Google Pixel Buds A-Series Truly Wireless Headphones Review

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series look very similar to the Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless with a round, minimalist look. There's a small brand logo embossed on the outward-facing side. They come in two color variations: 'Clearly White' and 'Dark Olive'.

The Google Pixel Buds A have a comfortable fit. They're lightweight and don't put pressure on the inside of your ears. Registering controls doesn't push them deeper into your ear, either.

These headphones have middling controls. They're responsive and are really easy to use as both earbuds have the same controls. One tap plays or pauses audio, two taps skip to the next track, and three taps skip to the previous track. You can also touch and hold for voice assistant. Unfortunately, unlike the Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless, they don't have volume controls. There are only beeps when you've registered a command, and it may be hard to know which control you've triggered.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have outstanding breathability. Thanks to their in-ear design, they don't cover your outer ear or trap in much heat. You can wear them for long periods of time without noticing a difference in temperature.

These headphones are very portable. They're small and can easily fit into most pockets or bags without an issue.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have a great case. It's very small and lightweight. There's a light outside the case to indicate its remaining charge and another light inside the case for the earbuds. However, unlike the Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless, it doesn't support wireless charging.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have a good build quality. They're mostly made of plastic and silicone, which feel of good quality. They also seem like they should survive a few accidental drops without taking too much damage. Although we don't currently test for it, they're rated IPX4 for water resistance. However, the ear tips feel like they could rip over time.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have good stability. It's possible to create a good seal, but depending on your ear shape, you may not get the same fit in each ear. Their ear wings are quite small, and you may have trouble securing them. As a result, the buds can move around or pop out during moderate physical activity. Changing the ear tips doesn't improve their stability performance that much either. On the upside, it shouldn't be too much of a problem if you're listening to audio at your desk.

• Google Pixel Buds A-Series headphones
• 3x ear tips
• Charging case
• USB-A to USB-C charging cable
• Manuals

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have a somewhat neutral sound profile. Vocals and lead instruments are present, accurate, and clear. However, they're lacking a thumpy, boomy bass, which may disappoint fans of EDM and hip-hop. While these headphones lack more robust sound customization features, they have a 'Bass Boost' EQ that can help add more punch and rumble to your mixes.

Note: Some users have reported that their headphones are very quiet, even when the volume is raised, and regardless of which device you're connected to. While we didn't experience this issue, there have been discussions on the Google Pixel Buds Help Community forums on how to fix the issue. Some users have suggested disabling 'Absolute Volume' in the developer options on some Android devices. However, we don't recommend enabling the 'Developer Options' feature for most users. If you've experienced this issue, please let us know in the discussion section below.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have good frequency response consistency. While they deliver bass very consistently, they're somewhat prone to inconsistencies in treble delivery. However, once you achieve a proper fit and positioning with the included ear tips, you should be able to get a more consistent sound.

The bass accuracy of the Google Pixel Buds A-Series is okay. It's underemphasized across the entire range, so your mixes lack thump, rumble, and boom.

The mid accuracy is outstanding. The range is fairly flat and neutral. Vocals and lead instruments are clear and present, although the small dip in the mid to high-mid can slightly weaken them and nudge them to the back of the mix.

The treble accuracy of the Google Pixel Buds A-Series is very good. The low-treble is fairly flat, resulting in present and detailed vocals and lead instruments. However, the mid-treble is slightly underemphasized, so sibilants like cymbals are a bit dulled.

The peaks and dips performance of the Google Pixel Buds A is very good. An uneven low-bass indicates alternating amounts of thump and rumble, while a dip in the high-bass reduces the warmth in mixes. A bump in the low-mid can muddy vocals and lead instruments, while another peak in the low-treble can make their upper harmonics harsh. An uneven mid-treble can make sibilants like cymbals alternatingly dull and piercing.

The Google Buds A-Series have decent imaging. The weighted group delay falls below the audibility threshold, resulting in tight bass and transparent treble reproduction. In the phase response, there are a couple of peaks in the treble range, and sound seems like it's coming from the right side. However, it shouldn't be audible with real-life content. That said, the L/R drivers are well-matched in amplitude and frequency response, resulting in the accurate placement of objects like footsteps in the stereo image. However, these results are only valid for our unit, and yours may perform differently.

The Google Buds A-Series have a bad passive soundstage, which is to be expected from in-ears. Since their design completely bypasses your outer ear, sound is perceived as if it's coming from inside your head rather than as if from speakers placed around you. It doesn't sound very spacious either, although it seems somewhat open.

The weighted harmonic distortion performance is great. There are a couple of peaks in the treble range at moderate and high volumes. However, this can be hard to hear with real-life content. That said, most frequencies fall within good limits, resulting in fairly clear and pure audio reproduction.

These are the settings used to test the Google Pixel Buds A-Series. Our results are only valid when used in this configuration.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have poor noise isolation. They don't block out bass-range noise like the low hum of bus or plane engines. They also struggle to reduce mid-range noise like office chatter. They do a somewhat better job of cutting down the high-pitched hum of an AC unit.

The leakage performance is decent. A significant portion of the leakage is concentrated in the mid to treble range, which sounds thin and harsh. However, if you're listening to audio at a high volume, you shouldn't disturb others around you in a moderately noisy environment like an office.

The recording quality of the integrated mic is satisfactory. Your voice sounds somewhat natural, but thin and lacking depth. You shouldn't have too many problems being understood.

The noise handling performance of the mic is mediocre. The mic struggles to separate your voice from moderate ambient noise such as a busy street. If you have an important call, it's best to take it in a quieter environment.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have a sub-par battery performance. They're advertised to last five hours continuously, and we measured a bit more than that. Battery life can vary depending on usage though, so your real-life experience may vary. That said, their carrying case holds roughly 3.8 extra charges. Unfortunately, they don't have any power-saving features to help extend their battery life.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series have an okay companion app. It's only available on Android devices. You can find your buds if you've lost them, adjust the touch controls, and check the battery levels for the buds and the case. There's also a 'Bass Boost' feature, which is advertised to improve their bass reproduction. You can toggle the 'Adaptive Sound' feature on or off too, which allows the buds to optimize the volume based on noise around you.

These in-ears have satisfactory Bluetooth connectivity. While they don't support NFC or multi-device pairing, they have Android quick-pairing, which makes it very easy to switch between devices. They also have low latency on iOS and Android devices, making them well-suited for streaming video on mobile devices. However, they have higher latency on PCs, so you may notice that your audio and visuals are out of sync. That said, some apps and devices compensate for latency differently, so your real-world experience may vary.

Note: Some users have reported that their unit's audio cuts out. While we didn't experience this issue with our model, if you have, please let us know in the discussion section below.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series can't be used wired. They come with a USB-A to USB-C cable to charge their carrying case.

The Google Buds A-Series are fully compatible with Bluetooth-enabled PCs. However, you won't be able to connect them to PCs any other way.

The Google Pixel Buds A-Series come with a small charging case. It only has a USB-C port so that you can charge it, and it has roughly 3.8 additional charges. Unfortunately, unlike the Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless, it doesn't support wireless charging.