Google Pixel Buds Review (2020)

The new Google Pixel Buds are coming at a time of great competition in the real wireless market, with models available in all formats and sizes, and at a variety of prices.

This makes it even harder than ever to prove paying $199 for a wireless headphone. As you know, Google Pixel Buds is responsible for providing regular support for Google Assistant and touch controls for applications.

Design and fit

The most notable difference in design, compared to the original Pixel Buds, is the fact that the new headphones are really wireless, wireless in between. Although necklaces are very popular with most users, they have nothing to do with the ones without the wires.

Its round design, with its minimalist design, means that Google should have put a small tip in each earbud to help the earbuds stay secure in your ears while traveling.

Fit is an important part of the design, which is why Google incorporates a variety of boxes and ear cushions so you can get the right fit for your ears and ear shape.

Among the opportunities offered by its touch-sensitive keypad are those that can control almost every aspect of music play. You can swipe to adjust the volume, tap to pause, double to skip, or triple to go back.

If you hold the headset you will be able to enable Google Assistant to read notifications. To be honest, we have assured you that the response is very positive and happens in the first change, without any delays or misinterpretations.

And it is that the new Google Pixel Buds 2020 looks good and has a future, but with a much more compact size than what other major market offers, such as Microsoft’s Surface Earbuds.

The base of the ammunition has a USB C port for easy charging, as well as a small pairing button on the back, with an LED center light hidden when not in use.

They offer water resistance with IPX4, which means the Pixel Buds will live a few minutes in low rainfall, but you should keep them away from the lake or get underwater.

Jobs for smart use

We’ve talked about the ingenuity that Pixel Buds offered earlier, but there’s a lot we can talk about when it comes to slides and the power to make Google Assistant read your incoming notifications.

Like Apple AirPods, you’ll get a hassle-free setup process when using Pixel Buds for Android, and you have the support of an always-listening Google Assistant, which allows you to access a visual assistant.

Like the original Pixel Buds, you will find an integrated Google Translate to provide real-time translation, perfect for that relaxing trip you can take in the remotest part of the world.

It’s easy to activate: you have to say something like ‘OK Google, be my French translator’ and your smartphone (Android) will automatically open the ‘Translator’ app and it will work.

From there, simply hold the left earbud as you speak, and it will translate and play the sound on your phone. Press and hold the translate button on your phone to hear the response, and it will translate into your headphones.

Without a doubt, it is an effective solution to communicate with those who often have difficulty speaking because of a language barrier. There are still limitations, such as that only one person can speak at a time and that you can rely on a Wi-Fi connection to get good results, but it helps.

There is also an automatic volume adjustment, depending on the surrounding sound taken by the head microphone. It’s a good idea, although you can still improve your results.

In fact, there is no significant change in volume when moving indoors and outdoors, for example, although it can work best on busy intermediate streets or on noisy routes like subway trains.

The automatic adjustment of the volume would have helped us bypassing the cancellation of the ANC’s audio, which is becoming more popular with headphones that are said to be worth more than € 200.

It should also be noted that most of the smart features are only available if you are actually pairing Pixel Buds with an Android smartphone. You will still be able to access touch controls when you pair buttons with an iPhone or Mac, but you won’t be able to access Google Translate or control volume.

In this sense, the information provided by Apple ecosystem and its AirPods Pro cannot be compared to Pixel Buds, but it is true that within the Android environment, you will achieve the most exciting performance of your phone.

Audio quality

Inside speakers are 12 mm. Unfortunately, we have found that music production is not rated as many of its rivals and is a very noticeable feature in the bass category.

Mids are the most well-established, while highs retain genre when it comes to adjusting to different types of music. This can be improved by finding the right ear rubber that fits your ear to separate you from the outside noise.

All of this changes when it comes to listening to conversations where the sound is very clear and sharp, something that is greatly appreciated when using a Google Translator or contacting a Google Assistant.

We are missing out on some kind of advanced customization that we can manually convert bass and fix it the way we like, something we think can come with a software update.

Battery time

Battery life is an area where some may feel somewhat disappointed. While Samsung’s Galaxy Buds + headphones can last up to 11 hours without this case, Google’s Pixel Buds offers only 3 hours.

They are somewhat disappointing statistics, though not so bad if you are one of those who only use your headphones for a short time. If you are the type of person who wears all over the place to listen to music, look among other options.

The charging case works a little better; It offers the same 24-hour power as its many wireless competitors, and it is possible to charge them wireless without wires.

Communication

Speaking of cables, we can justify the disappointing battery life in some way, as well as the lack of active ANC noise cancellation technology.

However, it is difficult to understand how Pixel Buds connections are made with Smartphones with Bluetooth 5.0 getting lost from time to time. If we highlight it in the article it is because it has happened to us so often.

It happens that the sound is disturbed independently of each other, and frankly it is very disturbing. I thought it might be a smartphone problem, but it’s something I’ve seen on iOS, Android, and Mac.

It is not something I have experienced with many wireless headphones in this price range, let alone short-distance between devices, with just 1 meter of distance between them. It’s something Google should review.

Prices and availability

Google Pixel Buds is available for a suggested price of $199, which puts them above the price Apple AirPods second generation for $179, or Galaxy Buds + they are also the same price.

Obviously, Google Pixel Buds is equipped with smart technology to communicate with Google’s assistant, but it seems that the company is not good at basic concepts, with a 3 hour use time.

See exclusive on very cheap headphones this year and recommendations on which to buy and which to choose for use.

The decision

Google Pixel Buds is incredibly small and includes wireless headphones that fit your ears to take you anywhere. However, its composition is not compensated for working hours.

Touch controls are accurate, Google Translate’s usable capabilities are usable, and the Google Assistant which is always useful is certainly more useful for Android users, but disabled with improper autonomy for more than 3 hours of continuous use.

If that wasn’t enough, the audio output is lacking in real bass and the headphones also have trouble connecting.