Google has announced the second generation of the Pixel Buds, and they're truly wireless earphones this time around. The second-generation Pixel Buds appear to be a worthy competitor to Apple’s AirPods.
The second time seems to be the charm for Google as the company has made notable improvements to this iteration of the Pixel Buds.
While the new Pixel Buds have a very similar design to their predecessors, the one thing that has changed is that they're truly wireless now.
Google had received a lot of flak for not having truly wireless earphones back in 2017 when it released the original Pixel Buds, but it seems that the company has heard the feedback and made amends.
Features
The new Pixel Buds come with a case that charges the earphones when they're placed inside it, as with all truly wireless earphones.
The case is also capable of wireless charging, which means if you have a phone that supports reverse wireless charging, you can charge your Pixel Buds using that.
This leads us to believe that there is a good chance that the upcoming Pixel phone could have wireless charging, unlike its predecessors.
The Pixel Buds come with always-on Google Assistant support.
Google claims that it has worked on the sound quality. There is Adaptive Sound on these earphones, which means that the earphones adjust the volume in your ears based on the noise from the surroundings.
On the earphone itself, there is a spatial vent that maintains the pressure in the ear and helps you to have spatial awareness. There is also touch control on the earphones that enables you to play/pause your music, or increase/decrease volume.
Google claims that the earphones themselves have a battery life of 5 hours on a single charge and the case can provide another 19 hours of battery. The case also charges with USB-C input.
Pricing and Availability
While the Pixel Buds were announced last year, Google has only made them commercially available recently. They are currently available for sale in the US for $179.
There is no word from Google about pricing and availability in India at the moment. Google could, however, launch the Pixel Buds in the country when the situation improves and the sale of non-essential commodities like smartphones and accessories is permitted by the Indian Government.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)