effective passive noise reduction?

The app has an Eartip seal check to help get the right Eartip size. With four tip sizes, that is easy.

From what I can tell, the ‘Silent Seal 2.0’ refers to the new ear tip design that provides a better seal for passive noise isolation (like closed-back over-the-ear headphones). A pressure sensor subtly equalises the ear canal pressure with the outside environment, so you don’t get the plugged-up occlusion feeling with some buds. However they do it; it works.

ANC and Transparency – Exceed

ANC is adaptive, meaning it changes the levels to suit the environment.

We cannot measure the decibel reduction of Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), so this is subjective. I use a clunky, clicky key switch keyboard, and the result is as good as the Momentum 4 on <100Hz (not far off Bose and Sony). It also seems slightly better in the low-mid 200-300Hz and 1-4kHz (human voice).

They excel in transparency mode, where external sounds and your voice (side tone) are more natural – a big jump over the old Buds.

BT – Pass

It is BT 5.4 and has multi-point for concurrent connections to two compatible devices.

The codecs are SBC and AAC, 16-bit, 44100Hz. The only disappointing feature is that there are no hi-res or adaptive codecs like the Momentum 4 (which has them all).

As far as we can tell, they do not support AURACAST, but that may be a simple firmware update.

How do they sound? Pass+

The 11mm drivers do a superb job. They are clear, well-balanced, and have great dynamics. The bass is punchier than I expected from such small buds. Things sound how they’re supposed to.

Bass starts surprisingly low at 40Hz, almost unheard of in buds. It builds to 60Hz and is flat to 1kHz. It then peaks in a gentle curve from 1kHz to 5kHz (to help clear voice) before dipping to avoid treble harshness. It is relatively flat from 7-15kHz, then drops off to 20kHz.

This is a Neutral sound signature: The audiophile standard is a flat (good) response that neither adds nor subtracts from the original music! The only issue here is garbage-in and garbage-out – the better the music quality, the better it sounds.

It has a 5-step +/-10db Equaliser with presets for Default (as tested), Heavy Bass, Light Bass, Balanced, Vocal Boost, Clarity, and Custom.

No EQ can add/boost the native signature, but it can recess low bass, bass, mid, treble and upper treble to give it almost any signature you like.

Sound signature

Frequency	Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Deep Bass 20-40Hz	Nil
Middle Bass 40-100Hz	It starts at 40Hz and linearly builds to 60Hz where it is flat to 1kHz
High Bass 100-200Hz	Flat
Low Mid 200-400Hz	Flat
Mid 400-1kHz	Flat
High Mid 1-2kHz	Gentle circular curve up peaking at 3kHz
Low Treble 2-4kHz	Gentle circular curved down flattening a 5kHz
Mid Treble 4-6kHz	Dip starting at 4kHz and ending at 6kHz
High Treble 6-10kHz	Dip recovers at 8kHz, then is reasonably flat to 15kHz
Dog Whistle 10-20kHz	Linear drop to 18KHz, then flat to 20kHz
Volume	Hard to measure in-ear but was loud enough.
Sound Signature type	Neutral: It neither adds nor subtracts from the original music! The only issue here is garbage-in and garbage-out—the better the music quality, the better it sounds.
Sound stage	As with all buds, it is inside your head.
Left/Right separation	Excellent
Soundstage Dolby Atmos/DTS:X	Dolby Atmos or Spatial content adds 3D height and widens the sound stage to about 20cm outside your head.
Read	How to tell if you have good music (sound signature is the key – guide).

Hands-free – Pass+

With three mics per bud (one beamforming for voice, one for external noise and one for internal noise) with Google’s Tensor A1 AI chip, these are excellent for making and taking calls. Wind noise is well controlled. Pixel 8 or later users can use wideband calling.

AI – Pass+

They are the first earbuds to integrate Gemini Live. With them, you can have natural two-way conversations – well, sort of. It is not an issue with the buds – you need to learn how to use Genimi and harness AI enquiries.

Battery Life – Pass+

As claimed, You can achieve 8/12 hours with ANC on/off at 50% volume. I prefer a little more, so I lose an hour or so at 70%.

The USB-C/Qi wireless case has another 22/36 hours of charge. The fast charge is 5 minutes for 60/90 minutes. We cannot measure V/A/W rates, but they seem to be 5V/1A/5W, so any charger will do. The Qi charge appears to be 5W as well.

Build-quality – Pass+

The build quality is above what you expect at this price.

Other features – nice – Pass+

While these features are part of some premium buds, Google seems to have more.

• Case open and closed detection (Hall effect)
• Conversation detection – stops the music and switches to transparency mode
• Ring tone Find My Device and part of the Google Find network
• IR ear in/out detection
• Motion detection accelerometer and gyroscope
• Case sound alerts
• Multi-point
• Hearing Wellness (measures accumulated listening volume and whether it is within acceptable limits.
• Mono audio for single-bud use
  Spatial Audio and Dolby Atmos support
• Capacitive Touch controls
• IPX4 (rain and sweat resistant)

App – Comprehensive – Pass+

Google has nailed the App and the necessary features, many of which even the premium buds miss. The screenshots are self-explanatory.

CyberShack’s view – Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 challenge the best

My daily drive is the Sennheiser Momentum 4 (and three/two/one before that), as I love the Sennheiser sound signature and aptX/LDAC codec suite. Its app is very good, too. Would I change? This is where the famous Aussie saying comes in: Yeah, Nah. Had I not been wedded to the Sennheiser, then yeah!

So, my wife gets the Google Pixel Buds and has been using them since the original Buds, A-series, and Pro. She does more of the longer-term testing.

To quote: These are smaller and more comfortable than the Pro. The smaller stabiliser is excellent. The sound is brilliant, with a little more bass and treble (than the Pro), and it is perfect for my morning work and exercise. Transparency mode and conversation detection mean I don’t have to tap the buds manually. Overall, a solid upgrade over the Pro. Sold!

Competition

It is a very crowded market (248 models/colours). Samsung (that works best with Samsung phones and its Scalable Codec), AirPods (for Apple), Bose, Bower and Wilkins, Sennheiser, JBL, Beats, Sony and heaps of generic brands.

They are class leaders in the <$400 bracket, although Sony WF-100XM5 on runout at $369 is tempting. Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 wins on comfort, and if you have a Pixel 8 or later, it has some extra features like wide-band calling.

The serious contender is the $399 JBL Tour Pro 3 (with the LDAC hi-res codec). The Sennheiser Momentum 3 is on runout at $399, and the Momentum 4 is $499 (both with Qualcomm aptX suite, LDAC, etc.).

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 ratings

We use 70/100 as a pass mark. Ratings before 2024 used 80/100, so deduct 10 points from them for parity.

• Features:  85 – everything you could want in the buds and app except for high-res codecs.
• Value: 85 – Excellent value, but some alternatives with high-res codecs are included in that bracket.
• Performance: 85 – Great battery life, comprehensive app and nice neutral signature
• Ease of Use: 85 – The app is so comprehensive that it may take some time to fully customise and use the features.
• Design: 85 – I like Google’s design, and these are smaller, lighter, and more comfortable than their predecessors.