New Pixel Buds A-Series: 5 things you should know

About a year ago, Google released their second generation of Pixel Buds. These wireless earbuds were a big step up in quality and features from the originals that launched in 2017.

In 2021, we get a new version of the Pixel Buds. The A-Series retain many of the fantastic features and style of the previous generation, but at a lower price. Here are 5 things you should know about the latest earbuds from Google.

Good sound for music and calls

First and foremost, you’re going to want earbuds that sound good. The A-Series have very clear sound during calls and when listening to music. The high, low, and mid frequencies are well balanced during songs, but you can always like more low end, there’s a Bass Boost mode you can enable. 

Great design

Personally, I really like having a larger touch surface on my earbuds. That way you can use quick taps or press-and-holds to control functions like mute, skipping songs, etc. The size of the touch-surface on the Pixel Buds A-Series is the perfect diameter for your fingertips. They also are very flush to the ear, so they’re less likely to get jostled if you’re pulling on a sweatshirt, doing some overhead dumbbell presses, or wavin’ your hands in the air while dancing to Olivia Rodrigo.

This case is the best!

This was the first thing I noticed: the case is as good as the one that comes with the previous Pixel Buds. Flipping it open and closed comes with such a satisfying feeling. Kinda like a cool person in a movie flipping open a Zippo lighter…but more techy. This case doesn’t allow the buds to be charged wirelessly like it does in the more expensive version. But that’s one of the reasons why it’s not as expensive.

All Day Use

This still ties in with the case (it’s just awesome), but you can go a really long time without worrying about plugging in for a charge. The buds on their own are rated for 5 hours of listening time. But with the charge in the case you’ve got 24 hours of listening time. It takes about an hour to fully charge, but even on just 15 minutes, you’ll get three hours of listening time.

Smart Features

The Pixel Buds A-Series lets you access the Google Assistant which is so helpful for controlling your devices, getting quick info, setting reminders, and so many other things. You can either use voice commands (“Hey Google” or you can touch and hold either earbud while you speak. Another cool feature is Adaptive Sound, which will ever-so-slightly adjust the volume on the buds if you change from a noisy area to a quiet one (and vice versa).

If you’re looking for good quality, truly wireless earbuds at a reasonable price, you will likely be very happy with the Pixel Buds: A-Series. At the time of writing this, I’ve only had about 24 hours of hands-on time. My first impressions are very positive. The audio quality is good. The fit is very comfortable (I had to adjust for a tighter fit mine using the included silicone ear tips, which improved the audio quality for me). And I think the price point ($139 CAD) is very worth it.

Be aware that it won’t have premium features like the wireless charging of the second generation Pixel Buds, or active noise cancellation (the thing that cuts out all background noise before it gets to your ear using the earbuds microphones). But if you want good value for the money, and possibly the coolest case out there, the Pixel Buds A-Series are a great option. They’re available now for pre-order.