There's a pairing button on the case, as there is with the AirPods.
Google says the Pixel Buds 2 will store pairings with up to six devices.
And it's also worth noting that I paired the buds to multiple devices, but I had to manually select the previous device from its Bluetooth menu if I wanted to go back to it. You can also use one bud independently of the other (if you want to go the single-bud route for calls). Note that a little sound does leak out of the buds when you really crank your tunes, so you probably don't want to play these at high volumes in a quiet room with people sitting nearby.ĭual IR proximity sensors detect when the buds are in your ears and automatically pause your music when you pull one out of your ear and resume when you put it back in. I didn't see a transparency mode, but there's some venting in the earbuds that keeps you from feeling too occluded and allows you to hear your voice in the buds when you're making a phone call (Google calls it a "spatial vent for in-ear pressure reduction and spatial awareness.") It's not a full-on sidetone feature, though I'd call it sidetone lite. Instead, there's an adaptive sound mode that automatically adjusts the volume to the environment you're in. You can still use these with iPhones and Macs like standard Bluetooth headphones, but you lose extra features like the always-on Google Assistant.Īs I said, there's no noise-canceling.
There's an app for non-Pixel Android devices - with Pixel phones it's integrated into the system - but no app for iOS devices, which is too bad. But the new Pixel Buds should fit most ears well. I did find those two models slightly more comfortable to wear over longer listening sessions and how you ultimately feel about the fit will depend on the shape of your ear. Some of the Pixel Buds' closest competitors would be the Galaxy Buds Plus ($150) and the Jabra Elite 75t ($180).
You do get decent passive noise muffling but these don't offer active noise-canceling like the AirPods Pro, Sony WF-1000XM3, Sennheiser Momentum True Wireless 2 and an increasing number of true wireless earbuds. (It's important to get a tight seal to maximize sound quality.) While the original Pixel Buds had an open design like the standard AirPods, these have a noise-isolating design, which means the ear tips get jammed into your ears, sealing them off to the outside world. With a little clockwise turn the buds (5.3 grams or 0.19 ounces each) twist securely in place, barely sticking out from my ears. Yes, the wearable Mentos look has returned, but I like the way the stabilizing fin - Google calls it an "arc" - has been integrated into the design. The Pixel Buds will come in four color options, but at launch, only white will be available.