Google Pixel Buds A-Series Review | £99, Bargain Earbuds?

Reviewing Google's Pixel Buds A-Series true wireless earbuds, which for £99 in the UK are pretty much 'budget' earphones - but are they among the best of 2021? I've been testing these 'phones all week, so here's the final verdict.

Now, if you want ANC (Active Noise Cancelling), then these aren't the earbuds for you. The Pixel Buds A-Series sport a vented design which allows external sound to filter in, for a less claustrophobic feel.

However, sound quality is great and Google's wireless earphones impress on many levels. The controls are flawless, design is certainly iconic, and comfort levels are top notch. Battery life is sadly average, but at least the Buds A-Series are fast to charge and a lot more budget friendly than Google's original earbuds.

Check out my coverage of rivals like the Samsung Galaxy Buds, Huawei's Freebuds and other best True Wireless Earbuds of 2021.

Pixel Buds A-Series Review Chapters:
0:00 - Oh just get on with it
0:32 - Design
1:35 - Setup and Bluetooth
2:16 - Controls
3:19 - Volume and noise isolation
4:47 - Google Assistant
5:59 - Audio quality
6:51 - Battery life

[andre-arthur]

3:14 thank you SO MUCH for censoring that. Shows how much you care about the users with Google Home's out there

[MikeOBrienMedia]

Uncle Spurt hides humor everywhere. Even the time stamps crack me up

[saahilshaik]

just letting you know, although the spatial vents might let in some noise, they were intended to release some of the pressure created by inserting the buds into your ears

[luchin]

I own Pixel Buds, all I can say I am happy with performance. I mostly use them for the gym. They work perfectly with my Pixel 3XL.

[waldamy]

3:33 about the peak volume, you might want to turn on Absolute Volume or whatever the setting is called, to actually get higher volume on the Buds.

[chrissmith]

If I'm out and about town I don't want total noise cancellation anyway. Much safer to be aware of surroundings so you can't automatically say it's a con.

[Andyhandle]

Definitely out for me. I'm not sure why Google not only omitted any decent wireless codes (aptx, LDAC) but also took a step back with Bluetooth 5.0 when others are available with 5.1 and 5.2 which are more reliable and can shunt more data. Waiting until October to see what comes out with aptx Losseless.
I love the description from one reviewer "like having your ears dug with a spoon"!

[JackFromMorley]

Feel like the existence of these will lead to a lack of audio jack's on the pixel a phones, that'll suck...

[graphite]

These are the same as the expensive ones, no need to spend more.

[theodorehom]

I appreciate you bleeping out the “ok google”. It’s annoying when it activates mud video

[BigGuns]

bro my music is so bassy as long as it has the freq response im happy. dig the review. would really like some more direct comparisons instead of just casually bringing it up.

[caitlinm]

Let's hope Google sorted out the constant audio disconnects that the Pixel buds 2 suffered, I owned a Pixel 2 phone too and every few minutes they would loose connection with my phone indoors outdoors and in the middle of nowhere, apart from that I really liked them and found them very comfortable to wear and I thought they sounded really okay, but with afore mentioned problem which google was very aware of and promised to fix with a firmware update it didn't help so back they went to the chocolate factory for a full refund. I'm hoping theses new ones have fixed the issue in which case I'll give them another whirl, thanks for the review

[lukemelon]

Getting a pair of these for free with the pixel 6a was certainly a great deal, they are so comfortable compared with in ear buds I've used before. Sound is certainly good enough for me, I know for some that not having a means to physically alter the volume in them may be a frustration but I don't feel like I miss it, on other models it feels a bit fiddly so I would resort to using the phones volume rocker anyway.

All in all a great pair of buds

[HaywireTX]

The pair I owned had a major flaw. They didn't work if you put your phone in your pocket. They just cut in and out constantly. When I would go for a walk, I would pop my AirPods in and get some tunes going on my iPhone X, then drop my phone in my back pocket. I never gave it a second thought. I recently switched to a Google Pixel 4a and Pixel Buds A Series. I start on a walk and drop the 4a in my pocket and the Buds just cut in and out constantly. They were unusable with the phone in my pocket. I went through Google support and they heard it on the call and would have replaced them. I chose instead to swap them at Best Buy. The second pair I got had the same flaw so I took them back as well and got the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro. They work great with my phone in my pocket! The Pixel Buds A Series have a serious flaw.

[thetruthstand]

If indeed the connection issues are resolved then I will be buying these pixel buds. I want to wait until they get to Amazon so I can return them if they suck! But I remember the last time some of these YouTubers said that there were no connection issues with drop issues on their initial reviews and then all of a sudden we had all these issues so I'll take them telling me that there are no drop issues with a grain of salt until I tried them for myself.

[joshuajennings]

After spending £179 on the original Google Pixel Buds and after using them for over a year, I think they're barely worth £99 in terms of sound quality, no ANC, user experience and design.

[coldparanoia]

$99 doesn't equal £99. It really puts me off buying tech when I see this pricing strategy as I feel like I'm being shafted

[dimitargerov]

I got them for free with my Pixel 6 yesterday. Was going to sell them on ebay but you made me thing different.
Always enjoy your videos bald funny guy!

[chill.]

I actually really like the pixel buds design. great vid my guy.

[runnerup]

The problem with these buds is exactly the same as the problem with the others in the range...
You cannot be sure that when you put them back in the case and shut the case that they disconnect from your device and I'm not really sure why.
So for example, I left my buds last night. Fully charged ready to run this morning. Both were in the case and the lid was shut. This morning the right hand bud is drained of battery because it has been connected to my phone all night. This is despite me using a different pair of headphones to listen to a podcast as I fell asleep. Sometimes it's the right headphone. Sometimes it's the left one. I do not have a case on the pixel bud's case either. I have read many reviews of people saying exactly the same thing so it is definitely not just myself. This is the biggest negative of the buds. The battery life is also quite poor being around. Perhaps two or 2.5 hours.
The positives about these buds. The sound quality is excellent, Google assistant/Gemini is really good, the ANC is good... The comfort and the fit is also very good.
And when I speak to people on the phone they say that the sound is also very good.
It just drives me insane that for the price you cannot get the headphones to reliably disconnect from a device when in the case. Please Google sort this out!