Google’s 2nd Generation of their Pixel Buds were announced alongside their Pixel 4 phones in October last year, but it’s taken until today for them to launch them in the US, but don’t worry they’re coming soon to Australia.
Google has gone the True Wireless Stereo (TWS) route for the Pixel Buds 2, with a sleek, touch-sensitive in-ear bud which sits flush with the ear, and allows for control of your calls, and audio.
The hardware includes a custom-designed 12mm dynamic speaker driver and passive noise reduction. Google also included a ‘spatial vent’ which relieves some of the in-ear pressure you get with some TWS buds, and it also allows for spatial awareness.
The buds come in a new and improved, svelte charging case, which can be charged with a USB-C charger, or a wireless charger. The buds themselves offer 5 hours of listening, while the charging case offers up to 24 hours of listening time. You can also get a quick top up, with a 10 minute charge offering 2 hours of listening.
Google has also done some work on audio for calls, building in beamforming mics and a special jaw movement sensor to ensure great audio in all environments.
The buds are expensive at $179USD (about $280AUD) but contain a bunch of premium features including Google Fast Pair, which will quickly pair the buds with your phone, easy access to Google Assistant, instant translation with Google Translate and you can also ring a lost bud with the Find My Device feature on your phone. They even include dual IR proximity sensors for in-ear detection to play and pause your audio automatically.
Unfortunately – or fortunately if they’re the ones you were after – they’re available in ‘Clearly White’ only at launch, but will also be offering them in ‘Oh So Orange’, ‘Quite Mint’ and ‘Almost Black’ soon.
Google has listed Australia, alongside Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Singapore, Spain and the United Kingdom as countries that the Pixel Buds 2 will be coming to. No Australian pricing has been announced as yet but you can join the wait list to be notified via email when they go on-sale here on the Australian Google Store.
