Our only gripe with those was the removal of wings from the package.
It seems that the revised fit is what the Mountain View company is most proud of on these buds.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
An extremely comfortable fit, intuitive controls, and excellent ANC.
Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Pros
Cons
Since my ears hate in-ear buds, I was most excited to test its reworked fit.
The new Pixel buds launched in four beautiful shades: Porcelain, Hazel, Wintergreen, and Peony.
I instantly fell for the Wintergreen and Peony.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
The fit is perfect.
It finally cooked up the perfect recipe for in-ear buds that dont budge.
These fit me so snugly that I wish Google could share its secret ingredients with other earbud manufacturers.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
I wore them around the house while doing a million chores and outside on my way to the office.
They stayed put throughout.
Theyre fully rubberized and feel comfortable against your concha.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
However, the twist-to-adjust stabilizer is supposed to offer two separate kinds of fits.
Upon extensively twisting them in my ears, I didnt feel the presence of two dedicated fit modes.
The buds were either tight or not tight enough.
Photo: Artem Golub / Gizmodo
Im also thankful for an XS ear tip in the package.
Many companies overlook extra small or large sizes, so Im happy that Google accommodates tiny-eared folks.
I cannot stress enough how tiny these earbuds truly are.
Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: Controls
Volume controls are often done extremely poorly on wireless earbuds.
Take the flagship AirPods 4 as an example that doesnt feature onboard volume controls.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2tweak volume when you swipe on them horizontally.
Swiping up and down makes more sense on over-ear headphones that dont risk falling out of your ears.
On tiny peripherals like these, horizontal swiping is significantly safer.
The rest of the functions are pretty straightforward, too.
Long tapping on each bud can be customized to ANC or trigger Gemini.
On the predecessors, though, there were complaints about the low-end sounding excessively dominant.
Thankfully, on these buds, its not overdone to the point of sounding thick or muddy.
It hits just the perfect spot.
Google added a new high-frequency chamber to improve the treble.
The mids carry sufficient space and sound quite airy.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed listening to music on the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
The Tensor AIs noise-canceling capabilities are what Im most impressed with.
I started losing my callers voice when I passed over a Subway vent with a train passing underneath.
The ANC is so powerful that you might have to put up with some eardrum suck.
Disappointingly, it doesnt really live up to the hype.
Youre required to manually trigger the buds every time you talk to them.
The action is customizable between long-tapping either the right or left bud.
But for each follow-up question, you have to long-tap the bud every time.
These buds marketed Gemini integration as a hands-free feature that lets you get things done on the go.
But its not really hands-free when Im required to perform an action repeatedly.
For instance, I asked about the weather in my area, and it started responding in Fahrenheit.
Being a Celsius person, I immediately asked it to switch the unit.
Gemini onthe Pixel Buds Pro 2was also unreliable in some cases.
I asked it about coffee shops in my area that are open right now twice.
First, it responded with a huge list, again not letting me interrupt it.
Im glad it takes into consideration stuttering and pausing while youre talking.
you could speak to it like you would a human.
It also has good memory and understanding of context.
It knew we were still talking about the weather and responded accurately.
You get 12 or eight hours, with ANC off or on.
With the charging case, those numbers go up to 48 and 30 hours.
Usually, IP ratings apply to just the earbuds but not the case.
Having any sort of resistance on the case is great, so Ill happily take what Im getting.
The buds are rated at IP54, the same as the flagship AirPods.
These are overall excellent buds that give you everything you want.
The size and weight have been dramatically reduced, so theyre comfortable sitting in your ears all day.
The twist-to-adjust stabilizer is far from a gimmick.
It gives the buds their snug, ear-hugging fit.
The sound profile is impressive, with the deep, punchy bass being the star of the show.
And the noise-canceling is so powerful that you feel transported into a private vacuum.
My only gripe is that the Gemini integration is half as attractive as advertised.
Its far from being hands-free if you cant ask a single follow-up question without getting your hands involved.
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