Google Pixel Buds 2: First Thoughts

Why did I even buy this thing… probably because I had such a good time with my last-gen Pixel Buds.

I was actually pretty happy with the Pixel Buds, except the fit was beyond words. That dangling cord was just stupid. I mostly wore them running, and that damn cord kept swinging around, teaching me what “occlusion effect” really means.

Now the Google Pixel Buds 2 finally exist, and the stupid cord is gone. But this thing Google built to pair with Pixel phones and fight Apple’s AirPods is still as unreliable as ever:

• No AptX support
• Only white at launch
• Various problems and complaints shortly after release

But Google products are American-made after all, and plenty of American tech media started hyping it from day one, the same way they hype the Pixel line. If it’s Google, it can’t be too bad. And after the hype, they go home and keep using their iPhones…

The Google Pixel Buds 2 got the same treatment. Shortly after launch, The Verge and Mr.Mobile praised it, saying the sound was pretty good, the connection was reliable, the feel was OK, and Pixel users could totally enjoy it…

Then after launch Reddit blew up again, just like with the Pixel phones: all kinds of problems, connection stability issues, battery life issues, etc., etc.

Of course, none of this surprised me. I damn well knew Google makes products like this. But I also know that no matter how badly Reddit trashes it, Reddit is just “America’s Baidu Tieba” — same as the nitpicky OCD crowd on Baidu Tieba back home, you can’t take it seriously.

I still wanted to get a Google Pixel Buds 2…

In the end I found a proxy buyer on Taobao and got the newly released orange version, which should be the latest hardware revision paired with the rarest color.

After about a month of use, I can basically give a responsible verdict on this thing:

• Sound quality exceeded expectations. Mids are forward, great for pop, dialogue is very clear, and the mic is better than every TWS product I’ve used before

• Connection stability seems fine to me. Not sure if it’s because I updated the firmware, or because my orange version is the latest hardware, or maybe because I’m using the favored son Pixel 4XL — anyway, I haven’t run into disconnects, though it does stutter occasionally, but only occasionally

• Looks are definitely there. The case feels like a smooth egg, full marks for that

• Wireless charging built in, and battery life is very solid. I use it all afternoon and still have more than half left. If you charge once a week, you’ll barely run it dry

• It supports multi-device connection. For example, I paired it with my phone, and also paired and connected it to my laptop. Every time I open the lid and take out the earbuds, it automatically connects to “the last connected device” — meaning the laptop. If I want the phone, I don’t need to re-pair; just open Bluetooth on the phone, select the device, and it connects back automatically. So if configured right, it can do something like Apple AirPods’ “multi-device switching” — it’s just missing the software

• First-time pairing is stupid. In theory it works like AirPods and iPhone: open the lid next to the phone and a pairing prompt pops up. But I have two Pixel phones, a Pixel 3 XL and a Pixel 4 XL, and opening the lid next to both always prompts me to pair with the Pixel 3 XL. In the end I had to manually connect to the Pixel 4 XL. Absolutely stupid

• No noise cancellation, but since they’re in-ear, wearing them feels like indirect noise isolation. And honestly, noise cancellation… is just okay

• I don’t know what solution this uses, but it’s definitely not Qualcomm. No AptX, only AAC. Whatever. AAC is enough. I’ve used devices with AptX and didn’t find it much better

All in all I’m fairly satisfied with this device. Sure, its price is close to the AirPods 2 wireless charging case version, but it’s not exactly an “idiot tax.” After all, the AirPods Pro costs more, and I don’t think the sound is as good, and it’s not necessarily as pretty either.

But based on my use case, I’d still recommend it to people deep in the Pixel ecosystem. The complaints on Reddit aren’t unreasonable — maybe because I’m a Pixel user, I hit fewer problems. Other Android phones probably can’t be guaranteed.