Two years on, Google’s Pixel Buds Pro has aged like fine wine

Two years have handed for the reason that Pixel Buds Professional first hit retailer cabinets. Launched at Google I/O 2022, they have been the primary in Google’s buds lineup to supply high-end options like energetic noise canceling. However with a launch worth of $199, the Pixel Buds Professional didn’t outshine the competitors and lacked some options that have been virtually thought of business normal by 2022.

Quick ahead to in the present day, nonetheless, and the Pixel Buds Professional have turn into a few of the most well-rounded true wi-fi earbuds in the marketplace. And I’m not referring to the truth that you possibly can usually discover them on sale for lower than $140. No, I’m referring to the numerous, many firmware updates which have fully remodeled them since their launch.

Pixel Buds Professional: Why they’re nonetheless value shopping for

After I picked up the Pixel Buds Professional to enrich my Pixel 8 Professional late final 12 months, I solely took a cursory look at a handful of evaluations earlier than finishing the acquisition. It wasn’t till I paired the earbuds to my cellphone that I spotted how outdated a few of these launch-day evaluations have been.

Take Dialog Detection, for instance. With the function enabled, the buds routinely pause any enjoying media and have interaction the transparency mode every time I begin talking. And after a quick interval of silence, the buds re-enter ANC mode and resume enjoying my music. I don’t have to achieve for my cellphone or the earbuds’ contact controls when somebody approaches me for a brief dialog — only a quick “Hm?” does the trick.

Google solely added Dialog Detection this previous October, nicely into the Pixel Buds Professional’s lifecycle. Likewise, spatial audio was not obtainable at launch however arrived with an eventual replace. I used to dismiss spatial audio as a gimmick however after attempting it out, it’s straightforward to inform the distinction. The identical replace additionally launched a five-band EQ that can be utilized to repair the buds’ barely over-emphasized bass and treble, one of the crucial frequent complaints throughout early evaluations.

The updates listed to this point could be spectacular sufficient for a pair of wi-fi earbuds, however I’ve nonetheless solely scratched the floor. The Pixel Buds Professional additionally obtained Bluetooth Tremendous Wideband for higher voice calls, a low-latency mode tuned for gaming, and listening to wellness options. These are comparatively much less impactful on my on a regular basis use however noteworthy nonetheless.

Whereas rival wi-fi earbud producers additionally concern firmware updates each few months, I can’t inform you the variety of patch notes I’ve learn that merely state “connection enhancements” and “minor bug fixes.” The Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 Professional I owned previous to the Pixel Buds Professional hardly ever acquired a significant replace, if ever. As a rule, you would need to wait (and shell out cash) for a whole {hardware} revision, just like the Galaxy Buds 3 Professional, to get any actual new options.

Google’s cadence of normal function drops is just actually matched by Apple with its AirPods line. The second-gen AirPods Professional, additionally from 2022, have aged even higher on this regard, as they’ll get extra options with the iOS 18 replace later this 12 months.

In the meantime, leaks have revealed that Google is gearing as much as launch the Pixel Buds Professional 2 in a few weeks. The successor will probably pack improved ANC and convey again the sequence’ wingtip design. Whereas we will’t say if the current-gen mannequin that I’ve will proceed to obtain new options and updates, it’s nonetheless extra mature than ever. To today, nearly no different wi-fi earbuds pack a number of premium options like Bluetooth multipoint, dialog consciousness, and spatial audio within the sub-$200 worth vary — usually much less on sale. The Pixel Buds Professional are a uncommon Google product that’s value shopping for even a complete two years after launch, and I might decide up one other pair on sale with out hesitation.