Google Pixel Buds Pro Review: Just Get These!

Pixel Buds Pro are excellent across the board... spoiler alert

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[Alynis_]

I personally also love the Live Translate feature of the pixel buds pro. It's a niche feature but for those of us who will use it for travel or for business, its really nice.

[dragonknight]

QUICK UPDATE for those who want these in 2024: 1) The EQ is here and it works flawlessly 2) They get a bit louder now after some updates 3) The price is no where near $200, they are on sale all the time and I've seen them all the way down to $120 or for free with a Pixel phone purchase....no brainer buy for real! Great review Marques, you nailed it then and it's still great now 🙂

[Neoxon]

It feels like yesterday that we just lost the ability to use wired headphones. Now it’s simply feels normal to look for wireless earbuds.

[moneeb]

This was honestly the most down-to-earth, classic MKBHD video I think i've seen in a long time. Felt like old times with this one. Thanks for the recommend!

[shalamigri]

The equalizer update was recently added. I like the multipoint setting also.

[maximkrivov]

Interesting, I found the touch volume controls working like magic for me smooth and spot on. Ignores accidental touches and always registers when I want to change the volume. Incredible.

[GFourGadget]

Really rare for Marques to instantly recommend something so early into the video. So getting the Pixel Buds Pro soon 🎵

[darrsil]

FOR THOSE WITH LOW VOLUME (like Marques says in his video): This is an issue with some buds on Android. To fix it, when sound is playing use the volume slider to lower the volume to 0% and then raise it to 100%. You should see that it's noticeably louder. Sometimes this sticks over multiple uses, other times you need to do it each time. Not a great solution but at least it works, and hopefully it gets patched soon.

[PlugSocketStudios]

I got a Pixel 7 myself. I didn't like the pixel buds too much previously. After watching this video I decided to give them a try again. I was not disappointed. The multipoint is definitely my favourite feature.

[majorstakes]

I also found out through The Vergecast that the mic quality is also excellent on these especially for reducing background noise.

[curtisbme]

Microphone quality is where most of these things fall behind. Looking forward to actual tests of these vs competition.

[baileydunne]

Disabling the Absolute Volume setting may allow the volume to be a lot louder. It allows independent volume on both the device and the Pixel Buds Pro. When my Airpods were connected to my Pixel 3a, they'd always sound really quiet, but the Absolute Volume fixed that.

[IanGrams]

I've been using the A-series that I got with my 6 Pro and wholly agree about the Assistant "superpower". Only just recently realized you can say "take a photo/selfie in X seconds" where X is anywhere from 3 to 30 and it will open the camera and set the countdown as you requested. I haven't had to take a group photo since learning of this but I imagine this will be much better than having to set it to 10 seconds, start it, and run back over to the group.

I really like using it for home control too and it's pretty neat how when using the hotword my other Google Home devices wake then recognize I have the buds in and then go back to sleep as my buds respond. And when using the tap and hold it feels like magic at how quick it turns my lamp off or responds to a question after taking my finger off.

Honestly would love to know how they manage to reproduce such low bass with such tiny drivers. They reproduce the low note in songs that I use to test the low end of speakers. But the original Google Home managed that as well so it seems they have some folks working on these products that really know how to get the most out of the speakers.

I'd also recommend testing out their connection strength as I've been thoroughly impressed. I tried putting my phone on the opposite side of my apartment with a couple walls in between and they remained connected. Even putting my phone in my fridge didn't make them drop or stutter. The only thing that actually did the trick was putting my phone in my microwave, closing it, and then putting a wall between it. That's literally a faraday cage for 2.4GHz so I really expected just closing the door would be enough. Granted, it's an older one that came with the apartment so the shielding might not be as good as more modern ones.

Honestly if they could make ones that had user replaceable batteries I don't think I'd have any qualms about wireless earbuds anymore. It definitely feels like "the future" to have tiny little devices in my ears that transform rapidly flashing light I can't see into my favorite music. But that feeling is a bit soured by the fact that some day they're gonna stop holding a charge and I'll have to buy new ones and figure out Google's recycling program.

[JordanWiens]

Would have loved to hear more details about whether it's worth using on iOS devices and what you lose/gain by using the "official" bud on each platform.

[josephleoned]

Finally, the competition we've all been waiting for between Apple and Google! If there wasn't already enough lol... Thanks for showing us how much the "Pixel" name has excelled!

[inceptionsd]

I think the reason why volume threshold is raised with these buds is simply because of the bigger driver (also why there is more base). More powerful driver, more impedance, and usually this means it requires more power to drive (lower sensitivity). But this is actually a good thing with bluetooth buds. Often times, in order to conserve space, they opt for a smaller, less demanding driver (usually 6 mm or so) which is usually much more sensitive since it requires less power from the amp. This is why on more budget earbuds you get a lot of hiss when there is no playback, because the noisefloor is raised due to the heightened sensitivity (low impedance) and also because cheaper dacs/amps are being used.

[sirgreen]

Finally, I've been waiting for this review. The battery life and sound quality on the Galaxy buds + has kept me satisfied. Definitely won't step down to less than the same 11 hrs of battery life (even if others may sound better). And I use a pixel so this should naturally be the next pair I buy right?

[basimn]

Always a great review. 👍🏾 In regards to the swiping for volume...I found that with any ear buds to be able to reliably use gestures I would have to first put my thumb behind my earlobe this would completely stabilize my hand during and allowed me to perform any gesture (multi-taps, swiping, tap and hold) during any activity with complete accuracy everytime. I'm not sure why this isn't advertised as it really should be the way to use any earbuds gestures.

[vinyfiny]

The biggest restriction for me when it comes to buying earbuds is battery life. I wear 1 earbud (and occasionally the 2nd) basically my entire 9+ hour workday 5 days a week for listening to music/audiobooks/YouTube and for taking calls and joining meetings. Comfort is also a concern, but I haven't had much issue with most of the earbuds I've owned.

I'm using the Creative Outlier Pro's and Galaxy Buds+ right now because they both ACTUALLY give the 10+ hour battery life they're rated for, although neither sound particularly good. The Outlier Pro's actually sound almost bad stock but after some heavy EQ they're fine. Also they can reproduce wild amounts of sub-bass (when desired) with basically zero distortion which I love. The Pixel Buds Pro's seem to have all the features I like about both my current earbuds but with better sound and even more features. I'll def give them a try for $175.

[otobeso]

You're the man. You always save me tons of research but with headphones I'm super picky. Hearing your intro just put my mind at ease. Now to finish the video and keep the algorithm happy.