Alongside its new Pixel smartphones, the web giant Google is giving us a new version of its premium wireless headphones, the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
With its Pixel range, Google has managed to deliver a new standard in the premium smartphone segment. The web giant has made giant leaps in photography, artificial intelligence and optimization in recent years. In audio, its Pixel Buds receive slightly more divided opinions. It must be said that competition is very tough and entering this market from scratch is not an easy task. With its first generation Pixel Buds Pro, however, Google managed to make us a very attractive proposition. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 follow in their footsteps.
At first glance at the small charging case, however, we don’t have the impression that much has changed… The design remains the same from the outside, but once the case is opened, we realize that the headphones were heavily miniaturized. Casually, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are 27% smaller than their predecessors, and 24% lighter. Slipped into the hollow of the ears, they are even more comfortable to wear than their elders – you almost don’t feel them and this is undoubtedly a very big advantage compared to their competitors. The box gains a little novelty, a speaker which will allow it to ring remotely to find it more easily.
Another advantage: its exceptional autonomy. With active noise reduction enabled, the headphones easily last up to 7:30/8 a.m. on a single charge. This is much more than most competitors who generally only last 5 to 6 hours. With the case, we go up to 30 hours of autonomy. Up to 48 hours without the reduction activated. So solid performances. Better: the case charges either wired (fast charging) or wirelessly.
On the sound side, the observation is also very positive. The sound is generally very balanced, but we note some variations in the sound treatment with instruments and sounds which tend to stand out a little more than others. The quality remains very good, but Google is still slightly behind the market leaders. That being said, the integrated Tensor A1 processor provides a real plus when it comes to sound adjustment in the ear tube, thanks to its internal microphone. The microprocessor also provides minimal latency and increased sound reduction quality. Google explains to us that thanks to this processor, the headphones are capable of analyzing sounds 3 million times per second to instantly adapt the sound reduction. According to Google, they work twice as well as the old version. And in practice, we tend to confirm this since during our tests, not once were we disappointed with the sound processing. Even in very noisy environments, the system is extremely effective. The same goes for hands-free kit calls, which are astonishingly clear. It’s very simple, even in strong gusts our interlocutor did not hear the slightest noise. However, the functionality in question is only available on Pixel 7 smartphones and its successors… Another exclusivity of Pixel smartphones: spatial audio, very convincing once again, with excellent sound spatialization. For those who are not familiar with this function: concretely, these headphones are capable of geographically positioning the sound around you so that it comes from different directions. It especially makes sense when you watch a film, and yes, the one you are watching still has to support it. But if so, the experience is truly conclusive with complete immersion.
Finally, a few very brief words also about “embedded” AI. Concretely, the Buds Pro 2 allow you to interact with Gemini, with which the user can interact in a very natural way by voice. In practice, however, if the technology works, it must be admitted that the dialogue is not always very fluid, the responses are long, the latency too, and for many, the function will not be of much interest.
Ultimately, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are extremely convincing. They improve the formula of the first model. They don’t have any major flaws either. Certainly, there are headphones with even better audio quality, but they will not necessarily offer the same autonomy, the same functions and will not necessarily be as pleasant to wear. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are clearly an excellent product and, in our opinion, one of the best options on the market at the moment.
The +:
- Very comfortable to wear
- Excellent autonomy
- Fast and wireless charging
- The quality of the microphone
- Active noise reduction, very convincing
- Very good value for money
- A real improvement compared to the previous model
THE – :
- A case without personality, which is damaged quite easily
- Not the best audio, but overall very convincing quality
So, are we cracking?
With its Pixel Buds Pro 2, Google gives us one of the best pairs of headphones on the market. Certainly, in terms of audio we find (significantly) better, but in terms of quality/price ratio, autonomy and comfort, Google’s proposal is unbeatable. Even 8 hours in your ear, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 never cause any discomfort. The autonomy is superior to that of all competitors. And both the active noise reduction and the spatialization of sound convinced us. We feel that Google has worked on its model. Although in appearance, not much has changed since the previous model, in reality the Pixel Buds Pro 2 bring an impressive number of improvements.
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