The Made By Google event (on August 13) is Google‘s August 2024 showcase, and while the big stars of the show are the Pixel 9 phones Google also announced the much-anticipated Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. Their existence wasn’t exactly a secret because details were leaking for weeks in advance, but the official announcement nevertheless includes some important new information.
Here’s what you need to know about Google’s (hopefully) best ever earbuds.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: price and availability
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are now official.
We have it on good authority that’s set at $229 in the US and £219 in the UK, and we’ll update this page quick-sharp when pricing for Australia is announced (although that would make them about AU$430, or thereabouts).
The previous generation, the Google Pixel Buds Pro, launched with an RRP of $199 / £179 /AU$299, undercutting the price of key rivals such as Apple‘s AirPods Pro. The AirPods Pro 2 have list prices of $249 / £249 / AU$399. So, while they’re more expensive than the original Buds Pro, they still undercut Apple’s top-tier offering.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: design upgrades
The new Pixel Buds Pro 2 are smaller and lighter than ever before, and they should stay put whether you’re working out or running for the subway: they’re 27% smaller than before and have a twist-to-adjust stabilizer to keep them in your ears. There are also four colors: Porcelain, Hazel, Wintergreen and Peony, although not all four will be available everywhere. The buds are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance and the case is IPX4.
One of the details in the leaked images showed a new cutout on the case next to the USB-C port. Speculation said that was a speaker for Find My Device, enabling you to hear where you’ve left your case if you misplace it, and Google has confirmed that there’s Find My support in the new Pixel Buds.
With medium ear tips fitted, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are 22.74 x 23.08 x 17.03mm and the charging case is 25 x 49.9 x 63.3mm. Each earbud weighs 5.7g and the charging case with earbuds inside weighs 65.0g.
Each earbud contains three microphones and has tap and swipe sensors for music, calls and voice assistants. There’s an IR proximity sensor that can detect when you take your earbuds out, and there are motion-detecting accelerometers and gyroscopes too.
The earbuds come with four sizes of tips too: extra-small, small, medium and large.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: new features
Bluetooth is 5.4 with LE Audio and Super Wideband, and each earbud is now powered by the Tensor A1. That’s the first Tensor chip in any earbud. The new processor promises not just improved noise cancellation – Google says it cancels twice as much noise as before, and that it’s much better at isolating and blocking the trickier higher frequencies – but improved audio too. The Tensor creates a new, discrete audio signal that bypasses the noise cancelling circuit and delivers a more accurate signal directly to the drivers.
The drivers here are 11mm, and there’s a new high-frequency chamber that should deliver better treble than before.
There’s improved Clear Calling for phone calls, and the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 should make the people you call sound clearer too – even if they’re not also using Pixel Buds Pro. That’s due to a better algorithm for processing in-call audio, and Google says it’ll add more scenarios to the algorithm later this year.
Google’s buds now have Conversation Detection, similar to Sony‘s feature, which can detect when you talk and move from ANC to transparency mode and then back again when you’re finished.
Google says that you can expect 12 hours with ANC off (48 with the case) and 8 hours / 30 hours with it on. There’s also fast charging, with roughly 5 minutes on charge delivering up to 1.5 hours of audio with ANC switched off.
It’s worth noting that while the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are compatible with any Bluetooth 4.0+ device, some features will require specific hardware: Bluetooth Super Wideband requires a Pixel 8 or later and Clear Calling needs a Pixel 7 or later.
