Google’s Pixel Buds 2a is the budget little brother of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, sporting much of what makes those earbuds great while cutting out a thing or two to keep the price low, and having reviewed the Pixel Buds Pro 2, I was naturally curious to review the Pixel Buds 2a and see how they compare. Granted, they’re not going to be as good, and I know that, given the price gap and the extra features. However, there are lots of similarities, and I wanted to know if it was worth saving the extra money or if you should just pony up the additional $100 and go for the pro model.
For the budget-conscious consumer, these no doubt seem like a tantalizing option. They’re made by Google, so they probably have the same attention to detail as the more expensive pair, right? Not to mention the price is fairly affordable, and they come in a pretty small case, which is always nice. I’ve spent the last few weeks reviewing these earbuds to see how good they are all so you can see whether or not they’re worth your money. So let’s dive into it.
Google’s Pixel Buds 2a offer a lot of bang for your buck thanks to the inclusion of some premium features.
Pros
- Compact charging case
- Pretty good battery life
- Audio Switch feature
- Comfortable to wear for more than a couple of hours
- Active Noise Cancellation works well
- Reasonably good sound quality
- Affordable
Cons
- No wireless charging
- No swipe controls for volume adjustment
- No head-tracking spatial audio
- No low-latency game mode
Google sent over the Hazel color of the Pixel Buds 2a for us to review. We’ve been using these earbuds for about a month before writing this review. This is not a sponsored review, and Google did not see this review before it was published.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Specs
Google Pixel Buds 2a Specs
| Colors | Iris, Hazel |
| Sweat and Water Resistance | Earbuds: IP54/Case: IPX4 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.4, Super Wideband |
| Processor | Google Tensor A1 |
| Audio Components | Custom-designed 11mm dynamic speaker driver, ANC with Silent Seal 1.5, transparency mode, active in-ear pressure relief |
| Voice | Bluetooth Super Wideband, Clear Calling, wind blocking mesh covers |
| Sensors | Earbuds: Two microphones, Capacitive touch sensors for music, calls, and voice assistant controls, IR proximity sensor for in-ear detection to play and pause automatically/Case: Hall Effect for sensor for case open and close detection |
| Charging | USB-C charging port |
| Battery | Up to 10 hours of listening time and up to 27 hours total with the charging case and ANC off/Up to 7 hours of listening time and up to 20 hours total with the charging case and ANC on |
| Dimensions | Each earbud with the medium ear tip: 23.1 mm x 16.0 mm x 17.8 mm/Charging case: 50.0 mm x 24.5 mm x 57.2 mm |
| Weight | Each earbud with medium ear tip: 4.7g/Charging case with earbuds: 47.6g |
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Hardware and Design
I’m not here to mince words. Google’s design of the Pixel Buds 2a is fantastic. It’s essentially the same as the Pixel Buds Pro 2, which is excellent for a few reasons. Not the least of which is the twist-to-adjust stabilizer. They’re the same shape as well, which isn’t surprising given that Google didn’t really need to change the style, just the internals. This bodes well for the Pixel Buds 2a because the Pixel Buds Pro 2 were very comfortable to wear for long periods of time, and these were as well. This likely wouldn’t have been the case if Google had decided to change things up.
In terms of hardware, the Pixel Buds 2a is missing a few things that you’ll find in Google’s other earbuds. This takes away a few features, but that missing hardware also makes the Pixel Buds 2a more lightweight. I’m not as fond of the color choices when it comes to the design, but at least Google gave us the Hazel color. I’d still like to see a couple more options like with the Pixel Buds Pro 2, though.
The case is more compact than the case for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 as well, which I found to be a nice change, given how often I take my earbuds with me when I leave the house. This is basically all the time, especially if I’m going shopping anywhere for groceries or anything else. I just prefer the sounds of my favorite music while I walk through whatever store I’m at, and it’s nice to have a smaller case in my pocket while I do so.
Google is also using a more shiny plastic with these earbuds. On the Pixel Buds Pro 2, the plastic is more of a matte finish, which I prefer personally, but the Pixel Buds 2a are still nice looking. You also don’t get the beamforming microphones with the Pixel Buds 2a or the voice accelerometer. Overall, the hardware isn’t much different, and the design is the same. Putting both pairs of earbuds side by side, I can’t see any discernible difference in the design at all. That’s a good thing. A really good thing.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Battery Life and Charging
Battery life for these is pretty good, and I found that it was fairly close to what Google has advertised for the battery life, both with and without the case. However, the battery life is not as good as with the Pixel Buds Pro 2, and the case being smaller also means it has less battery life from additional charges with the case. It’s worth keeping that in mind. Still, this didn’t change things too much, for me, because on average, I don’t listen to the earbuds until the battery is completely drained.
Other than the purpose of testing for this review, these were usually in my ears for no more than 2 to 3 hours, and then they went back in the case. I imagine many people would be like me and use these for a few hours at a time, so, in most scenarios, these should last more than enough time for the majority of users. Putting all of that aside, Google rates these for lasting up to 10 hours of listening time with the ANC disabled or up to 7 hours with the ANC enabled. Google was pretty much right on the money here. I got just over 7 hours when using the ANC and just over 10 hours without it.
The charging case provides an additional 13 hours with the ANC and an additional 17 hours without it. All in all, pretty good, though if battery life is important to you and you want as much of it as you can get, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 offer more battery life in the case, which goes up to 48 hours. This is understandable given the size difference between the two cases, but I’d have liked to see just a bit more out of the Pixel Buds 2a on this.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Sound Quality
I will start by saying I’m not an audiophile per se, but I do appreciate a good quality sound and can pick up minor nuances and differences. With that said, I think the Pixel Buds 2a sound perfectly fine, but there is a clear difference between these and the Pixel Buds Pro 2. To me, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 sound better with a richer, more defined sound, no matter what type of music I’m listening to. The heat-tracking spatial audio is also a step up from the regular spatial audio of the Pixel Buds 2a. So, if you like sound that’s more refined, then you may want to fork out the extra money.
However, the sound quality on the Pixel Buds 2a is more than suitable, and I think if you just want something that sounds good but doesn’t have to be the best or close to the best, and you can really appreciate an affordable product, then you really can’t go wrong here.
There’s definitely some defined bass and clear mids and highs, and even when watching videos or playing games, the audio on these earbuds was good. They start to falter a little bit once the volume gets too high, though. What I would suggest is to test how high the volume can go before it starts to sound worse to you, and I would do this before you really start using them. This way, you can find the level of volume that keeps the sound quality from degrading. You’ll know the threshold, and can stay under it. This might fluctuate with different types of music, but at least you’ll have a good baseline. Overall, the sound quality is pretty good, and I think most consumers would be happy with how they sound. As I said, I don’t think audiophiles or people who are used to the more expensive earbuds and headphones would really go for these, but anyone else should find these delightful.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Comfort and Fit
Seeing as these are designed in basically the same way as the Pixel Buds Pro 2, I had a feeling these would be comfortable and fit just as nicely inside my ears, and I was right. These are pretty comfortable, and I found that I didn’t have any issues with discomfort even after wearing them for several hours at a time. When I had to wear them until the battery died to test how long they last was about the only time I had some discomfort, as they were in my ears for most of the day.
Outside of that experience, though, I tend to keep my earbuds in for 2 to 3 hours at a time, and these were very comfortable for that duration. The fit is nice and snug, plus I was able to finetune the fit a little thanks to Google’s twist-to-adjust stabilizers. You might see some people saying that you’ll know these are inserted correctly if the G is right side up, and while that can be correct, it’s not the only way the fit works. The twist-to-adjust stabilizers are there to help you find the right fit. You’ll twist the earbuds toward the backs of your ears once inserted if you want a tighter fit, and a little forward if you want a slightly looser fit.
I like more noise isolation and a tighter fit, so I twist them backward. You might find that you like these to fit more loosely. So, if you pick up a pair, I simply recommend that you play with the fit a little to see what you prefer. Google also provides different sizes of ear tips in the box with the Pixel Buds 2a. So, if the ones that are on the earbuds by default don’t work for you, try the other sizes.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Gemini Integration
The Gemini integration for the Pixel Buds 2a isn’t much different from the Gemini experience you get in the Pixel Buds Pro 2. The main difference is the “Talk to Gemini Live in noisy spaces” that Google mentions on its store page, but the Pixel Buds Pro 2 don’t even have this yet. At least to my knowledge. So, from my experience, using Gemini was just as good on the Pixel Buds 2a as it was on the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
Need to send a message? Not a problem, the Pixel Buds 2a can help you do that. You can even have Gemini find you directions to a new restaurant or place you’ve been wanting to check out, should you not be aware of how to get there. I mostly used this how I used Gemini on the Pixel Watch 4. Just to ask simple questions whenever something popped into my head, usually while I was driving and didn’t have the capability to look it up on my phone. For this purpose, the Pixel Buds 2a did a fine job at getting me the information I was looking for.
Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Call Quality
With fewer microphones, the call quality when using the Pixel Buds 2a admittedly suffers a little bit, but not so bad that these become unusable. I was told my voice sounded clearer when using the Pixel Buds Pro 2, and for me, the clarity of the person was better with those as well.
Still, the sound quality of my voice and of the other person was mostly fine unless I was in a super noisy environment, like outside on a windy day. Even with a slight decline in call quality, the Pixel Buds 2a were still incredibly useful for taking calls using the touch controls and just generally for being hands-free when a call comes in. I don’t think the call quality is what’s going to drive people to buy these, but I also don’t think anyone you talk to on the phone is going to complain about how you sound, and I don’t think most consumers will complain about how calls sound on their end either.
Should You Buy The Google Pixel Buds 2a?
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are my go-to pick between Google’s two latest pairs of true wireless earbuds, but I have grown to love the additional features that the A series doesn’t offer, and while I could live without them, I don’t want to. Being that I play mobile games from time to time, having that low-latency game mode is nice, and the Pixel Buds 2a do not offer this. The extra mics also help my voice sound better, and more than anything else, I love the extra battery life and the head-tracking spatial sound. However, none of these things are absolute must-haves, and the Pixel Buds 2a are still really good, especially for a price of $129.
If you don’t care about any of the extra stuff I mentioned, then these would be an excellent pair of earbuds for your next pair, or your first pair if you’ve never had true wireless earbuds before. They’re comfortable for long periods of time, they sound good, and they’re affordable with some extra features. I wouldn’t say Google changed the game or anything here, but it did deliver a really solid pair of budget earbuds. Ones that don’t feel like they’re budget earbuds because of the nice features and sound quality.
You should buy the Google Pixel Buds 2a if:
- You want earbuds that sound good
- You’re looking for comfort and fit over a lot of extra features
- You want something that’s affordable without being low-quality
You shouldn’t buy the Google Pixel Buds 2a if:
- You can afford to pay the extra money for the Pixel Buds Pro 2
- You’re looking for better sound quality, more features, and better ANC
The post Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Where affordability and premium converge appeared first on Android Headlines.
