Audio review
Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: The Cancelling Is Strongest in the Bass
TechGearLab measured 28.0 dB of reduction at low frequencies and 23.4 in the highs, which is the reverse of every budget pair in this catalogue.
By Paulo GerchonPublished 2 min read
Illustration, not a photo — we don’t have a licensed image of this product yet.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Good · researched from 3 sources
The most comfortable earbuds in this catalogue by measurement, with cancelling that is strongest exactly where aircraft and trains live. Buy them for an Android phone, because there is no iOS app and no high-bitrate codec.
- Buy if
- Pixel and Android owners, where the software integration is the point · Long wear, on a measured 8.5 hours of comfort · Aircraft and trains, on 28.0 dB of low-frequency reduction
- Skip if
- iPhone owners, since there is no iOS app · Anyone who wants LDAC or aptX · Heavy rain, given IPX4 on the case
We don’t list prices, because Amazon’s change hourly.
The curve runs the right way
TechGearLab's measurement: 28.0 dB at low frequencies, 26.2 in the midrange, 23.4 in the highs.
Almost every budget pair in this catalogue measures the opposite shape. The 1MORE SonoFlow reduces 36.2 dB of treble and 15.6 dB of bass. The Soundcore Space Q45 is similarly treble-heavy.
Those headphones are excellent in an office and modest on an aircraft. These are the other way round, which is what most people actually want from noise cancelling and rarely get below flagship prices.
SoundGuys' framing is more cautious, at about 80 percent of outside noise removed and short of the category leaders. Both readings fit: the total is good rather than exceptional, and the part that is good sits where it matters.
Eight hours, three ways
SoundGuys, cancelling on: 7 hours 55 minutes, which matches Google's claim rather than beating it.
TechGearLab, cancelling off at 75 percent volume: 10 hours.
Android Authority, cancelling on at moderate volume: about nine hours, an hour better than the first generation.
Nothing dramatic in any direction, which after a catalogue full of speakers that miss their claims by a third is worth noting on its own.
Comfort is the standout
TechGearLab scored comfort and fit 8.4 out of 10, their strongest category for these earbuds, at 8.5 hours of continuous wear.
Android Authority went further, wearing them nine hours straight and napping in them, which they flag as something they had never done with earbuds before.
The physical changes behind that are a smaller, lighter housing than the first generation, wingtips for stability, and a twisting fit that lets you set how tight they sit.
Android or nothing
There is no iOS app. TechGearLab lists this first among the criticisms, and it is not a small one: no EQ, no mode configuration, no firmware updates from an iPhone.
On a Pixel, the settings live in the operating system, Gemini Live opens without unlocking the phone, and Find My Device tracks each earbud and the case separately.
That is a genuinely good integration and it is also the whole argument. Bought for an iPhone, these are expensive earbuds with fewer features than cheaper ones.
The smaller irritations
SBC, AAC and LC3, with nothing higher-bitrate. SoundGuys treats this as a futureproofing problem rather than an audible one.
Android Authority found the touch controls finicky, and worse, fixed: there is no remapping them.
And the case is rated IPX4 while the earbuds are IP54, so the part you put in a pocket in the rain is the part with the weaker seal.
How it scored
The overall 7.7 is the weighted average of these five criteria — we never adjust it by hand.
Sound quality
SoundGuys reports a more restrained bass emphasis and less overemphasis of the highs than the first generation, with treble peaks that can grate at volume. TechGearLab scored sound 7.5 out of 10.
Value
SoundGuys scored 7.4 out of 10 and calls the price steep. TechGearLab scored 77 out of 100, sixth of twenty-three. Android Authority gave an Editor's Choice award.
Build quality
IP54 on the earbuds and IPX4 on the case. Android Authority criticises a case design where the buds are easily misaligned when inserted.
Comfort
TechGearLab scored comfort 8.4 out of 10 and puts continuous wear at 8.5 hours. Android Authority wore them nine hours straight and napped in them.
Noise cancelling
TechGearLab measured 28.0 dB at low frequencies, 26.2 mid and 23.4 high. SoundGuys puts total attenuation at about 80 percent of outside noise.
Pros and cons
What we liked
- TechGearLab measured 28.0 dB of reduction at low frequencies, the strongest band
- SoundGuys measured 7 hours 55 minutes with cancelling on, matching the claim
- TechGearLab scored comfort 8.4 out of 10 at 8.5 hours of continuous wear
- Android Authority calls the fit a major upgrade, with wingtips for stability
- Gemini Live without unlocking the phone, plus Find My Device on each bud separately
- Multipoint, spatial audio and six EQ presets
What we didn’t
- SBC, AAC and LC3 only, with no higher-bitrate codec
- TechGearLab notes there is no iOS app at all
- Android Authority calls the touch controls finicky and not customisable
- SoundGuys reports treble peaks that can grate at higher volumes
- Some features are restricted to newer Pixel phones
- IPX4 on the case, so it is the weak link in the rain
Specifications
| Noise cancelling | 28.0 dB low, 26.2 mid and 23.4 high per TechGearLab; about 80 percent of outside noise per SoundGuys |
|---|---|
| Battery | 7 h 55 m with cancelling on per SoundGuys; 10 h at 75 percent volume without cancelling per TechGearLab |
| Observed battery | About nine hours with cancelling at moderate volume per Android Authority |
| Codecs | SBC, AAC and LC3 over Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Water resistance | IP54 earbuds, IPX4 case |
| Charging | USB-C and Qi wireless |
| Earbud size | 22 x 23 x 17 mm per SoundGuys |
| Case size | 25.0 x 49.9 x 63.3 mm per SoundGuys |
| App | Six EQ presets, multipoint, conversation detection, Gemini integration |
| Comfortable listening | 8.5 hours per TechGearLab |
How we researched this
We have not had this unit on the bench. This review synthesises the manufacturer’s published specifications, independent measurements and owner reports listed below. Every figure on this page comes from one of those sources rather than our own measurement.
3
sources reviewed
SoundGuys supplies the measured battery figure with cancelling on, the total attenuation estimate, the codec list, the physical dimensions, the app inventory and the frequency response assessment, and scored 7.4 out of 10. TechGearLab tested against twenty-two other earbuds and supplies the attenuation broken down by frequency band, the category scores, a second battery measurement with cancelling off, the comfort duration and the iOS criticism, ranking them sixth of twenty-three at 77 out of 100. Android Authority supplies the real-world battery observation, the fit and control assessments and the case criticism, and gave an Editor's Choice award. Android Authority's noise cancelling assessment is listening rather than measurement and is reported as such.
What we read
Common questions
How good is the noise cancelling on the Pixel Buds Pro 2?
How long does the battery last?
Are they comfortable?
Do they work properly with an iPhone?
What are the compromises?
The bottom line on the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
The most comfortable earbuds in this catalogue by measurement, with cancelling that is strongest exactly where aircraft and trains live. Buy them for an Android phone, because there is no iOS app and no high-bitrate codec.
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