There was a moment last week that sold me on Google’s latest wireless earbuds. While out walking, nonchalantly bouncing along to some obscure Estonian folk (“Meiecundimees üks Korsakov läks eile Lätti,” with its mix of high notes, driving bass, and crisp staccato notes is a great big of music to test audio with), I realised that I couldn’t feel the headphones. The fit was natural and comfortable enough not to register but still be secure.
That’s the point every pair of wireless earbuds strives for; in my case, the new Pixel Buds Pro 2 have achieved that.
Google is making a big play of the chipset inside the Pixel Buds Pro 2. The Tensor A1 drives the audio processing and three areas will be apparent to the users.
The first is the Active Noise Cancelling. This has been improved over previous models and offers a great ‘closed off’ space. Coupled with the subtle fit, there’s a feel of isolation on offer here that would only be available on over-the-ear headphones a few years back. Settings-wise, you can flip between full ANC, everything off, or the transparency mode that allows ambient and environmental noise to slip through,
The Tensor A1 offers what Google has branded as a “highway lane” for your music. Essentially, this pushes the music outside the ANC system and offers it a direct path to your ears while the audio magic is done elsewhere. Indeed, there’s little difference in terms of the crispness or the tone when switching between the three modes.
The A1 also gets credit for the extended battery life on the Buds Pro 2. The specs offer up to 8 hours when using ANC, and with a touch over three full charges available in the carry case, Google quotes thirty hours of active use.
Google’s naming the hardware will be a win in terms of marketing, especially for the global idea of “Tensor” as a brand, but the end result is not what it’s called but how it sounds.
The sound quality from the Buds Pro 2 is impressive, but there is an area where it falls short, and that’s in the audio codecs that the Buds work with. While the ever-present AAC and SBC Bluetooth codes are here (and Bluetooth support has been bumped up to 5.4), more advanced codes such as aptC adaptive or LDAC that offer a higher bitrate for more dynamic audio. There’s room for improvement, and I wonder if this can be tweaked in future updates.
One area where connectivity worked well was with device switching. Google has quietly built up an infrastructure of its own devices across the Pixel range and the wider Android family. Moving between smartphones, tablets and Chromebooks is as close to automatic as possible. Start listening to the new device and the Buds Pro 2 switch over (with a notification stating you can switch back the Buds Pro to the older device by tapping said box).
Like most new technology, Google uses generative A as a feature and a selling point; the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are no exception. Given previous Buds had the Google Assistant and the “Hey Google!”, as do the Buds Pro 2, the addition of AI is not as big a leap as you might think. Gemini AI has a prominent note at the bottom of the onscreen dialog box that says, “Gemini can make mistakes, including about people, so double check it.” The “let’s talk” conversational mode sounds impressive but relies on the same databases and modules as Gemini AI on the phone. When I’ve engaged it in subjects I have good knowledge of, subjects with extensive information online, it’s been confidently wrong more often than not… and Gogole’s other query-based searches can deliver more accurate answers.
Given that, it’s hard for me to rely on Gemini AI for subjects that are less familiar to me. I‘d argue that the generative AI needs more time to mature, and I’m unlikely to use Gemini on the Buds Pro 2 more than I used Google Assistant.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 are an improvement on the previous model, and the upgrades are almost all for the better. They are lighter, have a better fit, and longer battery life. The ANC is more powerful and a boon in noisy urban environments. Yet the inclusion of Gemini AI feels like mission creep from Google getting in the way of an excellent audio product. I can’t help thinking that the £20 price increase over the first Pixel Buds Pro is going towards the increased support costs of AI.
Nevertheless, if you’re looking for an advanced pair of wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 not only have to be considered, I’d expect them to be very high up the list for purchase.
Now read more about Google’s latest TV Streaming set-top box…
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