Google has officially launched the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 with a host of improvements, including significantly improved active noise cancellation and much improved comfort. The new earbuds are smaller and lighter than ever, and should stay in place whether you're working out or running to the subway. How small? They're 27% smaller than before (perhaps a viable consideration for our guide to the best earbuds for smaller ears?) and have a stabilizer that twists to adjust to keep them in place.
The big news is a new chip, the Tensor A1. It's the first Tensor chip to power headphones and contributes to significantly improving the active noise cancellation offered by these headphones.
Google claims that the Tensor A1 cancels up to twice as much noise as before, and also cancels a much wider range of frequencies. In particular, it's much better at removing higher frequencies, which are the ones that some ANC systems find difficult to isolate and block.
Check out our info on how to watch the Google Pixel 9 launch event if you want to stay up to date with everything new in Google's oeuvre, and be sure to have our Made by Google live blog on your device too, for our in-depth analysis as products arrive.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2: What's new?
The new Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 build on the July 2022 Google Pixel Buds Pro in several ways. They have 11mm drivers and a new high-frequency chamber for “smooth highs,” but the most interesting change remains the Tensor chip. Google says the new Tensor A1 allows a new, dedicated, discrete audio signal to bypass noise-cancelling processing, delivering “pure, unadulterated sound” to the drivers. That should mean significantly improved audio fidelity compared to the current Buds Pro.
The Clear Calling feature for phone calls has been improved, with voice enhancements that should translate to clearer audio on the other end of the call; Google gives the example of talking to a friend on the subway and being able to hear them much more clearly no matter what brand of phone and headphones they’re using. Google also says that further algorithm improvements to reduce noise in more configurations are coming later this year.
Another welcome improvement is the addition of conversation detection, which can tell when you're talking and automatically switches to transparency mode; when you're done chatting, it switches back to ANC mode. There's also more accurate location tracking, easy switching of audio sources, and Bluetooth 5.4 for more stable connectivity.
According to Google, you can expect 12 hours with active noise cancellation off (48 with the case) and 8 hours/30 hours with noise cancellation on, making them competitive against our pick of the best noise-cancelling headphones. They also feature fast charging, with about 5 minutes of charging providing up to 1.5 hours of audio with active noise cancellation off.
There are four colors: Porcelain, Hazel, Wintergreen and Peony, although not all four will be available in all territories.
Price? According to reliable sources, the UK price is £219. We'll update this page as soon as possible when prices for other regions are announced (although that would put it at around $229 or AU$430, roughly).
