For the most part, I doubt users will encounter this issue as frequently as last year's earbuds. In my testing, I can say that I rarely experienced any form of connectivity issues, although I did experience my audio cutting out a bit once or twice. Last year's Pixel Buds experienced many connectivity issues regarding occasional dropouts and audio interruptions.
Pixel buds Bluetooth#
Speaking of Bluetooth connection, Google added a new chipset inside each earbud to increase connectivity reliability. That said, unlike AirPods, the Pixel Buds do not have multi-device support, meaning you would have to disconnect and reconnect to use these earbuds with other devices. Samsung has a similar feature with its Galaxy Buds, which imitate the AirPods pairing animation entirely, but it's exclusive only to Samsung smartphones and tablets. This feature is wildly convenient, and it enriches the experience of having these earbuds over others. Even with the lack of ANC support, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series are very well rounded I'd love to see how these stack up against the Nothing Ear (1)'s. Overall, the sound profile on these earbuds is quite well-suited for most music genres and does exceptionally compared to most other earbuds at this price point. With most earbuds in this price range, poor microphone quality is common, but here, it's great to see Google retain this very important aspect with their budget offering. Onto microphone quality, the Pixel Buds A-Series have dual microphones for picking up audio, and the earbuds do a tremendous job separating your voice from noisy environments and offering clear audio during calls and meetings. That said, it's still noticeable that the earbuds don't support ANC, and Google should include this on its next flagship pair of earbuds.
![pixel buds pixel buds](https://images.idgesg.net/images/article/2019/10/pixel-buds-close-100814098-orig.jpg)
I think this feature works quite well, and the seal of the silicone tips does provide a decent amount of noise isolation. The Pixel Buds counteract this shortcoming with a feature called Adaptive Sound, which adjusts the volumes of the headphones based on how noisy your surroundings are. The Nothing Ear (1)'s and the Huawei Freebuds 4i do have this feature, but Google decided to weigh their options and deliver better sound over Active Noise Cancellation. In terms of noise cancellation, these earbuds don't support ANC, and it is apparent, even at high volumes. That said, that is as far as you'll get in terms of customizability with these earbuds.
![pixel buds pixel buds](https://techcrunch.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/10/Screen-Shot-2019-10-15-at-10.12.53-AM.png)
Pixel buds full#
This setting adds noticeable emphasis on the lows while still delivering full and natural sound. In the Pixel Buds app, there is an EQ section where you can turn on Bass Boost. Even at high volumes, the Pixel Buds A-Series have good separation and don't lose the details. For $99, the Pixel Buds A-Series have a well-balanced sound profile that hits the midrange, highs, and lows very well and consistently.įor comparison, the similarly priced Huawei Freebuds 4i lack bass and generally have muddled sound as you increase the volume.
Pixel buds drivers#
The Pixel Buds A-Series share the same 12mm drivers as last year's earbuds, and that means you're going to be getting impressive sound coming out of them. With audio quality, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series deliver impressive sound for this price point. Google includes extra ear tip sizes in the box so you can adjust how they fit. But for the most part, these should work well for going to the gym or even during a run. That said, these wings were definitely meant for people with smaller or average-sized ears, and during long listening sessions and workouts, I do occasionally feel the left earbud coming out of my ear. However, once you learn to fit them correctly, they are comfortable and secure. At first, the wing of the earbuds took some getting used to, and I repeatedly had them fall out of my ear during workouts. Onto the earbuds themselves, Google has reused the design from last year's Pixel Buds (2020), and for me, they work well. For most people, this isn't an issue at this price point, but it is worth noting since the wireless charging capabilities of the previous earbuds made them appealing for users who had smartphones that supported reverse wireless charging like the Pixel 5. The main downside of this cheaper model is the lack of wireless charging. The case of the Google Pixel Buds A-series is mostly unchanged from last year.