Google Pixel Buds A vs Pixel Buds Pro – It’s Worth Spending More!

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Both Are Truly Amazing But Which One’s Right For You?

Google Pixel Buds A vs Google Pixel Buds Pro
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The Google Pixel Buds Pro, are Google’s fourth attempt at truly wireless earbuds and the third model of Pixel Buds that I’ve owned and purchased with my hard-earned cash, and that’s not even including the wired Pixel Buds. 

Based on my experience with the Pixel Buds 2, Pixel Buds A and Pixel Buds Pro, I can honestly say that Google knows how to make a good set of truly wireless earbuds. Not only does each one of these models sound great, but they also fit comfortably inside my ears.

In this article, I want to share my thoughts on the Google Pixel Buds A which are my previous everyday drivers and compare them to my current daily drivers, the Pixel Buds Pro. 

Let’s Talk About The Pixel Buds A

At the time of writing this article, the Google Pixel Buds A are priced at £99.99, and that’s not including the £20 you can save if you purchase them before the 30th November 2022. That’s a pretty good price for what you are getting, but at the same time, we must not forget that there are earbuds on the market for that price that also include active noise-cancelling (ANC), which the Pixel Buds A do not. A great example of such earbuds are the Nothing Ear (1)’s which are equally good earbuds.

But if I was to compare the Nothing Ear (1)’s with the Pixel Buds A, not only do the Pixel Buds A sound better for my taste in sound, but they also fit better in my ears. Based on my experience with the Nothing Ear (1)’s, I found that they dropped out quite a bit whilst listening to music. Now, I’m not sure if this was just my particular version, but I did find it annoying.

Features or Lack of Them

Whilst the Google Pixel Buds A sound and fit great, I can’t say the same about the features or the lack of them that is. I think it’s important to understand Google’s target market here because these earbuds are aimed at people who like to keep things simple and do not require any additional features.  

I’m a huge fan of wireless charging, I’m not sure what it is about it, but I just find it cool. However, Google decided not to include this as a feature with the Pixel Buds A. I understand that they had to cut costs somehow, but it would have been a nice feature to see included, particularly as other earbuds at a similar price have this feature. The only way to charge these is by using a USB-C cable.

Whilst these earbuds don’t have ANC, they do have passive noise reduction, which is okay, but it doesn’t compare to the ANC on the Pixel Buds Pro and you can clearly hear conversations when you are on public transport. 

The one feature I like about the Pixel Buds A is the Google Assistant Integration which if I hold the left earbud and release it, will read me the time and my notifications. They also respond to the “Hey Google” Command which can be extremely useful, particularly during sports activities.

The Design

With the Pixel Buds A, Google decided to use a very familiar design, in fact, if it wasn’t for the colours they would look exactly the same as the Pixel Buds 2. Surprisingly, I actually quite like this design, particularly when it comes to sports.

The Pixel Buds A are available in 3 colour choices including Charcoal, Clearly White and my favourite, Olive Green. I was gutted that the Pros weren’t available in Olive Green!

Whilst this isn’t a new design, it’s certainly one that Google has perfected nicely. I like the fact that you have a dangly bit at the top of each earbud which ensures that the earbud is snug inside of your ear. I guess it gives you peace of mind that they won’t fall out during outdoor activities. 

If I compare the design of the Pixel Buda A to the Pros, I actually miss the dangly thing, especially when walking or even cycling, I just have that fear that they will fall out. But at the same time, whilst that feeling is there, they haven’t yet fallen out.

How Do The Pixel Buds A Compare To The Pros?

The Google Pixel Buds Pro are on a whole new level, particularly as they cost almost twice as much as the Pixel Buds A. But I can honestly say that they are worth the price!

I think it’s fair to say that these are the most feature-packed earbuds I ever used and they sound great! But you’re probably wondering what the Pros can give you, that the A’s can’t. The short answer is a lot!

Features

The Pixel Buds Pro have some very useful features, that you don’t usually find in truly wireless earbuds. One of these features is multipoint Bluetooth which allows you to connect to two devices at the same time. This to me is honestly a godsend, particularly as I use my earbuds for work. For example, if I’m listening to Spotify on my laptop and get a phone call on my phone, I can answer the call on my earbuds without the need of pairing them again with my phone.

The Pros also have decent active noise cancelling which as it turns out performs incredibly well. In fact, I was recently on a train full of noisy school kids and the Pixel Buds Pro coped with the noise really well. 

As someone who’s experienced ANC, I think it will be hard for me to go back to earbuds that don’t have this feature. It’s honestly a great feature to have particularly if you use your earbuds in noisy environments. 

Staying on with ANC, these earbuds also have a fairly decent transparency mode. It’s not the best I experienced but it’s still reasonable. It allows me to comfortably have conversations without taking my earbuds out. I can also listen to train and airport announcements without any issues.

The Pixel Buds Pro also have gesture control which allows you to turn the volume up or down, which I find to be quite an important feature, particularly if a louder song comes on.

Lastly, the Pro feature wireless charging, which gives the Pixel Stand a reason to have that cutout if you haven’t checked out my video on the Pixel Stand, I highly recommend checking it out… 

One other thing I wanted to mention about the pros is that their battery life is considerably better than the Pixel Buds A. In fact, Google states that you can get up to 32 hours of listening time on the Pros, whereas the Pixel Buds A get up to 5 hours. To be fair, 5 hours is still pretty decent for everyday use but not if you plan to use them for extended periods of time.

Design

Unlike the Pixel Buds A, which only have 3 colour options, the Pros have 4 colours including Coral, Fog, Lemongrass and Charcoal which is what I have, although I know I said it before, I wish that they had an Olive Green version.

Google has given the Pixel Buds Pro a complete redesign, which I think feels more comfortable in my ears, but I do miss the dangly thing from the two previous models. If Google decided to include this option, I definitely believe that they would feel sturdier inside of my ears. 

Why The Pixel Buds Pro Are My Favourite Earbuds

The Verdict

I think that both, the Pixel Buds A and the Pros are excellent solutions for earbuds. If you are looking for something simple that sounds great, has decent bass and fits comfortably in your ears, the Pixel Buds A are a great choice. 

But if you are looking for more features, slightly better sound quality and better battery life, I would recommend spending more and getting the Pixel Buds Pro, especially if you are going to use them for work and travel.

Whilst I still own the Pixel Buds A, the Pros will remain my daily drivers for the foreseeable future.

This article is also available on Medium.