Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless Headphones Review

The Google Pixel Buds 2020 are well-designed and premium looking headphones. Unlike the first-generation Google Pixel Buds 2017 Wireless, they're now truly wireless headphones with an in-ear fit. We tested the white version which have a mix of matte white and black on both the earbuds and the case. They're also available in black, orange, or green, though the case is the same for all color options, and the black part of the earbud remains unchanged. The earbuds themselves are quite small and have a fairly unique look that sets them apart from the competition.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 are quite comfortable for in-ears. They're very lightweight and don't put much pressure on the ear. They also don't go too deep in the ear canal, and people who generally don't like the fit of in-ears will likely find these comfortable.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 have decent controls. Each earbud has a decently sized touch-sensitive surface so you can make commands without having to push the headphones further into your ear. They're very easy to use and you can issue all commands on either ear, which can be handy if your hands are full. Unlike the first version, which were prone to erroneous inputs, we didn't have this issue with these headphones.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 are very portable headphones that can easily be tossed into most pockets.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's case looks and feels very premium and supports Qi wireless charging. While there's a light on the outside, it only tells you when the case itself is charged, and you have to open the lid to see the light inside to check if your earbuds are finished charging, which can be a bit annoying.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 look and feel well-made and durable. They're made from dense, good quality plastic and are covered in a matte plastic that isn't prone to scratches. They feel like they should be able to withstand a few accidental drops or bumps without sustaining any damage. They're rated IPX4 for basic sweat and water resistance, though we don't test for this.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 feel very stable in the ear. Thanks to their stability fins, they don't move at all, even during more intense workouts.

• Google Pixel Buds 2 headphones
• 3x tips
• Charging case
• USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

The Google Pixel Buds 2020's sound profile is fairly well-balanced. They're versatile enough for a wide range of genres and content, though fans of bass-heavy music may find them lacking in thump.

Note 09/17/2020: These headphones received a firmware update that adds a 'Bass Boost' feature within their companion app. When turned on, this feature adds quite a bit more bass, which is great if you find their default sound to be a bit light on thump and rumble.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's frequency response consistency is excellent. Once you achieve a proper fit and seal with the included tips, you'll experience the same sound reproduction every time you use them.

The Google Pixel Buds 2020's bass accuracy is decent. Low-bass is quite recessed, resulting in a lack of thump and rumble. This may not be too noticeable with all music, but fans of EDM or dubstep will likely be disappointed. They also lack a bit of kick and body which is noticeable with most genres. On the bright side, their bass doesn't sound boomy, cluttered, or overpowering.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's mid accuracy is outstanding. Almost the entire range is even, well-balanced, and natural. This ensures instruments and vocals that are clear and present without sounding cluttered or thin.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's treble accuracy is decent. Vocals and instruments are detailed and articulate, thanks to their well-balanced low-treble. While mid-treble is recessed, it isn't too noticeable, and many people may prefer it over an overemphasized treble range that sounds piercing and painful. High-treble is very recessed, though this is at a high enough frequency that it likely won't be noticeable to most people.

The peaks and dips performance of these headphones is excellent. The small dip in mid-treble may make some frequencies dull, while the large peak immediately following it may make other frequencies sound slightly piercing. Overall, these are in high enough ranges that they likely won't be too noticeable to most people.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's imaging performance is excellent. The entire group delay response is below the audibility threshold, resulting in a tight bass and a transparent treble reproduction. The L/R drivers of our test unit are exceptionally matched, resulting in accurate placement of instruments and objects (like voices and footsteps) in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit and yours may perform differently.

The soundstage of these headphones is bad. This is expected due to their closed-back, in-ear design as they bypass the pinna without interacting with it. Overall music sounds as if it's coming from inside your head as opposed to in front.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 don't have any virtual soundstage features.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's weighted harmonic distortion performance is decent. They tend to distort a bit more in the higher frequencies, which can be a bit more noticeable, but it's still mostly within good limits, and shouldn't be too noticeable to most people.

These are the settings used to test the Google Pixel Buds 2020. Our results are only valid when listening using these settings.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's noise isolation is bad and they passively block a lot less noise than most in-ear headphones. Unlike the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live Truly Wireless, which have an ANC system, they block almost no low-frequency noises, like the engine rumble from a bus or plane. They're also poor at blocking out background chatter, and only do a mediocre job at higher-frequency sounds like fans or AC units.

The Google Pixel Buds 2's leakage performance is good. Even at higher volumes, the amount of leakage is around the noise floor of an average office, so while nearby co-workers may hear some audio, it shouldn't be too distracting.

The Google Pixel Buds 2 have an integrated microphone.

Voices recorded with the microphone sound fairly thin, muffled, and somewhat distorted. That being said, your voice is still fairly easy to understand.

The noise handling of the microphone is excellent. In moderately noisy environments, the person on the other end of the line should have no problem hearing you. However, as you can hear in the 'Speech + Subway Noise' audio clip, your voice still gets easily drowned out in very loud situations.

The battery performance of these headphones is only sub-par overall. They last 6.7-hours off a single charge, which is a bit longer than some other popular truly wireless in-ears, like the Apple AirPods Pro Truly Wireless, but not nearly as long as the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ Truly Wireless. On the bright side, their charging case holds around five additional charges, which is excellent, and it charges the buds fully in an hour. Google also advertises two hours of playback from a ten-minute charge, though we don't test this.

The app for the Google Pixel Buds 2020 is only satisfactory. It doesn't offer too many customization options and has no EQ settings at all, which is a shame. On the bright side, you can use it to help find your earbuds' last known location if you misplace them, which is helpful.

Note 09/17/2020: These headphones received a firmware update that adds a 'Bass Boost' feature to this companion app. When turned on, this feature adds quite a bit more thump and rumble to their sound profile.

The Bluetooth connectivity of these headphones is alright. While you can pair them with any Bluetooth device like normal, when you open the case near a compatible Android device, it automatically recognizes them, making pairing very easy. This is advertised as working with any device running Android 6.0 or newer, and while it worked with our Samsung Galaxy S10e, we can't verify which other devices are compatible. Unfortunately, these headphones don't support multi-device pairing, which is a shame. We also tested high latency on all devices, though it's worth noting that different apps and devices seem to compensate for this differently, so your mileage may vary in real-world usage.

These headphones are Bluetooth-only.

These headphones can't be used wired. They come with a USB-C charging cable for their case.

These headphones can only be used via Bluetooth on PCs, and aren't compatible with the PS4.

These truly wireless earbuds are Bluetooth-only, so they're not compatible with the Xbox One.

Like most truly wireless headphones, the charging case doesn't have any inputs. It has a USB-C port for charging, and supports Qi wireless charging.