First Look: Google Pixel Buds

Google's new Pixel Buds are the company's second attempt at creating a "hearable," and its first venture into true wireless earbuds. Google says its hardware is a gateway into its services—and it wants you to be able to access Google Assistant anytime, anywhere. So a pair of earbuds that can always hear you say, "Hey Google!" fit the bill.

The Buds don't come out until next year, so we didn't get to test their performance, but we got to take a look at their industrial design and talk to some experts about how they'll work.

Pixel Buds

Google's Pixel Buds use Bluetooth 5.0 and have extra-long range because they dynamically switch which earpiece is the primary unit, based on Bluetooth signal strength.

Case

The Pixel Buds will cost $179 when they come out next year. They come with this cool magnetic case.

Pixel Buds In Case

The Buds slip into the case using magnets, so you really only have to drop them in a little bit and they slide in the rest of the way.

USB-C Charging

The Pixel Buds charge with USB-C, but the case also charges wirelessly. There are five hours of playback time in the earphones themselves, and a total of 24 hours with the case.

Great for Fidgeting

The Pixel Buds' magnetic case is designed so that if you open it up to a certain point, it snaps closed, but if you crack it open beyond that point, it snaps open. It's really satisfying to play with.

Mic

I'm skeptical about the microphones on true wireless earbuds, mostly because the ones on the Samsung Galaxy Buds are bad. Google says the Pixel Buds use beam-forming to improve the sound quality, as well as a "voice accelerometer" that uses bone conduction to grab your voice in challenging environments.

Audio

The Buds come with three sizes of eartips. Google tells me comfort is also improved by the addition of a "spatial vent" slightly higher up on the earbud, which prevents pressure from becoming unequal inside and outside the ear.

Parts

Here's a rundown of the parts of the Pixel Buds from Google. We're looking forward to testing them out next year.

About Our Expert

Sascha Segan

Former Lead Analyst, Mobile

My Experience

I'm that 5G guy. I've actually been here for every "G." I reviewed well over a thousand products during 18 years working full-time at PCMag.com, including every generation of the iPhone and the Samsung Galaxy S. I also wrote a weekly newsletter, Fully Mobilized, where I obsessed about phones and networks.

My Areas of Expertise

US and Canadian mobile networks
Mobile phones released in the US
iPads, Android tablets, and ebook readers
Mobile hotspots
Big data features such as Fastest Mobile Networks and Best Work-From-Home Cities

The Technology I Use

Being cross-platform is critical for someone in my position. In the US, the mobile world is split pretty cleanly between iOS and Android. So I think it's really important to have Apple, Android and Windows devices all in my daily orbit.

I use a Lenovo ThinkPad Carbon X1 for work and a 2021 Apple MacBook Pro for personal use. My current phone is a Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, although I'm probably going to move to an Android foldable. Most of my writing is either in Microsoft OneNote or a free notepad app called Notepad++. Number crunching, which I do often for those big data stories, is via Microsoft Excel, DataGrip for MySQL, and Tableau.

In terms of apps and cloud services, I use both Google Drive and Microsoft OneDrive heavily, although I also have iCloud because of the three Macs and three iPads in our house. I subscribe to way too many streaming services.

My primary tablet is a 12.9-inch, 2020-model Apple iPad Pro. When I want to read a book, I've got a 2018-model flat-front Amazon Kindle Paperwhite. My home smart speakers run Google Home, and I watch a TCL Roku TV. And Verizon Fios keeps me connected at home.

My first computer was an Atari 800 and my first cell phone was a Qualcomm Thin Phone. I still have very fond feelings about both of them.

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