Pixel Buds First Look
**Exploring Google Pixel Buds 2: A Comprehensive Review**
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**Introduction**
In a recent conversation between two tech enthusiasts, they delved into their experiences with the newly released Google Pixel Buds 2. The discussion was rich with insights, highlighting both the positives and areas where the earbuds could improve. This article captures their thoughts in full, offering an unfiltered look at the product.
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**Design and Comfort: A Delicate Balance**
The speakers were immediately struck by the sleek design of the Pixel Buds 2, noting that they felt premium and well-crafted, reminiscent of other Google devices. The earbuds featured a satisfying "click snap" when inserted, thanks to a built-in magnet. However, extended wear led to mild discomfort due to a small protruding part designed to secure the buds in place. Despite this, the design was appreciated for its balance between form and function.
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**Sound Quality: Impressive but with Room for Comparison**
The Pixel Buds 2 were praised for their sound quality, described as "really good" and satisfying for general use. The speakers compared them favorably to the Jabra Elite 75 T earbuds, which they preferred for deeper bass and a more isolating fit. While the Pixel Buds 2 lacked the same level of bass and noise cancellation, their sound performance was still commendable.
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**Hands-Free Assistant: A Welcome Feature**
One standout feature was the hands-free Google Assistant integration. The speakers appreciated how easy it was to control playback or skip tracks using voice commands without needing to touch the earbuds. This convenience was highlighted as a significant improvement over traditional controls, making the Pixel Buds 2 feel more integrated with modern smart technologies.
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**Charging and Connectivity: Initial Hiccups**
The wireless charging case for the Pixel Buds 2 initially posed issues for one of the speakers, who couldn't charge it properly for two days. After contacting Google support, which suggested recording a video of the problem, the issue resolved mysteriously upon re-attempting the process. Despite this, the speakers were impressed by the smooth pairing and reliable Bluetooth connection with their Pixel phones.
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**Spatial Vent: A Dual-Edged Sword**
The Pixel Buds 2 featured a spatial vent that allowed some environmental noise to pass through, preventing an overly isolating experience. This was seen as a positive feature for outdoor activities like running or cycling but was criticized by others who preferred the complete noise cancellation of their Jabra Elite 75 T earbuds. The speakers acknowledged this trade-off, finding it acceptable for their everyday needs.
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**Comparison to Competitors: Weighing Pros and Cons**
When compared to other brands like Jabra, the Pixel Buds 2 were noted for their unique design and integration with Google services but fell short in terms of noise cancellation and bass quality. The speakers recognized that preferences vary widely among users, making it hard to universally recommend one product over another.
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**Personal Preferences: A Test of Comfort**
While the Pixel Buds 2 impressed the speakers with their features, they admitted that earbud comfort is highly personal. One speaker mentioned they preferred over-ear sweat-proof options for workouts, while others were intrigued by the Pixel Buds' potential but hesitant to commit without extended testing.
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**Conclusion: A Tempting Offer**
Overall, the Pixel Buds 2 were met with mixed feelings. The speakers were inclined to recommend them based on their design, sound quality, and integration features, though they acknowledged that comfort and personal preference play a crucial role in one's decision. For those seeking a blend of style, functionality, and seamless connectivity, the Pixel Buds 2 offer a compelling option.
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This article captures the detailed conversation, providing readers with an honest and comprehensive review of Google Pixel Buds 2.
"WEBVTTKind: captionsLanguage: enthis is true but before we start the next story leading into the next story Jason I was on a call earlier today with someone at actually at in the larger Google Enterprise and they had the pixel buds two in their ears and there was the first pixel buds I saw in the real world via a Google Google meat call so yeah and and and no surprise there that Jason you were holding them up this person gave a very very strong review of them and said that they were great although they're probably biased cuz they're a Google employee but still yeah and I don't know why I didn't put this in the hardware section because we needed another news story and I felt like pixel buds has been kind of like a big news I got these on Friday and so I was I've been using them all weekend I've got a review that I'm gonna be recording for hands-on tech that that'll be out next Monday so I have some more time left to kind of use them I use I use in ear buds all the time so I get plenty of usage out of them and yeah I mean the pixel buds are actually pretty great I have to say like the reviews that I read said that this is really satisfying it totally is it's just like it's got a nice click snap to it that's just really satisfying these things pop in and out with a little magnet so I know it's really really useful and just really satisfying but in my time using them so far like I'm pretty impressed I think the sound quality is really good I have yet to do a direct comparison to the to the Jabra Elite 75 T's which are my preferred in ear buds right now these are maybe a little less comfortable than those just because that little little prong thing you know and pull these out of here a little prong thing right here that really fastens it into your ear if you got these in for a couple hours you start to kind of feel that a little bit it's like a little soreness here I don't know if you see that that little stick out thing a little soreness that kind of creeps him one thing I really like about them though is the hands-free assistant like literally I don't have to do anything but just say hey gee you know I was out for a run and I was like hey geez get back 30 seconds or Y in 30 seconds on the podcast I was listening to because they miss something and it just automatically did that was really cool I appreciate it not having to tap tap my ear in order to make that happen the case wirelessly charges and if you've been following my my twitter feed you'll know that I had issues with that initially for two days I could not get the case to wirelessly charge and then this morning I was in touch with Google support and they're like why don't you record a video of it not working I'm like okay yeah I will and I went upstairs and I did it and of course it worked it was totally one of those like it's happened to me a million times where my wife is having an issue with some piece of technology like I've been here for ten minutes come here and tell me what I'm doing wrong and literally my presence is the reason that it just suddenly works so that happened to me so that's always a lot of fun Jeff Jarvis has experienced issues with sound cutting out between the two ear phones one would just go out or they'd fall out of phase which is actually a pretty common kind of issue that happens with true wireless earbuds sometimes they fall out of phase they aren't perfectly synced so I don't know if that's a google buds issue or just a bluetooth issue in general but I haven't experienced that but so far I'm really I'm very positive on them I think the design of both the buds as well as the case is just really top-notch like it's a nice feeling piece of technology you know what I mean pixel devices and then this they have this like smooth quality that it's hard to describe but it feels like a pixel device if that I know that sounds weird but it totally does if you feel the back of a pixel phone it has a certain kind of like feeling that isn't just like glass yeah a little bit of like a soft texture to it and this case does too and so do the earbuds themselves so yeah so far I'm really really like him any of you guys pull the trigger or you decided you're gonna pass on these I know Ron you're not getting him no shade no shade to what Google's attempting but I'm fine with my Samsung buds yeah okay I suspect I will end up buying them actually I ordered one pair that's gonna be for my wife so she'll be our resident guinea pig she's been interested in them for a while too I ten to not be as much of an earbud wearer in general like even if I'm working out I've got like the sweat proof over the ear ones so I don't know I'm really intrigued by them I'm especially intrigued by the assistant integration that you were just talking about Jason I think I'll probably steal her is here and there and try them out and see if they're comfortable enough just in general earbuds tend to just kind of irritate me after a while I've never been coming out wearing them for long periods but maybe this will be the exception I'm definitely intrigued I'm definitely tempted since we're getting hers first I think I'll use those as my gauge and kind of see how it goes totally yeah and I will say because this has come up on the show in the past especially with you Ron you don't like the kind that fit into your ear canal and while these do do that I will say directly compared to the the Jabra lead 75 tees and the 65 tees before them those have like an ear plug quality like you're putting an air plug sort of thing and you feel that like suction these don't and then part of the reason for that is because they have on the bottom they have this little spatial vent that they talk about that kind of releases a little bit of that suction feeling and actually lets through some environmental noise so that you aren't completely sealed off from your environment I would say they work really well in that department I don't feel like I'm putting in earplugs when I put these in my ears interesting but but they might still feel enough like you're putting something in your ear canal that you wouldn't like them run but after when I was on that call and after hearing the person give like a you know kind of first hand you know kind of description using it I was like oh maybe I should reconsider but but it's an it's an awfully expensive flyer to take on something that you might never want to use ever again and it's also not the kind of thing we're like even if I knew someone around me locally you had them to be like oh let me try that earbud because yeah you don't share those things Jay said about the the spatial vent thing that you were just talking about cuz I think when I was reading I read a lot of reviews of these and I think part of the problem with reviewing ear buds is that they're just so inherently personal there's so much preference involved not only in the fit and the feel but like for some people like you were describing and I think I think I would be the same way having that spatial awareness and a little bit of that external sound I would like that as a positive because I would probably wear them outside or sometimes around the house when I would need to hear if something's happening and I think that'd be a positive I saw a lot of people listing that as a reason not to buy them because they wanted to have the noise cancellation to be completely zoned out you know if you're wearing on an airplane or whatever there's just so much variation in what people are looking for what people like but these are just a hard product to review and in like a universal way it's not about benchmarks or specs or how fast it is or how easy just to hold or whatever is just a very personal kind of product so I thought that was interesting that you were citing that to is it positive and clearly Google tried to position that as a positive but I think a lot of reviewers kind of latched on to it as a negative totally you know I I do appreciate like I actually liked how the 75 teased seal out everything began and that coupled with the fact that the speakers inside just sounds so good particularly on the low end so when I get an actual sound improvement as a result of it I'm more likely to be okay with the fact that they're very isolating and maybe that gives them a different use case maybe I use those on an airplane whereas I might not use any that let in environmental sound on an airplane if we ever fly again but with the pixel buds having that spatial vent and it's still having a really great sound like I'm okay with the trade-off like it doesn't let in all noise outside of the ear buds either it's let's in a little bit a little bit more than I'm used to and I'm okay with that safer that way I think when I'm out running or riding a bike or whatever you know I don't want to be totally sealed off so everything you're doing so yeah fired off at one point knife I've thought for sure like it heard this girl that was up playing out in her yard across the street because suddenly it like okay let me pull up a playlist in YouTube music of some soothing music I'm like what the hell just happened I went in and looked at my voice recordings later and realized it wasn't a voice recording so it didn't like pick up anything in the environment it was probably like a butt-dial so my phone was in my pocket and it probably I don't know what happened but my phone was having a good time and decided it wanted to play some soothing music interesting it shows YouTube music so there you go your bat has very distinct preferences it knows what it is what can you say had one yes it was tired of running it wanted to relax yeah it just it just it didn't pick the good music app though that's the one thing it's it might have preferences but not not a good quality app choice youthis is true but before we start the next story leading into the next story Jason I was on a call earlier today with someone at actually at in the larger Google Enterprise and they had the pixel buds two in their ears and there was the first pixel buds I saw in the real world via a Google Google meat call so yeah and and and no surprise there that Jason you were holding them up this person gave a very very strong review of them and said that they were great although they're probably biased cuz they're a Google employee but still yeah and I don't know why I didn't put this in the hardware section because we needed another news story and I felt like pixel buds has been kind of like a big news I got these on Friday and so I was I've been using them all weekend I've got a review that I'm gonna be recording for hands-on tech that that'll be out next Monday so I have some more time left to kind of use them I use I use in ear buds all the time so I get plenty of usage out of them and yeah I mean the pixel buds are actually pretty great I have to say like the reviews that I read said that this is really satisfying it totally is it's just like it's got a nice click snap to it that's just really satisfying these things pop in and out with a little magnet so I know it's really really useful and just really satisfying but in my time using them so far like I'm pretty impressed I think the sound quality is really good I have yet to do a direct comparison to the to the Jabra Elite 75 T's which are my preferred in ear buds right now these are maybe a little less comfortable than those just because that little little prong thing you know and pull these out of here a little prong thing right here that really fastens it into your ear if you got these in for a couple hours you start to kind of feel that a little bit it's like a little soreness here I don't know if you see that that little stick out thing a little soreness that kind of creeps him one thing I really like about them though is the hands-free assistant like literally I don't have to do anything but just say hey gee you know I was out for a run and I was like hey geez get back 30 seconds or Y in 30 seconds on the podcast I was listening to because they miss something and it just automatically did that was really cool I appreciate it not having to tap tap my ear in order to make that happen the case wirelessly charges and if you've been following my my twitter feed you'll know that I had issues with that initially for two days I could not get the case to wirelessly charge and then this morning I was in touch with Google support and they're like why don't you record a video of it not working I'm like okay yeah I will and I went upstairs and I did it and of course it worked it was totally one of those like it's happened to me a million times where my wife is having an issue with some piece of technology like I've been here for ten minutes come here and tell me what I'm doing wrong and literally my presence is the reason that it just suddenly works so that happened to me so that's always a lot of fun Jeff Jarvis has experienced issues with sound cutting out between the two ear phones one would just go out or they'd fall out of phase which is actually a pretty common kind of issue that happens with true wireless earbuds sometimes they fall out of phase they aren't perfectly synced so I don't know if that's a google buds issue or just a bluetooth issue in general but I haven't experienced that but so far I'm really I'm very positive on them I think the design of both the buds as well as the case is just really top-notch like it's a nice feeling piece of technology you know what I mean pixel devices and then this they have this like smooth quality that it's hard to describe but it feels like a pixel device if that I know that sounds weird but it totally does if you feel the back of a pixel phone it has a certain kind of like feeling that isn't just like glass yeah a little bit of like a soft texture to it and this case does too and so do the earbuds themselves so yeah so far I'm really really like him any of you guys pull the trigger or you decided you're gonna pass on these I know Ron you're not getting him no shade no shade to what Google's attempting but I'm fine with my Samsung buds yeah okay I suspect I will end up buying them actually I ordered one pair that's gonna be for my wife so she'll be our resident guinea pig she's been interested in them for a while too I ten to not be as much of an earbud wearer in general like even if I'm working out I've got like the sweat proof over the ear ones so I don't know I'm really intrigued by them I'm especially intrigued by the assistant integration that you were just talking about Jason I think I'll probably steal her is here and there and try them out and see if they're comfortable enough just in general earbuds tend to just kind of irritate me after a while I've never been coming out wearing them for long periods but maybe this will be the exception I'm definitely intrigued I'm definitely tempted since we're getting hers first I think I'll use those as my gauge and kind of see how it goes totally yeah and I will say because this has come up on the show in the past especially with you Ron you don't like the kind that fit into your ear canal and while these do do that I will say directly compared to the the Jabra lead 75 tees and the 65 tees before them those have like an ear plug quality like you're putting an air plug sort of thing and you feel that like suction these don't and then part of the reason for that is because they have on the bottom they have this little spatial vent that they talk about that kind of releases a little bit of that suction feeling and actually lets through some environmental noise so that you aren't completely sealed off from your environment I would say they work really well in that department I don't feel like I'm putting in earplugs when I put these in my ears interesting but but they might still feel enough like you're putting something in your ear canal that you wouldn't like them run but after when I was on that call and after hearing the person give like a you know kind of first hand you know kind of description using it I was like oh maybe I should reconsider but but it's an it's an awfully expensive flyer to take on something that you might never want to use ever again and it's also not the kind of thing we're like even if I knew someone around me locally you had them to be like oh let me try that earbud because yeah you don't share those things Jay said about the the spatial vent thing that you were just talking about cuz I think when I was reading I read a lot of reviews of these and I think part of the problem with reviewing ear buds is that they're just so inherently personal there's so much preference involved not only in the fit and the feel but like for some people like you were describing and I think I think I would be the same way having that spatial awareness and a little bit of that external sound I would like that as a positive because I would probably wear them outside or sometimes around the house when I would need to hear if something's happening and I think that'd be a positive I saw a lot of people listing that as a reason not to buy them because they wanted to have the noise cancellation to be completely zoned out you know if you're wearing on an airplane or whatever there's just so much variation in what people are looking for what people like but these are just a hard product to review and in like a universal way it's not about benchmarks or specs or how fast it is or how easy just to hold or whatever is just a very personal kind of product so I thought that was interesting that you were citing that to is it positive and clearly Google tried to position that as a positive but I think a lot of reviewers kind of latched on to it as a negative totally you know I I do appreciate like I actually liked how the 75 teased seal out everything began and that coupled with the fact that the speakers inside just sounds so good particularly on the low end so when I get an actual sound improvement as a result of it I'm more likely to be okay with the fact that they're very isolating and maybe that gives them a different use case maybe I use those on an airplane whereas I might not use any that let in environmental sound on an airplane if we ever fly again but with the pixel buds having that spatial vent and it's still having a really great sound like I'm okay with the trade-off like it doesn't let in all noise outside of the ear buds either it's let's in a little bit a little bit more than I'm used to and I'm okay with that safer that way I think when I'm out running or riding a bike or whatever you know I don't want to be totally sealed off so everything you're doing so yeah fired off at one point knife I've thought for sure like it heard this girl that was up playing out in her yard across the street because suddenly it like okay let me pull up a playlist in YouTube music of some soothing music I'm like what the hell just happened I went in and looked at my voice recordings later and realized it wasn't a voice recording so it didn't like pick up anything in the environment it was probably like a butt-dial so my phone was in my pocket and it probably I don't know what happened but my phone was having a good time and decided it wanted to play some soothing music interesting it shows YouTube music so there you go your bat has very distinct preferences it knows what it is what can you say had one yes it was tired of running it wanted to relax yeah it just it just it didn't pick the good music app though that's the one thing it's it might have preferences but not not a good quality app choice you\n"