Google’s latest low-cost Pixel earbuds are smaller, lighter, more comfortable, have noise-canceling features, and even come with a case that lets you replace the battery at home.
The Pixel Buds 2a blows away the competition by using the great design of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and a few more advanced features at a more palatable £109 (€129/$129/A$239) price.
That makes the Buds 2a one of the smallest and most comfortable earbuds on the market, with no Smartie chocolate-sized disc sticking out of your ear canal and no stem to get in the way of your earrings.
Each earbud has a small silicone stabilizer that rests inside the ear opposite the tip, keeping it firmly in place without putting undue pressure on soft tissue. This makes it very comfortable to listen to for long periods of time without feeling like it will fall off even during vigorous movements.
The disc is touch-sensitive for playback, noise cancellation, and tap controls for Gemini access. It works well, but it lacks the Pixel Buds Pro 2’s great swipe gestures for volume control.
The battery lasts about 7 hours with noise cancellation, and the compact flip-top case charges the buds about 1.8 times for a total of 20 hours of playback. The case is nice, but the white color stains easily, including stains on jeans and other clothing.
specification
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Waterproof: IP54 (splash proof)
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Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC, AAC)
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Battery life: 7 hours with ANC (20 hours with case)
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Earbud Size: 23.1x16x17.8mm
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Earbud Weight: 4.7g each
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Driver Size: 11mm
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Charging Case Size: 50×57.2×24.5mm
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Charging case weight: 47.6g
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Case charging: USB-C
Not only for Android
Buds 2a is equipped with the same Google Tensor A1 chip as its Pro siblings, ensuring rock-solid connectivity with all standard Bluetooth devices, including Android phones, iPhones, tablets, consoles, and computers. The Pixel Buds app on Android adjusts settings and controls, but Google’s web app can do similar things in the browser on your Mac, Windows PC, or Chromebook.
It can connect to two devices at once and supports standard SBC and AAC Bluetooth audio formats. Call quality is reasonable, if a bit quiet. This means you’ll need to speak in a quiet space, allowing background noise from a busy street to pass through, but not so much that you can’t hear yourself.
The earbuds can also be used to talk to Gemini Live on your compatible phone, including reading notifications and other features.
sustainability
Google does not provide an estimated battery life. A similar device typically retains at least 80% of its original capacity for 500 full charge cycles. The batteries in the earbuds are not replaceable, but the batteries in the case can be replaced with standard tools. Repair expert iFixit rates the repairability of these earbuds a 4 out of 10.
Buds 2a is made from at least 41% recycled materials, including cobalt, plastic, rare earth elements, and tin. In a report, Google will analyze the environmental impact of earphones and recycle old devices for free.
Round sound and solid noise cancellation
The sound quality is very good for an everyday earbud set. It works well in most genres, with solid separation of tones, rich bass when needed, and relatively detailed mids and highs. It sounds great on rock, pop, and electronica, but lacks a bit of nuance on classic tracks.
The Buds 2a also supports spatial audio on compatible phones, but doesn’t support head tracking, a feature reserved for its more expensive siblings. Pixel phones work great with movies and TV shows.
The new buds are the first in Google’s A series to feature active noise cancellation. Although not as effective as the Buds Pro 2, they perform very well for the price. It reduces road roar, engine noise, street noise and background noise, but has a hard time blocking out higher tones like keyboard clicking and office chatter.
The cheaper buds also lack adaptive sound and the ability to automatically reduce loud noises when using ambient sound mode, but we don’t think this is an important feature.
price
The Google Pixel Buds 2a will cost £109 (€129/$129/A$239).
For comparison, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 cost £169, the Nothing Ear 3 cost £149, the Fairphone Fairbuds cost £66.75, the Apple AirPods 4 cost £119 and the AirPods Pro 3 cost £219.
verdict
The Pixel Buds 2a are a great set of Bluetooth earbuds for Android and more at an affordable price.
Its compact form and shape make it very comfortable and unobtrusive, and it lacks the stem popular with its rivals. Battery life is solid, the case is nice and compact, and it works well, allowing you to connect it to two devices at once.
For everyday earbuds, the sound is great and the noise cancellation is good for the price. It lacks a few bells and whistles, including onboard volume control, adaptive audio, and wireless charging, and call quality is only average.
One of the best upgrades is an easily replaceable case battery, which is a step toward better sustainability. However, the batteries in the earbuds are not replaceable, so they are ultimately disposable.
merit: Small and comfortable, 7 hour battery life, great case, good sound and noise cancellation, multipoint Bluetooth, case with replaceable batteries, web app for computer.
disadvantage: No repairable earbuds, no volume control gestures, no support for high-quality Bluetooth formats, average call quality, no adaptive audio or loud noise protection for transparency.