Google Pixel Buds Pro review: Searching for pro quality… and finding it

Over the past few years, I have tested truly wireless devices of all shapes, sizes and sound profiles. So much so that I can safely say it will be hard to make me listen to a device that is very different from the lot that has come before. But the new Google Pixel Bud Pro does just that, but without any gimmicks.

The Google Pixel Buds Pro has a familiar-looking charging case. But once you pull the earbuds out, you do realise that they are shaped very differently. In fact, the shape is more natural for something that goes into your ears. They fit very snugly into your ears and even the charging case, from where it is a bit hard to pry them out at times. But the perfect fit on the ears means they keep out a lot of noise even without the noise cancelling being on. In the set-up using the Google Pixel Buds app, you get the option to test if the fit is good. In my case, the app said changing the silicone tip might improve audio quality.

The Pixel Buds Pro also have very intuitive touch controls — swipe to adjust volume, tap to skip songs, and long press to switch on transparency. Connecting it to the new Galaxy Fold 4, I got a set of onboarding messages that made all this very clear. And once connected, all you need to do is ask Google Assistant to play a song of your choice or to search for something for you. This is like a direct link to Mountain View, via your ears.

What impressed me the most was the active noise cancellation of Pixel Buds Pro. They are very effective and negated the irritating ticking sound of my ceiling fan, the competing drone of my air-conditioner and even the clamour from my open kitchen. A good indicator of top-notch ANC for me is an earphone I end up wearing even without the music on. And this is exactly what happened with the Google Pixel Buds Pro which I wore during early morning writing sessions to focus better.

Then, Wale’s LoveHate Things was like an ensemble of frequencies… there was bass when needed but not suppressing the vocals even as everything gets the layered space it needs. With Baba O’Riley Who playing on a loop during an early-morning cardio session, I am more or less convinced this is audiophile material. Maybe not fully there, but good enough to convince the wannabes.

Therein lies Google’s challenge too. The Pixel Buds Pro are expensive earphones and sound like ones that cost as much. But for the more discerning music lovers, it will be a choice between these Google truly wireless earphones and maybe a Sennheiser or a Sony and that won’t be very favourable always for the search giant’s earphones. So Google will have to work on some serious marketing to get into the mind space of all who love their music.

The call quality is clear and again the noise cancelling was good enough for me to take calls sitting in my open office without having to walk away to a quiet part of the office floor. If you use it judiciously, the battery life can easily last a week, as I managed during the review period — including my workouts and many daily group calls.

At Rs 18,990, the Google Pixel Buds Pro is certainly among the best truly wireless earphones you can invest in, especially if you are on Android. This one clearly takes on the big audio brands and that will be its biggest challenge too.