Are the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 worth buying?

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the second generation of Google’s in-ear headphones. Following the immense popularity of the buds’ predecessors, Google has stayed largely true to its philosophy in terms of design, controls and software. Nevertheless, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 don’t just represent a facelift. Google really has gone the extra mile here. So much so that owners of the previous version might want to consider an upgrade.

What improvements has Google made?

Unboxing the buds reveals the first major change: the design. Although the charging case is identical (slightly lighter in colour, but otherwise the same), Google has altered the shape of the buds. I like the fact that they’re noticeably smaller. The sleeve is also further away from the body of the bud – a blessing for my deep, narrow ear canals. In contrast, wearing the first generation felt like I’d shoved a couple of beans into my ears.

They’re also lighter, weighing in at 4.7 grammes compared to the previous 6.3 grammes. That may not sound like much, but it means the buds are 25 per cent lighter. With the weight of the buds concentrated in one place, this reduction makes the in-ears fit more comfortably and keeps them snug for longer.

Google has invested in sound quality and noise cancelling

The buds now support Bluetooth 5.4, apparently guaranteeing a wider range, a more stable connection and better audio quality. Their new chip (the Tensor A1) and 11 mm drivers also play a part in this. When I played a few test tracks on the Buds Pro 2 (you can listen along in the linked videos), I noticed a number of differences compared to their predecessors.

Firstly, the treble’s smoother, more pleasant and less shrill than the first Buds Pro. In general, the sound has more depth and fullness and is more acutely defined. As a result, you can hear the individual instruments more clearly. They don’t all get mushed together when multiple instruments are present on a track.

Purists will be pleased with the improved precision and natural-sounding playback. That being said, this comes at the expense of warmth. It’s less epic, more low-key. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 have a powerful bass, but it isn’t booming. Google’s kept the spatial audio function with head tracking, but it only works with Pixel phones and tablets.

The noise cancelling function’s AI-supported. This helps adjust the strength of the ANC to your surroundings on the fly, and supports call detection. The headphones recognise when you start speaking and automatically pause the music as you’re doing so. Once you’re done talking, the music restarts. However, during the short transition phase between those two things happening, I hear a lot of inherent noise from the buds.

Speaking of AI, the Buds Pro 2 come with Gemini Live (for paying users). On this side of the payment barrier, however, the AI model can’t do much more than good old Google Assistant.

Which aspects of the Pixel Buds have stayed the same?

The battery life of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is top-notch. You get eight hours of juice with ANC and as many as twelve hours without. Props to Google – this puts it ahead of the competition.

With the charging case, you get about four more charging cycles if the buds are empty. This gives them a theoretical peak battery life of 48 hours without ANC and 30 hours with noise cancelling activated. For the previous version of the buds, the figure drops to 31 or 20 hours. The Buds Pro 2 also come with Quick Charge. Charging the buds for five minutes gives you an additional hour of runtime.

What’s more, the case is now also protected against splashes of water in accordance with IPX4. The buds themselves are even IP54-compliant, meaning they’re dustproof too. As a result, you can wear them at the gym or during light rain showers without any issues. Viewed from the outside, the charging case is as good as ever. It’s robust, doesn’t rattle and closes easily. If you misplace it, you can also find it using an Android smartphone.

I don’t notice any difference in audio quality when making calls. Despite Google mentioning call quality in the same breath as the improved sound and ANC, I hardly noticed any change. That’s not so say the call function doesn’t work.

However, the AI-supported noise cancelling feature – or voice isolation – doesn’t seem to work quite as well when you’re listening to music. When I tried it, the person on the other end of the line complained that my voice was ever so slightly quiet and sometimes sounded a little tinny. Even so, we could each still make out what the other was saying.

What are the weak points?

For me, the Pixel Buds 2 Pro are among the best in-ears in this price range. They don’t have many weak points. That being said, I did have a couple of quibbles, one being the dearth of codecs. I would’ve expected LDAC or AptX to feature on headphones in this price range. Google, however, has stuck with AAC and SBC.

My second bug bear is the touch controls, namely the swipe function. This is used to turn the volume up and down. However, the tiny surface area of the buds gets in the way of this. My commands are often incorrectly registered. Mind you, this only happens when I’m swiping. I don’t have any problems with the other touch controls. As the controls are predefined, you’re unable to change them.