Google Pixel Buds 2a Review

Our Google Pixel Buds 2a Experience

These little buds are a crowd pleaser, and we could tell from the tiny, easy-to-hold case that we were in for an enjoyable experience. We even kept reaching for them using an iPhone, a product type they aren't ideally made for, because there is no compatible app.

The case is small, semi-oval, and fits almost anywhere. There is an LED light on the front, and they pair quickly with Android devices using Fast Pair.

They come with four ear tip sizes, and we appreciated the inclusion of the extra small size, as intense pressure on small ear canals can be a real problem for those of us with tiny canals.

They are really small compared to many other buds, and the lightweight design felt great for more than 9 hours of continuous wear. While we didn't forget we were wearing them, we also didn't experience any intense pressure or stuffy feeling. The twist-in-place design helped create a secure fit, and we never had them fall out, though big movements can cause some shifting.

While tactile controls are appreciated, not everyone uses them, and many users feel more comfortable controlling things with their device. However, simple pausing of sound or answering phone calls can be easier and faster from the bud. They do a respectable job with controls, but there are no volume controls, so you'll need your device nearby if you adjust it frequently.

These buds weren't the best for making calls, but they weren't the worst either. They do a much better job in a quiet to busy office environment than they do drowning out a loud subway station. In the office, we could occasionally hear the keyboard in the background, but both voices on the call were clear and had good volume

Our Analysis and Test Results

Sound Quality

The sound quality for the 2a is some of the best in this price range, and most casual listeners who love music and the occasional podcast are likely to be pleased. It neither blew our socks off nor felt like a floaty dream escape, but it was never harsh or muddied either.

The mix is pleasant, with slightly emphasized bass and treble that give the mids a recessed feel. The bass is well-defined and clean yet pronounced without being overly dramatic. If you enjoy a more neutral feel than a heavy bass, it is sure to please.

The mids have enough detail and presence to create an enjoyable listening experience with a nice texture and timbre accuracy, though sometimes the voices sound like they get pushed behind the instruments. Older recordings seem to suffer more than newer tracks, but we suspect that if these were your only earbuds, you'd get used to the slight shift.

The treble has some sizzle, and the highs feel lively but only moderately emphasized. They would benefit from some more precision and clarity to elevate the mix, but they still hold their own compared to cheaper options.

Soundstage

Picking out individual instruments and pinpointing their location is easy and similar to the prior version. We had a better experience when we took the time to perfect the fit with the seal tool in the app and twisting the buds in place as directed. Without these efforts, the soundstage is smaller and feels dim with less punch from the bass. Overall, it isn't very broad or deep, but it has good delineation and separation that are sufficient for most listeners.

Comfort and Fit

The 2a offers better comfort than many competitors thanks to its lightweight feel and smaller bud shape. These button or dot buds have a design for twisting them in place, and they come with lots of tips to find a good fit. If you have the app, there is even a seal fit test you can run to see if you have found the best fit for you.

Unfortunately, those with larger ear canals might find even the largest silicone tip too small, leading to shifting and the buds falling out. While people with smaller ear canals will rejoice at having finally found their soul mate, those with larger canals or even average-sized canals might struggle to find the best fit. However, everyone agrees that the bud size and weight are impressively small.

Noise Cancellation

For a more budget-friendly pair of buds, the Pixel 2a holds its own when it comes to noise cancellation, offering better blocking abilities than almost any other earbud in its price range.

They have an overall decibel reduction of almost 25 dB, but they dampen sound more than block it. While their effort is better than average, they are still only meh. They do their best work across the mids and bass, but the treble range hangs in there, following closely behind.

If your goals are to limit disruptive sounds or quiet constant background noise, these get the job done. However, if you want as much silence as possible to immerse yourself in the listening experience, you won't be impressed.

App Features

iOS users won' thave a compatible app, which is something to consider if you have Apple products and enjoy customization. However, even the Google app you can download on Android devices is pretty basic. It contains active noise cancellation on/off, but no way to adjust the levels. There is a 5-band equalization slider and an auto-play/pause feature. We found the ear tip seal and volume exposure monitoring features to be the most useful in the app. If you don't need these, Apple users might not care that they wouldn't have one.

They do offer a transparency mode, but it isn't as natural as other earbuds, and gusting wind is very loud and jarring. However, there is a heightened sense of environmental awareness, so we guess they are getting the job done, albeit without much grace.

Battery Life

Google claims these buds have a 10-hour battery, but we didn't get anywhere near that.

Even with the active noise cancellation feature off, the longest runtime we achieved was 6 hours and 45 minutes. The case has about 2.7 recharges, and 5 minutes of charging will give you an extra hour of listening time. The case doesn't support wireless charging. Depending on how you use earbuds, this might be plenty of time; daily workouts or commuting could result in under 7 hours of use, but if you make calls, attend meetings online, or enjoy listening all day, there will be some downtime to let them recharge, and you could be bud-less when you want them most if you don't plan ahead.

Call Quality

Given how infrequently most people use their devices for calls and meetings, the 2a might hit a sweet spot of adequate call quality with an average result in our tests.

They perform admirably in quieter spaces with clear voices that are plenty loud, but things get messy as the background gets busier, and too many competing sounds can end up with softer voices bleeding into the background and ambient sounds taking center stage. As the software tries to drown out the background, the speaker's voice becomes choppy and “rumbly,” and the words start to run together. They did rally at blocking most of the wind sound, and the person on the other end didn't hear the wind noise as we did.