Google has officially unveiled its new Pixel Buds A-Series Wireless TWS Earbuds, promoting as a gadget with high-quality sound, crystal-clear calls, and help from Google. The headphones are offered at a price much lower than expected (according to the search giant) – only $179 but are now selling for less.
| PROS | CONS |
| Fair sound quality | No swipe controls for volume |
| IPX4 waterproof standard | Average battery life |
| Lightweight comfortable fit | |
| Compact charging case |
General
| Google Pixel Buds A-Series | |
| $ | CHECK PRICE |
| Brand | |
| Type | In-Ear |
| Colors | White |
| Battery life | 5 hours on a single charge + 24 hours with a case |
| Weight | 53.9g |
| Connectivity | Wireless, Bluetooth |
The Google Pixel Buds A-Series is a welcome surprise. They have almost the same features as the Google Pixel Buds that we saw in 2020, but at a lower price point and with a few improvements that Google received from reviewer reviews.
The result is a pair of truly wireless earbuds with better sound and longer battery life, more in line with their lower price point than the competition.
Google has cut back on several features such as wireless charging and touch-sensitive controls on the headphones to increase or decrease the volume to push for a lower price point. Sure, losing the last feature is a slight inconvenience, but with Google Assistant built-in, all you have to do is ask Google to do it for you.
Ultimately, however, sound quality and hard-to-reach fit remain the biggest concerns. No matter what features Google has cut back, and despite their lower price point, we can’t rate them higher than the Pixel Buds 2 because they basically have the same drawbacks. However, while we don’t recommend them more than other similarly priced true wireless headphones like the Lypertek Tevi (which are even slightly cheaper), for a certain type of user, the Pixel Buds A-Series is a worthy alternative if you need a pair of headphones with the name at a reasonable price.
Design
| Type | In-Ear |
| Driver Type | 12mm dynamic |
| Wireless | No |
| Noise Cancelling | Passive noise reduction |
| Dimensions earphone | 20.7×29.3×17.5 mm |
| Case dimensions | 63x47x25 mm |
Like Pixel Buds, A-Series Buds are designed to work best with Google Assistant. This is activated by pronouncing the sentences “OK Google” or “Hey Google” and touching the touch surface for a long time.
- Almost identical to Google Pixel Buds 2
- Fit in the ear a little better than before
- But after a long time of use, the earbuds became uncomfortable
- No active noise cancellation and built-in volume controls.
If you just look at the look and feel of the Google Pixel Buds Series-A, you won’t see much of a difference over their predecessors: they are still fully wireless earbuds with an almost cosmic aesthetic.
The body itself is very smooth and egg-shaped; it fits perfectly into your hand or pocket. At the same time, the headphones themselves are tiny and stay in your ears thanks to a small knob-like protrusion located inside the outer ear. How comfortable this lug feels to you depends on your ears, but with the addition of a new stabilizing rib, we found them to hold slightly better in your ears than the Pixel Buds 2 we reviewed last year.
The bigger issue with the headphones is the lack of noise-canceling or active noise canceling technology. Can find it in the similar priced Amazon Echo Buds (2nd Gen) released earlier this year and the new Sony WF-1000XM4, some of the best true wireless earbuds on the market. Google does offer ambient noise cancellation on phone calls, but when listening to music or watching a movie, you will still hear a lot of ambient noise from your side.
Features
| Microphone | Yes |
| Music Controls | Automatic volume adjustment |
| Quick Charge | Touch controls; motion-detecting accelerometer |
| Speakers | Yes |
| Water-resistant | IPX 4 |
The A-series headphones have pretty much all the features we’ve seen on the Google Pixel Buds 2 – i.e., speakerphone with Google Assistant, real-time translation, and IPX4 waterproof rating that makes them sweat-resistant.
Frankly, we didn’t expect much of a performance difference, given that the design of the earbuds hasn’t undergone significant changes. But we were wrong. Thanks to the new setup, the Google Pixel Buds Series-A have a much better bass response, making them a real step up in sound quality over the Google Pixel Buds 2.
Sound
When listening to the music of various genres, you will hear the bass sound loud and clear – especially if you are a fan of EDM, rap, or hip-hop. Deadmau5’s classic EDM Ghosts N Stuff sounds rightfully bass in Google Pixel Buds Series-A, and although the mids and highs never shimmer, the bass is definitely better than in the previous model.
Moving on to rock and pop, you’ll hear the same thing – Fleetwood Mac’s Dreams has a distinct emphasis on bass and good midrange reproduction in Stevie Nix’s voice but lacks detail in the treble. Fortunately, they have a broader than expected soundscape that helps them represent many of your favorite songs more fully.
The sound quality is much better than before, but there is still room for improvement. They can still be a little tedious on extended listening – and for that reason, we only enjoyed listening to them in short bursts – but we didn’t have as much to criticize as the Google Pixel Buds 2.
Battery
| Battery Type | Li-Po |
| Battery Life | 5 hours on a single charge + 24 hours with a case |
| Charging Time | 15-minute charge provides 3 hours of listening time |
| Charging Port | USB Type-C |
| Qi Wireless Charging | No |
In terms of battery life, the Google Pixel Buds A-Series have improved their specs a bit. According to Google, you can expect up to five hours of listening time and up to two and a half hours of talk time instead of the three hours of listening we got from the Google Pixel Buds 2. We still have a few recharges to go. to see how this figure will hold up, but it’s very promising.
In this case, you get another 19 hours of battery life for a total of 24 hours. The earbuds support fast charging, so 15 minutes in a case can provide up to three hours of listening time.
Connectivity
| Bluetooth | 5.0 |
| Multi-Device Connection | No |
| Connection | Bluetooth, Google Assistant support |
Conclusion!
If you listen to your music in a quiet environment and look for affordable, good-quality true wireless headphones, the Pixel Buds A-Series is for you. Battery life and sound quality are excellent, and the Pixel Buds A-Series are very well integrated into the Google environment.
In addition to the lack of active noise reduction, however, we regret that the headphones do not come with several sizes of lugs and do not have controls to adjust the volume. But for less than 120 USD, they are still a good deal.
