Google Pixel Buds A-series review: Shines through despite many limitations
The Pixel Buds A-series earbuds are of a different kind, in a good
way. They do not have a long list of features, and they cut corners even on the
most obvious ones like active noise cancellation. But the product shines
through when it comes to user experience. Made by Google, these earbuds have
built-in Google Assistant
for hands-free operations. Besides, they boast identical touch controls on both
earbuds. Both these features alone make the Google Pixel Buds
A-series an easy-to-use pair of wireless earbuds. But do they justify their
price tag? Let’s find out:
Starting with design, I liked how Google has kept
everything simple here. The earbuds look like baby mushrooms with circular
heads and rather elongated tails with in-ear tips at the end. While the in-ear
design helps them latch on to the ears, the added stabiliser arc helps them
stay put securely and comfortably even in situations like exercising, when many
others would come off easily.
Like the earbuds, the charging-cum-storage case has a minimal
design. It is a pebble shaped-unit of a plastic build with matte finish. Its
small and pocketable size makes it slide easily in most cramped spaces like
coin pockets in jeans. The case has an LED light on the front that blinks when
the buds are in a ‘pairing’ mode and shows the case and earbuds’ battery
status. The case’s USB-C charging port is at the bottom, and the pairing button
is on the lower back side.
Design details aside, the Pixel Buds A-series works well because
of its audio performance and easy-to-use features. Speaking of audio
performance, the buds are tuned for neutral output – flat equalisers. While I
found the buds lacking in energy at first, the sound signature they offered
slowly grew on me and convinced me they were comfortable for extended usage.
On a side note, you can boost the bass performance using Pixel
Buds, the Pixel Buds A-series supplementary app for Android smartphones. The
buds are good for answering calls, too. However, the lack of active noise
cancellation ruins the show at times, especially if you answer the calls in
busy and loud neighbourhoods.
As for user experience, the Pixel Buds A-series is simple and easy
to use. With Google Assistant built in, you can simply say ‘Ok, Google’ and the
earbuds are ready to take voice command. This is something that makes life
easy, especially if you are part of the Google product ecosystem. The identical
touch controls on both earbuds are another element that adds to the
convenience. Tap your earbud once to play/pause, twice to skip, or three times
to rewind. Unfortunately, there is no touch control gesture for volume. But you
can ask Google Assistant to change the volume level.
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