Competition is really starting to hot-up in the wireless ear buds market.
Apple had been the class leader for some time with its AirPods.
But the quality of the other pretenders' offering has improved in recent times,
like for example Samsung's Galaxy Buds and Huawei Freebuds.
The newest kid on the block though, Googleâs Pixel Buds, are another robust
challenger.
Design
Like most products in the category, the Pixel Buds come in a case that doubles
as a charger.
It looks similar enough to the holder that AirPods come in, with a flip open
lid, USB-C charging socket on the button and a small LED indicator light.
The buds themselves are round in shape with a protruding ear piece. In ear
they are a snug fit, with a rubber cup on the end that holds the ear piece
tightly in the ear canal opening (there are different sized cups available in
the box to suit different ears).
On the other side is a piece of rubber that sticks out to hold the bud itself
in the ear.
Once pushed into place, they are pretty stable, even when exercising.
Unlike the previous iteration, they are completely wireless â no strings or
cord attached.
They carry an IPX4 water resistance rating which is also useful for those using
them outdoors or for working out.
Features
The sound quality from the 12mm speaker driver inside the Pixel Buds is quite
impressive.
They throw out a deep bass which is absent in other competitors.
But unlike the Galaxy Buds, you canât adjust the audio at all on the app
(there is no iOS app).
There is no noise cancellation either, and that is a bit of a disappointment
when compared to other products.
They do however adjust the volume automatically based on the amount of
extraneous noise around them.
When removed from the ear, they also automatically pause playback, resuming
when replaced.
The buds also have touch controls built into them â tap once to play or
pause, twice to skip, three taps will rewind, a swipe controls the volume and a
long hold will allow you to listen to notifications.
The microphone is reasonably good at picking up your voice, even in noisy
environments and Iâm told by those I spoke to while using them that the
quality at the other end isnât bad either.
Assistant
Perhaps the biggest unique selling point is the integration with Google
Assistant.
Once connected to an Android smartphone (a very simple process), the buds are
always listening for the "Hey Google" wake word, and you can use them for
controlling smart devices, or even to translate.
You can call up the Google Translate app and ask it to convert what you are
saying to another language.
The buds then play back the translation from the speaker on your phone, which
is pretty clever.
If you want to translate something that someone else is saying, you hold the
translate button on the phone app and the translation is played back by the
buds into your ear.
Handy if you are travelling, which we may not be doing for some time yet.
The buds will also play back the notifications on your phone on request.
The assistant set up is not perfect, but it shows great promise and will
undoubtedly be copied by others.
Battery
The official promise from Google is that the Pixel Buds will provide up to 5
hours listening time and 2.5 hours talk time.
With the charging case (which itself can be charged wirelessly) they will
officially give you up to 24 hours of listening time and 12 hours talk time.
Google says a 10-minute charge of the earbuds in the wireless charging case
will deliver up to 2 hours of listening time and up to 1 hour of talk time.
In practice these promises are probably at the upper end of what you will
achieve.
But they do offer a reasonably respectable level of power.
Conclusion
Pixel Buds have much to offer.
They look good, fit well and the on board Assistant functionality is a hit.
The absence of noise cancellation is a draw back and the absence of an ability
to adjust the sound quality is disappointing.
At â¬199, they arenât the cheapest option on offer.
But they are a quality choice, particularly for Android users.
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