Google Pixel Buds 2a Review: The Best Budget Earbuds

As usual, I love the matte white case that comes with these buds; it feels less sticky than the shiny cases from Apple and others, and it makes it slide into pants pockets like a puck on ice. One thing the case doesn't come with is wireless charging; you'll have to stick to USB-C. Battery life is a pleasant seven hours, with a replaceable (!) battery in the case, combining for 20 hours with active noise canceling on and 27 with it off.

I like the slimmer profile of the new buds, but I have to admit I didn't notice much of a difference in fit in my average-size ears. Google's app immediately asked me to do a fit test when I paired the headphones with my Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, and the already-installed medium eartips fit perfectly in my ears. If you have a Pixel phone, you won't even need to install the Pixel Buds app, as it comes preinstalled.

App-based features allow you to adjust everything from EQ settings to what the buttons do on each side of the earbuds. It's all simple and intuitive, essentially identical to the experience Apple users have with AirPods, just on a different ecosystem.

Touch controls on the outside of each bud are simple. I made one side of the buds call up the Gemini assistant, and the other work for playing and pausing tunes. One oddity is that there isn't a way to adjust volume on the buds themselves; you'll have to press the side buttons on your phone or the volume slider on your laptop to change volume. Depending on how much you like to adjust volume on the fly, this can either be a mild annoyance or a total deal-breaker. I personally find myself using my phone most of the time anyway, so it was merely a quirk.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 have long been some of my favorite headphones to take with me, thanks to the pebble-y charging case and excellent sound quality. The Buds 2a fit those much more expensive shoes quite well, with similar prowess in the bass and treble, especially. The soft beater thumping the kick drum in The Harmaleigh's “Don't Panic” feels like a heartbeat, with the quiet but rhythmic acoustic guitar sitting just below a horizon of synths and a distorted vocal.