Pixel Buds 2 Pro Review: Fail or Actually Special

 

Pixel's latest earbuds, the Pixel Buds 2 Pro, offer significant improvement compared to the original Pixel Buds Pro and stand as a strong competitor to the Airpods 2 Pro for a lower price. They are probably some of the best earbuds you can get, working optimally for Pixel phones and other Android phones. In this review, we'll delve into the Pixel Buds 2 Pro to determine if they're worth it.

Design and Build Quality

They are light. That's the first thing and one of the best things about Buds 2 Pro. Compared to other flagship earbuds like the AirPods pro-2 (5.3 grams) or the Samsung Galaxy Buds 3 (5.4 grams), the Pixel Buds 2 Pro weighs 4.7 grams per earpiece! They are also very comfortable, with Pixel taking 45 million data points from ear scans to make them not only 24% lighter than the original Buds Pro but 27% smaller than the original Buds Pro. The Bud's 2 Pro also includes an exclusive feature: a twist-to-adjust stabilizer mechanism. This feature allows users to loosen the fit of their earbuds for comfort or to tighten them when working out. Despite criticisms about the buds not fitting in big ears, they fit reasonably well if the correct ear tip is used, and the sizes go from extra small to large. If you want to have AI determine the right ear tip size or you're not sure, Pixel's Eartip Seal Check feature on the app can help you. It plays audio samples and then analyzes what is the best ear tip size. This is only available on Androids because the Pixel Buds app is not on the IOS store.



Water and Dust Resistance

Don't worry about being dirty or sweaty because, with Pixel Buds 2 Pro's IP54 water and dust resistance rating, it can handle water splashes from any direction and even fine dust. It can't handle water submersion, and fine dust may get in the earbuds but shouldn't affect the operation of the device. When compared to other earbuds, it stands alongside them with the Airpods 2 Pro having the same rating. The Pixel Buds 2 Pro are not one of the best, with Samsung and Jabra having better ratings.

Case

The case for the Pixel Buds 2 Pro now has several practical enhancements compared to the last Pixel Buds Pro's case. For example, the speaker system at the bottom of the case also is the tracker for Pixel's Find My Device network. Along with this, it includes providing audible feedback for multiple scenarios. Some of these scenarios include charging confirmation, low battery, and successful device pairing. One downside of the case is that it has decent water resistance with its IPX4 but does not dust rating. So don't expose the case to very dusty places because it may stop working. Another downside is the Apple move they did. They don't include a charging cable. I know, horrific.





Audio Performance

Driver Performance and Sound Signature

Each of the Pixel Buds 2 Pro earbuds has a custom-designed 11mm dynamic speaker driver with a Tensor A1 chip inside the earbud too. The default sound profile that comes with this is flat and neutral, which provides a balanced frequency response. This is good for casual listening and up to critical audio evaluation. According to other reviews, people say the default tuning is "pleasant".

Equalization and Audio Customization

If you are not a fan of the default, there are other presets you can set the earbuds to like heavy bass, light bass, balanced, vocal boost, and more. The Pixel Buds app only allows one custom profile to be stored at any given time. If you want a custom profile, you can do that. You just need to fiddle with things like bass. One of the downsides is that all of this must be done on the app. For iPhone users, the Pixel Bud's app is not available on the IOS store.

Noise Cancellation and Transparency

Due to the Pixel Buds 2 Pro having a Tensor A1 chip, it results in the Buds having significant improvements from the previous generation. In multipath audio processing ability, which allows more accurate sound reproduction. The chip's ultra-low latency processing allows it to adapt to its environment up to 3 million times per second. The Pixel Buds 2 Pro is one of the strongest in this section of the earbuds market, even to the likes of Airpods.

Noise Cancellation

In terms of noise cancelation, the Buds 2 Pro does a good job of canceling a broader spectrum of noises, especially from low to mid-frequency. When compared to other buds, it's above the middle of the pack. Despite this, it still does a very good job of blocking noises like traffic and air conditioning or any low ambient sounds.

Transparency

One of the most massive highlights of the Pixel Buds 2 pro is the transparency mode having more clarity and natural sound reproduction. The transparency is on the same level as other earbuds like the AirPods 2 pro, and users report that it's very clear. The Silent Seal 2.0 tech used in the Buds provides transitions between different states. For example, it can automatically switch to transparency mode in certain scenarios or reduce media volume once the user begins to speak. It makes the user's life much more convenient.

Gemini

Google has implemented AI into the Google Buds 2 Pro by putting Gemini live into it. Gemini can be very helpful like telling you what the weather is or even providing real-time translation capabilities. To interrupt the AI, just talk over it. There are some limitations of Gemini. It can't access device-specific information. It can't display visual content like pictures or videos (it's in your earbuds). It can't access any personal data or retain conversation memory. Finally, though very few, some users reported that the AI was inaccurate or hallucinated. This however rarely happens with Google rapidly improving Gemini.

Microphone and Call Quality

With three microphones per earbud, voice accelerometers, and wind-blocking mesh covers, the Pixel Buds 2 pro has a very sophisticated microphone system. The microphone system provided excellent voice clarity and natural reproduction. It performed well in numerous locations like the noisy outdoors or quiet indoor spaces. The microphones even performed better than the Airpods 2 pro in some scenarios like windy places.

Charging and Battery


Battery

The Battery on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is one of the best on the market, beating the likes of the Airpods Pro 2 and the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro. When ANC is turned on, the battery lasts up to 8 hours with continuous listening. When with the charging case, that extends to 30 hours. When ANC is turned off, it lasts 12 hours with continuous listening and goes up 48 hours with the charging case. Those are some ungodly numbers, considering the Pixel Buds 2 pro are significantly smaller than most earbuds including Apple's and Samsung's earbuds.

Charging

In 5 mins, the Pixel Buds 2 pro can get 1.5 hours of listening time without ANC and 30 minutes with ANC. That's good. You can charge this with Qi wireless charging or a USB-C charging cable at power levels between 2-5 watts.

Conclusion

Overall, these are probably the best earbuds on the market in certain things like transparency. Personally, these are perfect for any Android user but for iPhone users. I wouldn't recommend this because the app is not available on the iPhone. These are probably my favorite earbuds as an Android user because of their mix of power and convenience. Overall, these Pixel Buds 2 Pro earbuds are worth it. But what do you think, leave a comment below and share this.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

What Your Chair Is Really Doing Your Back. Ps: It's Not Great...

Image
INTRODUCTION: It was Ancient Egypt, almost five thousand years ago. One of the greatest inventions of our time was created there. It has even been described as one of the ancient wonders of the world. People still wonder how such an ancient civilization made such a structure. I’m talking about the chair , one of the most enduring inventions of our time. Everyone uses a chair. We are even writing this very post on a chair. But have we ever considered why we use it? I mean, it has been around forever, but maybe it’s time to replace the humble chair.   Now you’re asking, what’s so bad about the chair? And honestly, you’re right! The chair is super useful. So that’s what we will tell you, all the pros and cons of having a chair.                                                                ...
Read more

Minecraft In The Big 25' Review: Actually Worth Your Money?

Image
Introduction Minecraft has the most copies sold in video game history with over 350 million copies sold. That is an insane amount. Chances are, you play Minecraft or know someone who plays it. But Minecraft, even after 15 years , is still updating and adding new features. This game is phenomenally successful. But $30 for such simple graphics and art style has people asking, “Is it worth it?” That is what we will be answering today. While most people might have agreed in the past, with recent developments that it’s worth it but that may not be the case anymore. Pros Resource Management One of the first things I learned from Minecraft is that you can’t put all your eggs in one basket. For example, when you get your first netherite ingot (a super valuable item that can improve your diamond tools), you have to learn to use it carefully. I remember debating for hours about what to use it for and eventually choosing my pickaxe. Resource management is an important skill f...
Read more

Prices for Nintendo Accessories and Games

Image
Nintendo, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons Here all the prices of Nintendo switch 2 products that you can preorder. These are on the Nintendo store. Nintendo switch 2: $450 Accessories Nintendo switch 2 pro controller costs: $85 Nintendo GameCube controller: $65 Nintendo switch 2 Joy-Con (2) ™: $95 Nintendo switch 2 Joy-Con (1) Nintendo Joy-Con 2 charging grip: $40 Nintendo Joy-Con 2 straps (set of 2): $14 Nintendo Joy-Con 2 wheel (set of 2): $25 Nintendo Switch 2 camera: $55 Nintendo Switch 2 Dock set: $120 Nintendo Switch 2 carrying case and screen protector: $40. Nintendo Switch 2 All-in one carrying case: $85. Nintendo Switch 2 Ac adaptor: unknown. $40 Samsung microSD card with 256GB (switch 2 version): $60 Bundles: Nintendo Switch™ 2 system ($450) includes: ·        Nintendo switch 2 console ·        Joy con 2 left and right (blue and red) ·        N...
Read more