I tried Google Pixel Buds Pro and they’re good, but Apple can sleep soundly

AirPods Pro killers they are not, even for Pixel phone owners

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

Considering the newGooglePixel Buds Pro? You’ve come to the right place.

Google’s Pro-suffixed Pixel earbuds are finally here, and we’ve put them in our ears after pairing them to aGoogle Pixel 6 Prophone and aSamsungGalaxy S21 – which means we have formed some early opinions on the design, specs and sound. This is not a full-fat TechRadar review, you understand (that is coming) but we certainly have a few points to make…

Firstly, fitting them isn’t as joyous an experience we might have hoped for, even when we downsized to the smallest of the three sizes provided, because the sort of thumb-shaped units just don’t feel particularly suited to our ears. We did manage it, but that “ah,nowthey’re secure” moment still isn’t happening. What we’re saying is, a few hours in and we still wouldn’t want to go for a run or start dancing… so for fit alone, they don’t rank among thebest true wireless earbudswe’ve tested, and nor will they be joining ourbest workout headphonesguide.

As if in coquettish disagreement, the Pixel Buds app initially runs me through a 20-second fit test, tells me I passed and that my ‘earbuds sound great!’

I’ll be the judge of that, Google, thank you…

Also, for a Pro-suffixed set of headphones costing $199 / £199 / AU$299 (Pro means added noise-cancellation and stepped up features, we all know that in 2022 – see the newHonor Earbuds 3 ProorHuawei FreeBuds Pro 2), the feel here isn’t exactly premium: there’s not even a USB-C cable in the small and unremarkable packaging, so that particularrumorhas proved genuine.

Now, some good news: the touch controls are very good here, and there’s on-ear volume control by swiping forward or back which works very well – so there’s a feature you won’t find on theAirPods Pro,Appleusers – plus you can customize it so that a long press on the left earbud is a physical way to summon Google Assistant, and the right scrolls between noise cancellation profiles.

And the big news is that, even after only a few hours of listening, the sound quality when listening to music is an improvement over the cheaperGoogle Pixel Buds A-Series. Active Noise Cancellation? Yes, it’s good, as is transparency. You cannot tweak the levels of either further than ‘on’ or ‘off’, but that’s acceptable here given the efficacy of each.

AirPods Pro-killers though? The jury’s still out…

Google launched the originalPixel Budsback in 2020 and followed them with the more affordable A-Series variants mentioned above. But with these new earbuds, Google will once again be hoping to provide some serious competition for the AirPods range. Will the gamble pay off?

We’re… not convinced. On the one hand, there’s much that used to be the sole preserve of the AirPods-with-an-iPhone that Google can now provide on Android, including super-speedy pairing where the buds simply pop up on your home screen asking to be friends, ‘find me’ features, a dedicated app andnewly-added multipoint technology with automatic audio switching, so the Pixel Buds Pro can stay connected to two different devices simultaneously and switch easily between them. We tried it with the Google Pixel 6 Pro and the Samsung Galaxy S21 – no problems whatsoever, provided you switch multipoint on in the Buds' settings (it’s off by default, but this takes seconds to toggle on).

So what’s the ‘but’? Aside from the poor fit, for us, there is a big question-mark over the sound. In our early tests (and pleasepleaseremember, it’s an early listen) when deploying ‘HD audio’ (which here is defined as AAC audio codec, ie. better than MP3 but still lossy) we didn’t get the clarity through the leading edges of notes we’d hope for at this level. The detail simply wasn’t there, to the point that the sound felt a little woolly and bloated, even through the midrange – and of course, there’s no scope for head-tracked Spatial Audio as there is within Apple’s high-walled private garden…

While this early look at the Google Pixel Buds Pro is carefully considered (we’re an esteemed member of the audio press, you know), we’re going to need to spend alotmore time with these wireless earbuds ourselves to figure out whether they’re worth the cash Google wants you to part with for them – and whether or not they might upset the Apple cart.

For now though, we’re not sure these are contenders for ourbest noise-cancelling earbudslist. But we could be wrong…

Get the best Black Friday deals direct to your inbox, plus news, reviews, and more.

Sign up to be the first to know about unmissable Black Friday deals on top tech, plus get all your favorite TechRadar content.

Becky became Audio Editor at TechRadar in 2024, but joined the team in 2022 as Senior Staff Writer, focusing on all things hi-fi. Before this, she spent three years at What Hi-Fi? testing and reviewing everything from wallet-friendly wireless earbuds to huge high-end sound systems. Prior to gaining her MA in Journalism in 2018, Becky freelanced as an arts critic alongside a 22-year career as a professional dancer and aerialist – any love of dance starts with a love of music. Becky has previously contributed to Stuff, FourFourTwo and The Stage. When not writing, she can still be found throwing shapes in a dance studio, these days with varying degrees of success.

Belkin SoundForm Wired Earbuds with USB-C Connector review: sadly, these live up to their nominal price tag

Our favorite budget audio brand just launched super-cheap planar earbuds with a lovely wood finish

NYT Strands today — hints, answers and spangram for Sunday, November 10 (game #252)