They Really Are Good!

I’ve daily driven a wide range of truly-wireless earbuds this year, but there is one set that continues to surprise me the more I use them, the Google Pixel Buds Pro. Not only are these wireless earbuds feature-packed, but they also offer great sound quality and a comfortable fit.

I must regrettably admit that I was very sceptical about purchasing these, particularly as they are Google’s first attempt at manufacturing a more premium set of earbuds. I guess it was also the price that put me off. But based on the very positive experience I had with the Pixel Buds 2 and Pixel Buds A, I decided to bite the bullet and get them anyway, and it was worth it!

Now, I know that the year isn’t over yet and I may find something even better, but I’ll keep you updated if I do.

Just a bit of a side note, I wouldn’t call myself an audio expert, that’s why this article is based on the point of view of a user. I would also like to mention that we all have different tastes in sound so what sounds good to me may differ from yours. But without any further ado, let’s get started…

Let’s Talk Features

I wanted to start talking about the features because the Google Pixel Buds Pro are packed full of them and they make perfect sense! For many, earbuds are just tools for listening to music and that’s perfectly understandable but these days wireless earbuds can do so much more and the Pixel Buds Pro are the perfect examples.

At this point you’re probably wondering what on earth I’m talking about, well allow me to explain…

Multi-Point Bluetooth

Have you ever been working on your laptop with your headphones in and all of a sudden you receive an important phone call, I know I have! You would either take your headphones off or try to connect your earbuds to your phone and before long you miss the phone call altogether.

The Pixel Buds Pro have you covered well here because they use Multi-point technology, which basically allows you to be connected to more than one device at the same time, so if I’m connected to my laptop and phone, I can simply answer the call on the phone without any fuss.

I find this technology to be extremely useful, especially when working on my laptop and I suddenly need to pick up a phone call.

This is a feature I honestly wish for more manufacturers to include with their earbuds because it really is difficult to come across earbuds that actually have them. In fact, I think it’s safe to say that the Pixel Buds Pro are the first earbuds I came across that have Multi-point.

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

ANC is another great feature to include with earbuds as it allows you to cancel out the outside noise and just go about your day in peace.

As someone who uses public transport and works in an open environment, I find this to be a critical feature as it really does allow you to break away from the hustle and bustle and just get on with your work.

The ANC on the Pixel Buds Pro, is surprisingly good, especially for their first attempt. I mean I’m writing this article on the train whilst listening to music and I can’t hear any conversations nor can I hear the engines of the train. In fact, I can barely hear the announcements! And Just to prove it…

That to me is the ideal situation, I mean let’s face it, they’re not going to block out everything but they certainly block out a huge amount and that’s enough for me.

Transparency Mode

Transparency mode is another essential feature for me as it allows me to listen to things without taking my earbuds out, which believe it or not can be a cumbersome task, especially if you’re walking in town with a coffee in one hand.

To enable transparency mode, I simply touch and hold the right earbud until I hear a noise and I can have a full-on conversation. I often pause my music when I do this though and that too is very simple, I literally tap the right earbud.

Touch Controls

The Pixel Buds Pro have what I can only describe as the best touch controls I’ve come across in a very long time when it comes to earbuds. I know it’s a bold statement to make, but they just work so well and you can do so much with them. In fact, I would go as far as saying that they work flawlessly!

I’ve come across many both low and high-end earbuds that don’t have touch controls perfected, but these just work as they should and that’s important! Let’s discuss some of them…

The first control I wanted to talk about is touching and holding the left earbud until you hear a noise. This will activate Google Assistant and it will tell you the time and read out your active notifications. I find this to not only be my favourite feature of these earbuds, but I also find it to be extremely useful.

For example, picture a scenario where you’ve popped into your local grocery store to pick up a few essentials, you’re carrying a shopping basket in one hand and then your partner texts you to say we’re out of coffee and that’s something that cannot happen under any circumstances! 

Before I even know the contents of that message and since I’m carrying a shopping basket in one hand, I would get the earbuds to read the message to me and I will then tell the headphones to reply so that I can say thanks. 

The same thing could be used in a professional work scenario, where you’re carrying a cup of coffee in one hand and a colleague sends you a message and you want to reply. I mean it may be a risky one, particularly if the Google assistant ends up sending something funny that doesn’t make sense, but it does work pretty well and that’s coming from someone with a strong accent.

The earbuds also offer volume control which is something I find very useful, particularly when a good song comes on. You can control the volume by swiping right for a higher volume and left to lower your volume and it works on both earbuds. 

The App

The Pixel Buds Pro have a basic app available for keeping the earbuds up to date, selecting between ANC, Transparency and normal mode as well as customisation. It’s also where you will find the equaliser as well as options to find your earbuds. In short, I find the app to be basic but very functional. 

However, the app works differently depending on what device you have. For example, on my Google Pixel 6 Pro, it’s actually accessible from the Bluetooth options menu, but on my Samsung Galaxy Z-Flip 4, it comes as a dedicated app with practically no options in the Bluetooth menu. The app is also sadly unavailable on IOS devices, which I think needs to be changed.

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But Why Are They My Favourites?

If we combine the features we discussed above along with the sound quality, these are an absolutely amazing set of truly wireless earbuds. I mean to be fair, so were the Pixel Buds A, but these are just so much more! I use them with the equaliser set to “Heavy Bass” and they deliver very well on that without losing the clarity of the sound. Something I find with many earbuds, even the more expensive ones is that when you boost the bass using the equaliser, it becomes too muffled, but these work as they should.

In terms of the fit, I’ve got to be honest with you, it did take me a while to get used to them, particularly as someone coming from the Pixel Buds A. I mean, their design is different compared to any other earbuds I used and it did feel like they were going to fall out at times. But the good news is that after changing the ear tip to the slightly smaller one, that feeling was lost and I quickly got used to them. Right now, I feel that these are some of the most comfortable earbuds I’ve worn in a long time and I can’t even begin to imagine switching to another pair.

2-Week Review:

The Verdict

I’ve used the Pixel Buds Pro for a while now and I honestly believe that these are an amazing pair of wireless earbuds. That’s why I will continue using them as my daily drivers for the foreseeable future. That’s not to say that I won’t be trying any other earbuds out. 

When it comes to earbuds, Google has always manufactured a really good product, I mean I can’t speak for the original Pixel Buds as I never tried them, but I can certainly confirm that the Pixel Buds 2, Pixel Buds A and the Pixel Buds Pro are all astonishing products that not only offer value for money but also feature and amazing sound quality.

So if there’s anyone out there thinking about buying the Pixel Buds Pro, or even the Pixel Buds A, I think that both are absolutely excellent products.