Pros & Cons
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- Good noise cancellation for the price
- Clear, natural audio
- Comfortable fit
- Voice access to Gemini
- Long battery life
- Affordable
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- No wireless charging
Google Pixel Buds 2a ANC Wireless Earbuds (Hazel) Specs
| Active Noise Cancellation | |
| Connection Type | Bluetooth |
| True Wireless | |
| Type | In-Canal |
| Water/Sweat-Resistant | |
| Wireless |
The $129 Google Pixel Buds 2a replace the four-year-old Pixel Buds A and serve as Google's most affordable earphones. They introduce active noise cancellation (ANC) to the A series for the first time and do a compelling job of it. Google also improved the audio, reshaped the design while making them more comfortable, added several hours to their battery life, included access to Gemini, and made the experience of using them seamless. If you want a high-quality pair of noise-cancelling wireless earphones for a low price, the Pixel Buds 2a are our new Editors' Choice for Android phone users, just edging out the also-excellent $129.99 Anker Soundcore Liberty 5.
Design: Small Form, Superior Comfort
The Pixel Buds 2a don't stray too far from the original Pixel Buds A in external design, but Google has changed nearly everything else. The buds still come in a small white case resembling a flattened egg and tuck inside for charging. Google reduced the buds' overall size quite a bit; they now more closely resemble the Buds Pro 2 ($229) than the original Buds A. Most notably, the large fit wing of the originals is now rounded and tucked close to the side of each bud. The buds come in either Hazel (black) or Iris (purple). I received the Hazel pair for review.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Like the Buds 2 Pro, the Buds 2a are tiny and some of the most comfortable buds I've worn. I prefer the small, bud-style design to earphones with stems, though you may feel differently. The Pixel Buds push fairly deep into your ear canal, leaving only the outer control surface visible. You twist them to find the right fit. The buds ship with four pairs of silicone tips, allowing you to find the perfect fit. Thanks to their curved design and smooth materials, the Buds 2a are comfortable to wear for extended periods.
(Crdit: Eric Zeman)You control them with simple taps to the outer surface. By default, a quick tap plays/pauses your music, or answers a call, while a double-tap skips forward a track and a triple-tap takes you back a track. A long-press of either bud cycles the buds through noise modes (On, Off, Transparency). You can set one bud to launch Google Gemini with a long-press, which you can use for search or select actions. You cannot control the volume with taps or swipes, but you can say, "Hey Google, turn down the volume."
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Internally, the buds feature brand-new 11mm dynamic drivers. Google doesn't specify the frequency range of the drivers. The enclosure features a new mesh-covered opening, allowing for ear pressure relief and enabling the mics to perform their job effectively. The buds connect via Bluetooth 5.4, but Google doesn't specify what codecs it is using. We suspect only the AAC and SBC codecs, but that has not been confirmed.
The Pixel earphones utilize the same Google Tensor A1 processor in the Buds Pro 2 to handle noise and sound processing, and support Super Wideband and Bluetooth multipoint connectivity for seamless transitions between the buds and an Android tablet or Chromebook. This is similar to Apple's H2 chip and how its AirPods can move from an iPhone to an iPad or a Mac.
The buds have an IPX4 rating, which means they are protected from sweat and light rain, but not immersion. You can use them during a sweaty workout, but do not drop them into water. The charging case is among the smallest out there, although it doesn't share the IPX4 rating. It measures 1.97 by 2.25 by 0.96 inches (HWD) and weighs 1.68 ounces with the buds inside. A USB-C port is on the bottom for charging; wireless charging is not supported. Google doesn't provide a cable or a charger with the buds.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Google says the Buds 2a can run for seven hours per charge with noise cancellation on, or 10 hours with noise cancellation off. The case holds an additional 20 hours (ANC on) or 27 hours (ANC off). Google doesn't specify how long it takes for the buds and case to charge fully, but placing them in the case for five minutes provides up to one hour of listening time with ANC enabled. The original Buds A only run for five hours with ANC on, while the Buds 2 Pro run for up to eight hours.
App Experience: Simple and Powerful Controls
Like Apple's AirPods, Google's Pixel Buds work naturally with Pixel phones. You control most aspects via the Pixel Buds app (available for Android). Moreover, Google makes the pairing process as seamless as possible. Simply opening the case near your Pixel phone initiates the pairing process. Once you tap a couple of permission screens, you're connected and set to listen.
(Credit: Google/PCMag)The app's main screen displays the remaining battery life for each bud and case. Further down, you can toggle between the three noise modes (Noise cancellation, Off, Transparency) and dive into the deeper settings. For example, you can set digital assistant preferences, add your buds to Google's Find My network, manage touch controls, control the sound, check and manage hearing wellness features, and perform firmware updates.
I appreciate that Google allows you to control the buds' sound with an adjustable EQ. The app includes six preset EQ curves (Heavy Bass, Light Bass, Balanced, Vocal Boost, Clarity, and Default) and a five-band EQ with sliders that provide granular control over the sound. I could dial in and easily save my favorite EQ curve. You can also set the audio balance, check the eartip seal, and toggle spatial audio and head tracking on and off.
The hearing wellness tools mimic a little of what Apple does with its AirPods. It shows you the live decibel level produced by the earbuds in your ears and your overall exposure, which is the accumulated listening volume over time. I like that it displays these numbers for the last 24 hours and the last seven days. The decibel meter flashes red when you're listening at an unhealthy volume. Google doesn't go as far as providing a hearing test or sound protection.
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Noise Cancellation: Top Performance for the Price
The 2021 Pixel Buds A did not feature active noise cancellation—few other $99 earphones did at the time. Fast-forward four years, and ANC has filtered down from $300+ models to budget buds near and far. For the price, the Pixel Buds 2a deliver excellent noise cancellation that's just a hair better than the Liberty 5.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)It is crucial to get a good seal with the silicone eartips. Google provides four in the box. Be sure to take the time to find the right pair for you, and then test the seal using the Pixel Buds app test. With a good seal, the Buds 2a do a fine job of reducing the thrum of plane engines, bus engines, and other low-frequency sounds. They effectively silenced all the noise from a city bus and even a New York subway car, but weren't quite as strong in paring back the loud conversations of those around me. High-frequency noise, such as voices, is more likely to pass through the Buds 2a's circuitry, but it is still significantly reduced. Only the closest, loudest conversations made it to my ears. Thankfully, the buds do not produce a masking hiss. Because the Buds 2a provide an in-ear seal, they outperform the AirPods 4 With ANC ($179), which don't seal the ear, at reducing unwanted noise. They are slightly better than the Liberty 5, which also create a seal, at reducing unwanted frequencies.
The buds include a Transparency mode for when you need to hear your surroundings. It mostly works well, though I sometimes found I wasn't always able to hear my environment. The Buds 2a do not support the Conversation Detection feature of the Buds Pro 2, which can automatically switch to Transparency mode if you start speaking.
Few noise-cancelling buds I've tested perform as well as the Buds 2a at the $129 price point.
Sound: Balanced and Neutral Audio
We found the original Pixel Buds A had just average sound. Google has re-engineered the entire audio stack to provide the cleanest signal path possible between your source device and your ear. It claims the result is more accurate and immersive sound. We tested the earphones with the default audio EQ and noise cancellation off, which is how they arrive. They don't rival today's top models, like the AirPods Pro 3, but they do well enough at this price.
(Credit: Eric Zeman)Sampling our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," showcases the buds' ability to handle low and high frequencies equally well. The bumping intro beats thump into my ears and help drive the track forward, while upper-register sounds enter over time and add to the mix. I was surprised by the level of bass that these small earphones can reproduce.
Moving on to Kendrick Lamar's "Loyalty," the Buds 2a can mostly handle the sub-bass at the 34-second mark of the song, though the lowest notes are lost along the way. Although they don't reach into the super-low realm, the earphones do a respectable job with Lamar and Rihanna's vocals, which are clear and present when they enter the song.
Bill Callahan's "Drover" showcases the buds' warmth but also highlights the natural tuning of the default mix. While Callahan's deep vocal sounds rich, instruments like the guitar and violin struggle to find space in the mids. Thankfully, high-frequency sounds come through cleanly with no sibilance.
An orchestral track like John Adams' The Gospel According to the Other Mary comes across a little flat. The buds don't push the bass or the highs enough in this song, resulting in a somewhat lifeless rendition.
The Pixel Buds 2a's default tuning isn't the most exciting I've ever heard, but you could say it's more balanced and natural. I prefer to take charge and set my own EQ curve, which mostly solves the earphones' few audio shortcomings. In their factory settings, they provide just a little more richness than the Liberty 5.
These earphones are a terrific companion for voice calls. Google did an excellent job tuning the mics, particularly since the buds include voice-activated features like volume controls and Gemini access. The mics easily pick up your voice and provide clean, warm audio during calls. They also work well when you interact with Gemini.