Hey, I live in Toronto now. That’s kind of cool. Toronto is loud. Public transit is loud. I spend almost an hour each day on public transit. The Sony WI-1000X in my last post have been absolutely amazing when it comes to eliminating the human and vehicle noises around me, but they’re big, at least when it comes to IEMs. Now this usually isn’t a big deal, but as I find myself in a city with things to do in a social setting, I’m finding myself travelling around without a bag to keep these things in. And, rather than walk around and advertise how nerdy I am by keeping the WI-1000X hanging around my neck, I casually pondered additional options. Not until this Friday was I so certain on what to do, however.
Queue Friday, heading downtown for… Social things. I wasn’t bringing a bag, just a jacket. I needed to travel quite light. The WI-1000X sat on the coffee table, but a quiet call from my desk drawer caught my attention. Wired pixel buds? Why not give them a go? I initially dismissed them as included garbage, but figured I’d be spending about an hour on a street car, I may as well have some form of entertainment. So, I plugged them in, and off I went. And I was surprised. Surprised enough to go out on Sunday and grab the wireless version.
I’ll be honest, these have been 50/50 on the reviews. I think it all comes down to usability and people’s expectations that these are going to compete with Apple’s Air Pods. And in a sense, they should. The price point is the same. They’re from a first party. They offer similar integration with their flagship device. But the Pixel Buds were generally slammed in reviews. The case was weird. The cable wasn’t ideal when the Air Pods were true wireless. The sound quality wasn’t there. Etc. I think though, as a first version, these things are great.
The Pixel Buds are an open ear bud solution with a 5-ish hour battery life, 24 hours-worth of charge in the case, and capacitive controls on the right ear bud. They feature quick pairing functionality and live translation functionality with Google Pixel phones.
Initial impressions were good! I was listening to the USB-C wired Pixel Buds on the trip to get these, and the wireless version actually sounds fuller. The packaging is as expected from Google – Clean and easy to get into. The package includes the headphones, the case, and a USB-A to USB-C charging cable. Being non-in-ear headphones, the fit is easy. Just adjust the nylon braided loops for fit, and the things don’t fall out. The pairing process was dead-simple. After a quick charge, I opened the case next to my Pixel 3 and was greeted with a prompt to pair the Pixel Buds. No fussing in menus, no pairing codes, nothing. Just tap “connect” on the dropdown. A couple customization screens, and it was off to the races. The capacitive controls work pretty well. Swipe left or right for volume controls, tap to play/pause, double-tap to skip to the next track, and hold the earbud to activate Assistant. No need to wait, just hold it and ask away, and you get an Assistant reply in your ear. So far so good.
How about sound quality? Not amazing. Not bad though. Coming from the Sony’s and Ety’s, I was shocked for an open, non-IEM design. They don’t have a lot of sub-bass, but the mids and highs are nice (This is coming from someone who used Ety’s and AKG 701s… That’s got to have SOME weight). They can get drowned out by louder noises, but the top volume is plenty for most usage. It’s almost like going from a sword in the Sony’s to a club in the Pixel Buds, but I kind of like it.
So, in the end, what do they do good for a tech-nerd like me? How about a list:
Compact! Great size for throwing in a jacket pocket.
Battery life is amazing for the size. 5 hours on the headset and 24 hours on the case sets me up for about 2 weeks or more of transit and day-to-day use.
Intuitive and minimalist controls make navigating the headset easy.
Pairing process was no-nonsense.
Bluetooth 4.2 with multi-point connect. Sony, why don’t you have this? You’d be so much better with multi-point connect.
USB-C charging. I didn’t mention it. But almost everything I own for mobile now charges USB-C. I have the Surface USB-C adapter for the Surface, the Pixel 3, my Sony A7iii, and now the Pixel Buds. In a worst-case scenario, I can connect my Pixel Buds case to the Pixel 3 for a quick top-up, and it’s one less cable I need to tote around, although I carry Micro USB for my Kindle.
Open is nice for an office environment – I can listen at low volumes, but still be aware of those calling my name around me.
How about my wish list?
Better isolation. Seriously, the open design is nice that I can hear announcements and cars that might possibly hit me, but sometimes you want to drown out the surroundings.
Active noise cancelling. See above. I believe Google’s AI tech could be leveraged to improve Sony’s ambient aware tech. Think about storing announcements for later listening, or hearing what’s only relevant to your transit situation all while drowning out the crowd.
Overall, not bad for a first attempt, Google. These slim down my carry and still let me have decent quality music when I’m travelling to and from places. I’m cautiously awaiting the version two, and hoping you make something even cooler. No need for true wireless, just make things more awesome.