Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: Affordable Earbuds That Are Better With Anc

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 person been nan champion earbuds for Pixel telephone owners since they arrived past fall. With the Pixel Buds 2a ($129) though, there’s nary longer a clear-cut buying decision. This much affordable exemplary finally has progressive sound cancellation (ANC) arsenic conscionable 1 of its galore updates. It makes sense, then, that nan Pixel Buds 2a are much costly than their predecessors, nan Pixel Buds A-Series. Still, location are sacrifices to beryllium made if you determine to prevention $60 by choosing them complete nan Pro 2.

What’s caller connected nan Pixel Buds 2a?

The biggest upgrade connected nan Pixel Buds 2a is nan summation of progressive sound cancellation. On nan erstwhile A-Series earbuds, Google opted to clasp immoderate ANC abilities for nan pricier Pixel Buds Pro line. While nan institution continues to reserve its champion ANC capacity for that model, nan Pixel Buds 2a will still present immoderate level of relief. It’s obscurity adjacent what the champion sound canceling earbuds tin muster, but successful astir circumstances, it’s amended than nothing.

Another awesome alteration is nan updated design. Google decided to support its earbud artistic consistent, truthful nan 2a mirrors nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 pinch a mini stature and nan “twist-to-adjust stabilizer” alternatively of a “stabilizer arc.” The caller type of nan stabilizer is much of a hump than thing else, but it’s conscionable capable to clasp nan earbuds successful place. Overall, nan operation of size and nan stabilizer connection a comfortable fit, pinch balanced weight that ne'er feels for illustration you’re hauling thing connected nan sides of your head.

What’s bully astir nan Pixel Buds 2a?

In summation to nan improved comfort, Google bolstered nan sound value connected nan Pixel Buds 2a arsenic well. You still get spatial audio, albeit without caput tracking, but these earbuds do good pinch non-immersive contented too. Through a scope of genres from metallic to jazz, nan 2a offered crisp, elaborate sound while overmuch of nan title successful this value scope struggles pinch clarity. Oftentimes a group of $130 earbuds will travel disconnected muffled, for illustration successful Turnstile’s “I CARE,” but nan Pixel Buds 2a support nan footwear drum punchy and nan vocals clear.

Bass capacity is different area wherever midrange earbuds thin to struggle, but nan 2a holds its ain pinch respectable capacity here. Throughout Deftones’ private music, it maintained nan low-end growl of Stephen Carpenter’s 7- and 8-string guitars. The tuning wasn’t conscionable relegated to handling Abe Cunningham’s bass drum. And it’s not conscionable raucous genres either: there’s plentifulness of heavy reside successful Ruston Kelly’s acoustic guitar connected Pale, done nan Window.

Another perk of nan Pixel Buds 2a is their Hearing Wellness updates that thief you support patient listening habits. In nan Pixel Buds app, you’ll spot some existent listening and vulnerability levels, arsenic good arsenic comparisons for nan past 24 hours and 7 days. You tin besides opt to person measurement level notifications truthful you’ll beryllium alert erstwhile you transcend nan vulnerability limit. The proceeding wellness devices connected nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 are much comprehensive, but it’s bully to spot level search connected a group of mid-range earbuds. It’s surely amended than nothing.

Potential dealbreakers connected nan Pixel Buds 2a

Besides much robust ANC performance, location are respective differences betwixt nan Pixel Buds 2a and nan Pixel Buds Pro 2. Those are almost wholly nan precocious features nan pricier exemplary offers, contempt some sets having nan aforesaid Tensor A1 chip. Of those, location are 3 awesome devices nan 2a doesn’t have: Adaptive Audio, Loud Noise Protection and Conversation Detection. The first 2 are new additions to nan Pixel Buds Pro 2 successful caller weeks, but they supply automatic adjustments that either support audio capacity aliases assistance pinch proceeding health.

You besides won’t beryllium capable to usage caput gestures to reply calls aliases reply to texts for illustration you tin connected nan Pixel Buds Pro 2. And for Gemini users, nan expertise to converse pinch Google’s AI successful noisy environments isn’t disposable connected nan 2a either. You tin still talk to Gemini Live connected these cheaper earbuds, but you’ll request to beryllium mindful of ambient sound levels erstwhile doing so.

Another cardinal quality betwixt nan 2a and Pro 2 is related to artillery and charging. The biggest rumor present is nan Pixel Buds 2a’s lawsuit doesn’t support wireless charging. Battery life connected nan Pro exemplary is 8 hours pinch ANC disconnected aliases 12 hours pinch it on. On nan 2a, that's 7 hours and 10 hours respectively. During my tests pinch nan Pixel Buds 2a, I easy sewage a afloat workday retired of nan earbuds pinch a operation of ANC and transparency mode. That’s what I’d see “normal” usage pinch nan erstwhile mounting for attraction clip and nan second for calls and keeping tabs connected my mischievous cocker spaniel.

While nan Pixel Buds 2a are equipped pinch what Google calls “AI-powered Clear Calling,” they don’t person nan aforesaid beamforming microphones and sound accelerometer arsenic nan Pro 2. As a result, sound capacity suffers connected nan much affordable model. It’s perfectly good for casual conversations and last-minute activity chats, but you’ll want thing amended for situations erstwhile you’re signaling audio aliases starring nan discussion.

Lastly, nan Pixel Buds 2a don’t person onboard measurement controls. This is nan biggest dealbreaker for me. In nan twelvemonth 2025, it’s infuriating to person to scope for my telephone aliases keyboard to set nan measurement of my euphony aliases podcasts (looking astatine you, AirPods 4). I understand Google had to sacrifice immoderate features to waste nan 2a for $129, but this is simply a basal 1 I really wish it had kept.

Wrap-up

You tin surely usage nan Pixel Buds 2a pinch an iPhone aliases Galaxy device, but for illustration nan Pixel Buds Pro, you’re going to get nan champion retired of these if you person a Pixel phone. Like Google’s erstwhile models, these were built to beryllium a conduit to Gemini Live and you’ll sacrifice immoderate of nan main features if you usage nan 2a pinch a non-Pixel device.

If you do person a Pixel handset, there’s a batch to for illustration here, including punchy sound, a comfy fresh and respectable artillery life. The constricted proceeding wellness devices are still useful and nan summation of ANC is simply a invited change. The champion Google has to connection connected Pixel Buds is still exclusive to nan Pro 2, but nan 2a is simply a perfectly tin audio companion for astir Pixel telephone owners.