Google Pixel Buds 2: New earbuds coming next year

The leaks were right: Google’s new Pixel Buds are coming soon. The firm unveiled its new earbuds at its annual Made by Google event in New York City, and although details are sparse, we now have both a price and a release date. 

What we do know is that Google’s new Pixel Buds are pretty similar to their predecessors. They will bring you Google’s Assistant, so you can justifiably ask yourself questions in public, and they feature the same circular housing, albeit minus the cord. 

The case has slimmed down and is now finished in what appears to be plastic. The buds themselves have also had a redesign and now slot into your ear more snugly via a silicone tip.

According to Google, the entire product has been custom designed to prevent it from sticking out of your ears, which is absolutely fine by us. A directional mic picks up your voice whilst a secondary set tests the ambient noise and adjusts both microphone sensitivity and audio volume. 

The headphones will last 5 hours on a single charge, and 24 hours with the case, which might be a little on the meagre side. Audio quality is pretty much unquantifiable at this point, but Google claims that a spatial vent and a snug fit will produce a rich bass and upper ranges. 

Obviously, only time will tell whether the Pixel Buds 2 will improve upon their predecessors in enough ways to make us pay attention. We were particularly unimpressed with the uncomfortable design, which Google has clearly taken on board; we weren’t over-chuffed with the unusual lack of basic voice command support either, so here’s hoping things have changed.

The Pixel Buds 2 will launch in Spring 2020, and will set you back $179 (around £140).