Google Pixel Buds A-Series: An Improved & Better-Priced Airpods Competitor
Now the appearance of the Pixel Buds & Pixel Buds A-Series are the same w/ minor detail differences. So you got the same design on the earbuds as it retains the rubber stabilizer arcs, the matte-finish touchpad design, the silicon ear tips, in-ear detection sensors, independent usage (i.e.: using one bud or both) & an overall IPX4 sweat/water-resistant coating. The egg-shaped case retains the same design as well save for the color strip exposed where you close it/open the case.
Now onto the small differences, they shaved off a few grams off of the weight of them, swap out a matte for a shinier plastic on the interior part, the touchpads don’t support volume control, the stabilizer arcs are a bit softer to make it easier to use for long periods of time, the charging/carrying case lacks wireless charging support, the LED indicator is directly under the clasp rather than the towards the bottom.
The same in almost every way - except where it counts (connection + pricing).
So like the look of the Pixel Buds, the A-series are damn-near identical to them. So you’re getting AirPods Pro territory in regards to having 5 hours of battery life. The lovely charging case can recharge them several times to give you a total of 24 hours of juice. And you got a fast charge feature that allows for a 15-minute charge that can give you up to 3 hours of juice. There isn’t any wireless charging support present but I didn’t utilize this feature so no loss for me. Your needs may vary.
The sound department is the same area where it aligns w/ its predecessors as well. The output from the 12mm drivers still has good sound reproduction w/ a natural feel to it. Good clarity & a decent amount of bass is what you’re gonna get w/ these guys. For my heavy bass lovers, you will have to look elsewhere for that extra thump w/ your lows. And like the previous Pixel Buds, you got the usual suspects of AAC + SBC codec support for those who need to know.
They fixed the volume issue w/ the A-Series so you won’t have to worry about maxing it out to hear things. No more audio dropoffs in regards to its connection. This was one of the biggest issues that plagued the 2nd-gen Buds as Google appears to correct it here. Now the Bluetooth connection isn’t perfect by any means. As I play/pause videos, it takes a few seconds for the audio to catch up to sync w/ it. Now a dealbreaker (for me anyway) but it is something worth noticing.
The beamforming mics are good enough to be heard clearly. These truly shine when using the ‘Hey Google’ keyphrase for hands-free Google Assistant access. In regards to taking phone calls, this was an area it was OK at. You won’t get any advantage of blocking outside noise here though. When there wasn’t a ton of background noise present, I have heard clear w/ o any issues. While driving or other background noise, the sound would go in and out as some words are heard & others are not. Maybe the next model can add noise-canceling and/or stems for better mic pickup.
Google did a good job recovering from the execution of the 2nd-gen Pixel Buds w/ the A-Series. Easily gets the most improved earbuds award within a short span of time. But it still isn’t flawless though but for $99, they can be worth checking out. So if you were on the fence about which Pixel Buds to buy, the A-Series this should push you over to buy. Even outside the scope of the vast earbud competition, they’re still a good value.
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