During its annual IO showcase on Wednesday, Google announced the Pixel Buds Pro, a new pair of high-end true wireless earphones. For the first time in the series, the buds feature active noise cancellation (ANC) as well as a transparency option.
The battery may last up to 11 hours of listening or 7 hours with ANC turned on. Google has stated that a spatial audio upgrade will be released later this year. The £179 Pixel Buds Pro wireless earphones will be available for pre-order on July 21st in four distinct colours. They will be available for purchase on July 28th.
The wireless earbuds include Google Assistant built-in for voice commands and will work with Find My Device to track down lost buds, even if it’s just one. When using the charging case, the Pixel Buds Pro will allow wireless charging and have a total battery capacity of up to 31 hours.
The software-focused Google IO event drew a lot of attention this year, with rumours that some new gadgets, such as the Google Pixel 6a mid-range smartphone and the Pixel Watch wearable, might be unveiled.
The Pixel Buds Pro will join the A-Series, which cost £99.99 and offer solid audio quality, battery life, and basic touch controls but lack some of the more premium earbud capabilities, such as active noise cancellation (ANC).
Prior to the A-series buds, Google debuted the first Pixel Buds in 2020, with prices starting at £179. These had several great features, including wireless charging and on-bud volume control, despite the lack of ANC, but they’ve now been discontinued.
A quick comparison between Google’s Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Buds A-Series
| Specification | Pixel Buds Pro | Pixel Buds A-Series |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $199 | $99 |
| Colors | Black, blue, green, or red | White, green |
| Active noise cancellation | Yes | No |
| Transparency mode | Yes | No |
| Spatial audio with head tracking | Later in 2022 | No |
| Battery | Up to 11 hours of listening time, up to 7 hours with Active Noise Cancellation turned on, 31 hours with case without ANC | Up to 5 hours of listening time or up to 2.5 hours of talk time with earbuds alone. Up to 24 hours of listening time with a charging case, or up to 12 hours of talk time |
| Google Assistant support | Yes | Yes |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.0 | Bluetooth 5.0 |
| Multipoint connectivity | Yes | No |
| Water resistance certification (earbuds) | IPX4 water resistance | IPX4 water resistance |
| Water resistance certification (charging case) | IPX2 water resistance | None |
| Microphones | Three microphones in each earbud | Dual beamforming mics in each earbud |
| Speakers | Custom-designed 11 mm dynamic speaker driver | 12mm dynamic driver with passive noise reduction |
| Earbud size | 22.33 x 22.03 x 23.72 mm | 20.7 x 29.3 x 17.5 mm |
| Case size | 25 x 50 x 63.2 mm | 63 x 47 x 25 mm |
| Earbud weight | 6.2g | 5.06g |
| Case weight | 62.4g with earbuds | 52.9g with earbuds |
| Wireless charging | Yes | No |
| Charging cord included | Yes, USB-C | Yes, USB-C to USB-A |
| Eartips with three size options included in the box | Yes | Yes |
| Custom chip | Custom 6-core audio chip | TBD |
| Availability | Available July 28th | Available now |
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Google to launch its Android-powered Pixel tablet set to come in 2023
