Google announces budget friendly Pixel Buds A-Series

Google have announced a budget friendly successor to the Pixel Buds launched last year, with the Pixel Buds A-Series coming soon to the Google Store.

The PixelBuds A-Series will arrive first in the US and Canada on June 17th for $99USD, however the PixelBuds A-Series are now showing on the Australian Google Store confirming they will be launching in Australia.

The PixelBuds A-Series retain the same comfortable design for both the earbud and case as the more expensive PixelBuds, which sell for $279AUD. The earbuds retain the same fin design which keeps the buds seated firmly in your ear, even while on the go and there’s three different sized eartips included to help you get a snug fit, though a spatial vent will prevent any pressure build up.

The earbuds are sweat and water resistant – though the case itself isn’t – so you can work out, or walk in the rain with no issues.

The Pixel Buds A-Series have a lot of the same features as the more expensive Pixel Buds including a 12mm driver for excellent sound quality, which also includes a Bass Boost to cover the low-end.

Google says the Pixel Buds A-Series still include up to 24 hours of battery life (5 hours on the buds and 19 in the case). Theres also a quick charge function which can give you up to three hours of listening time from just 15 minutes charge. 

With the expected lower price tag, you do miss out on a few things like wireless charging on the case, and there’s no wind reduction or swipe gesture to control volume. Google also says the Pixel Buds A-Series won’t include Attention Alerts which can alert you to important ambient sounds including babies crying, smoke alarms or a dog barking.

In terms of quality, the last Pixel Buds had some issues with drop outs, but Google thinks they’ve fixed that issue with both buds now connecting to the main device.

The Pixel Buds A-Series are only showing in ‘Clearly White’ on the Google Store, however Googel says an Olive pair will go on-sale in the US and Canada.

Google Australia hasn’t listed a price or date when the Pixel Buds A-Series will launch here, but you can join the waiting list to be notified once they do. We’ve reached out to Google for local pricing and launch date, and we’ll update when they let us know.