Google’s latest AirPods competitors, the Pixel Buds A-Series, get a big price cut and a slightly more comfortable design.
The new Bluetooth earbuds take a cue from Google’s cheaper but great A-Series phones, cutting a few features to cost £100 (US$99) – a full £80 cheaper than their predecessors.
Not that you would know the A-Series were any cheaper. The earbuds have the same design as 2020’s Pixel Buds, complete with low-profile fit and subtle “G” branding.
The earbuds are slightly smaller and the stabilising wing is a little softer, which makes them a bit more comfortable to wear than their predecessors. Three sizes of silicone tips are supplied to ensure a good seal in your ears but the earbuds also have small pressure-releasing vents that prevent the “plugged-in” feeling some do not like with normal earbuds.
Case and battery
As with all true-wireless earbuds, the case is just as important as the earbuds, offering secure storage so you don’t lose them while charging them. The A-Series case is excellent. Small, smooth and easy to pocket, holding the earbuds in place with strong magnets and a lid that closes with a reassuring snap.
You get up to five hours of playback or 2.5 hours of talk time from the earbuds per charge. The case can charge the earbuds up to 3.8 times for a total of 24 hours of music.
Google does not provide an expected lifespan for the batteries in the earbuds or case. Batteries in similar products typically last for at least 500 full-charge cycles while maintaining at least 80% of their original capacity. Like the majority of true wireless earbuds, the Pixel Buds are not repairable, making them ultimately disposable.
The case is made with some post-consumer recycled plastic, part of Google’s commitment to including recycled materials in all its products launching from 2022. The company publishes environmental impact reports for some of its products but not the Pixel Buds, and will recycle all Pixel devices free of charge.
The A-Series support Google’s Fast Pair with Android devices but can be paired with Apple devices and Windows PCs, too. They support Bluetooth 5 with the universal SBC and AAC audio standards used by most devices. They only connect to one device at a time but each earbud can be used on its own. The Bluetooth connection to a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra and iPhone 12 Pro was solid at home and on a fairly quiet street. Testing in congested areas was not possible, however, because of the Covid-19 situation in the UK.
The outside surface of the earbuds is touch-sensitive for gesture controls. Tap once to pause/play, twice and thrice to skip track. When used with an Android phone, tapping and holding activates Google Assistant, allowing you to issue commands and ask questions that are answered when you remove your finger.
There is no gesture for volume control. Used with an Android phone, the earbuds automatically turn up and down the volume by a small amount based on background noise but, otherwise, you have to reach for your phone or ask Assistant.
With an Android phone, Google Assistant can also be activated with the “Hey Google” wake word, and can read messages and notifications, send replies, perform real-time translation with Google Translate and all the other things the voice assistant can do on a phone.
They might be cheaper but the A-Series sound just as good as their more expensive predecessors. Clear, balanced and full sound with excellent separation of tones and detail make them ideal for most music genres. They have a “bass boost” setting but lack really deep low notes, so bass-lovers might want to look elsewhere.
Because of their vented design, the A-Series lack any real sound isolation. That’s good for awareness out on the street but terrible for blocking out distractions. They provide slightly more isolation than Apple’s AirPods or Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds, but not much.
Call quality was good on both ends of the call but leaked a little background noise into the call, while the lack of isolation made it harder to hear the caller on the street.
They might be cheaper but the A-Series sound just as good as their more expensive predecessors. Clear, balanced and full sound with excellent separation of tones and detail make them ideal for most music genres. They have a “bass boost” setting but lack really deep low notes, so bass-lovers might want to look elsewhere.
Because of their vented design, the A-Series lack any real sound isolation. That’s good for awareness out on the street but terrible for blocking out distractions. They provide slightly more isolation than Apple’s AirPods or Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds, but not much.
Call quality was good on both ends of the call but leaked a little background noise into the call, while the lack of isolation made it harder to hear the caller on the street.
