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  • Long-term impressions

Practiced true wireless earbuds are a dime a dozen anymore. Companies like Samsung, Sony, and Jabra pump out new pairs all the time, and fifty-fifty cheap earbuds can exist very good these days. Google's Pixel Buds A-Serial clock in at $99, planting them somewhere In the mid-range. They don't come with high-end trappings like ANC or wireless charging — that's what the upcoming Pixel Buds Pro are for — but their practiced sound quality and unique design mean they're worth a look the adjacent time you need some new buds.

pixel buds a series pixel 5_AFbu6KQGILNx

Google'south Pixel Buds A-Series are affordable earbuds with nifty sound and a unique, attractive pattern, but a dearth of advanced features like active noise cancellation may turn some people off.

Specifications

  • Bombardment Life: 5 hours (24 with case)
  • Noise Counterfoil: No
  • Mono Listening: Yes
  • Bluetooth : 5.0
  • IP rating: IPX4
  • Supported codecs: AAC, SBC
  • Weight (earbuds): 5.1 m (each)
  • Dimensions (earbuds): xx.7 x 29.3 x 17.v mm
  • Charging: USB-C
  • Driver size: 12 mm
  • Price (MSRP): $99
  • Price: $99

Pros

  • Full, articulate audio.
  • 'Hey Google' detection.
  • Light and comfortable.

Cons

  • Weak bombardment life.
  • No wireless charging.
  • No ANC.

Buy This Production

pixel buds a series pixel 5_AFbu6KQGILNx

Google Pixel Buds A-Series

Design, hardware, what'south in the box

The Pixel Buds A-Serial are so physically similar to 2020's Pixel Buds that they each fit comfortably in the other's case. The cases don't actually work interchangeably — the charging pins are slightly different — but both the cases and the buds are very nearly identical. I loved the style the last buds looked, so that'south a win in my book.

The A-Series come in just ii colors, white or greenish, and the insides of their cases match (as opposed to 2020's, which came in four colors that all shared the aforementioned black-and-white case).

The case has a unmarried charging indicator calorie-free, located on the outside. When the instance is open, the low-cal reflects the buds' battery level; closed, information technology indicates how much juice is left in the case itself. When the battery level is lower, the lite is orange. White means it's most full. The A-Serial also ditch wireless charging, topping upwards simply over USB-C. This is one of the biggest faults in the A-Series, in my opinion, only it's a pretty minor one in practice. I have USB-C chargers everywhere.

On the whole, the A-Serial share the aforementioned charming, Googley look and feel as the 2020 Pixel Buds; they even inherit features like in-ear detection, single earbud playback, and IPX4 water resistance, which should be enough to continue sweat from damaging them. The Pixel Buds Pro conduct a articulate resemblance to the A-Series, likewise, though the Pro buds are bulkier and don't have the same stabilizing fins.

In the A-Series's tiny little box, you'll detect the buds and case, replacement ear tips in a matching color, a USB-A-to-USB-C cable, and the normal literature.

Sound quality, features, battery life

The Pixel Buds A-Serial sound just like the Pixel Buds 2020: they take the same 12-millimeter drivers and "spatial vent" that helps sell the feeling of a wider soundstage and lets in some ambient sound. That's adept news, because terminal year's earbuds audio great. Highs are clear, mids are full, and bass is typical of loftier-end true wireless earbuds (read: pretty good). You still can't fine-tune EQ settings, just the A-series do offer a bass boost part. There'southward no aptX or LDAC support, though, if that's a priority for you.

I'm torn about the vent. Google says it's to prevent the plugged ear feeling that tin can come with wearing earbuds, but that'southward not something that's ever bothered me. Still, these things are actually comfortable (provided the stabilizing fin doesn't jab you like it does some people), and being able to hear some of your surroundings is useful outdoors or in a work environment where you need to stay enlightened. Simply it also means you'll need to creepo the volume higher than you otherwise would to block out the din of the coffee shop or gym, which tin can exist rough on your ears. The Pixel Buds Pro don't share this vented design. If you value blocking external sound, those will likely be the Google buds for you — they're the company'due south only pair with ANC to appointment.

My single biggest gripe most both the 2020 Pixel Buds and thePixel Buds A-Series is a persistent popping and hissing audible in the right earbud when media is playing at low volumes. But information technology's definitely quieter in the newer pair, and Google insists not everybody will be able to hear information technology. I don't know whether that's really true, just the problem is a lot easier to live with at $99 than at $179. All the same, it'south obnoxious Google hasn't been able to iron this out with updates.

The 2020 Pixel Buds had sensors in each earbud to "detect speech communication through the vibrations of your jawbone," which ostensibly helped cut out background racket when y'all're on a phone call. The A-Series don't have those sensors, just they're still totally fine for vocalization calls. They're actually my go-to earbuds for the many Google Meet calls nosotros take at AP — they're very low-profile, so they're non easy to see on photographic camera. Being able to hear my surround relatively clearly is a plus, too.

Battery life is mediocre.

You can however recall the Google Assistant with a hey Google or by pressing and belongings on either earbud to speak, a feature I was worried wouldn't make the jump from premium to mid-range. That's undeniably absurd, but I wish the book controls had besides made it over to the A-Series. As is, you can't conform volume on the earbuds without taking your phone out. (Nosotros're excited to see gesture controls make a improvement in the Pixel Buds Pro.)

The A-Series support Fast Pair, which is increasingly common but however appreciated. On Pixel phones, all you have to do is open up the A-Serial's instance near your phone, tap to connect, and you're done — Pixel Buds software integration is baked into Google'south phones. Fast Pair works with non-Pixels, besides, but you'll demand to install the Pixel Buds app during setup to tweak the Buds' more than advanced settings.

Battery life is mediocre: near five hours of listening on the buds, plus three or so full charges in the case. That's competitive with Apple's base-model AirPods, sure, but there are scads of options effectually this toll from brands like Samsung and Sony that last longer. I've been using the A-Series several times a week for nearly a year, and I tin say that I haven't noticed their battery life shift much — though I don't oft wearable them for more than than an hour or two at a time.

Should you buy them?

Perhaps. The Pixel Buds A-Series price $99, and, like the Pixel a phones from which they borrow their name, they take a lot of what was good about the prior flagship — the 2020 Pixel Buds — and jam it into a like-looking packet with some dainty-to-accept features stripped out. Here, that ways no wireless charging and simpler touch controls, which experience like reasonable compromises weighed against the 2020 model's $179 MSRP.

The forthcoming Pixel Buds Pro are fix to offering both ANC and much better battery life than the A-Series manage — seven to 11 hours on a charge with ANC on or off, respectively, to the A-Serial's paltry v hours. If you lot can beget to drop $200 on Google earbuds, it's probably worth waiting on the Pro.

Unlike Google's mid-range phones, which are easy to recommend to almost anyone, the Pixel Buds A-Series probably won't ever be my go-to recommendation for a less techy friend or relative. They're proficient earbuds — merely irrespective of the new Pixel Buds Pro, other $100 earbuds have improve bombardment life and block more ambient noise. If those are things you really don't care about (or if you're equally infatuated with Google'due south hardware design as I am), go alee and grab these.

Buy them if:

  • Hearing the world effectually you through your earbuds is a positive.
  • The Pixel Buds Pro's improved feature set doesn't seem worth double the money to yous.

Don't buy them if:

  • Y'all desire thorough sound isolation.
  • Faint hissing would drive yous nuts in $99 earbuds.

UPDATE: 2022/05/25 08:00 EST BY TAYLOR KERNS

Long-term impressions

This review has been updated to be authentic every bit of May 2022.

FAQ

Q: How practise the Pixel Buds A-Serial compare to the Pixel Buds (2020)?

The Pixel Buds A-Series are largely similar to the company's prior true wireless earbuds, simply called Pixel Buds. Compared to 2020's model, the A-Series have identical sound and battery life, and look and feel very similar every bit well. The 2020 Pixel Buds take better controls, though, allowing you to change your media'southward book by swiping on the buds' touch pads. Their case also supports wireless charging; the A-Series'south does non.

Q: How exercise the Pixel Buds A-Series compare to the Pixel Buds Pro?

Pixel Buds Pro aren't yet available, but they're gear up to launch in July for $200. At twice the cost of the Pixel Buds A-Serial, they have a new blueprint that doesn't include Google's spatial vent that lets in ambient audio — plus agile noise cancellation, which should brand for an entirely unlike listening feel. Their battery life is much improved, as well, at seven to 11 hours (the A-Series manage about 5 hours betwixt charges), and their case supports wireless charging. The Pro buds will be larger than the A-Series, though, which could make for an uncomfortable fit for those with smaller ears.

Q: How practice the Pixel Buds A-Serial compare to the Samsung Milky way Buds2?

The Samsung Galaxy Buds2 launched at an MSRP of $150, simply information technology'southward not unusual to see them going for almost $100 lately, making them competitive with the Pixel Buds A-Series. Both pairs of earbuds have good sound quality, but the Buds2 offering active noise counterfoil and considerably better battery life of up to x hours per charge. For most people, the Galaxy Buds2 will probably be ameliorate earbuds overall. Just a small percentage of users have reported pare irritation after using the Samsung earbuds, mayhap due to nickel sensitivity. Give them a shot — just be prepared to render them if they're uncomfortable.