Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 Review: A Seamless Listening Experience for Your Workouts (And Outside of Them)

For the longest time, I was a Bluetooth holdout for my workouts: Up until just a few years ago, I exclusively used wired earbuds for my music-listening needs during my runs and gym sessions. But after my trusty iPod Shuffle finally croaked, I knew I needed an alternative. Once I found a smartwatch to take the place of my MP3 player, I tried out the Apple AirPods Pro to work with it.

That staple soon became my everyday combo, but I didn’t exactly love it, especially when I used the pods outside of my workouts. As an Android user, not all of the features were readily available to me. (The most annoying: Being unable to tell the battery charge). So when I was offered the opportunity to test the new Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 ($179, bestbuy.com)—designed to seamlessly integrate with my Pixel phone—I was eager to give them a try.

How I Tested

I used the Pixel Buds Pro 2 for over two weeks, spanning workouts (outdoor runs, indoor cycling classes, and strength training sessions at the gym), neighborhood walk breaks, workday stuff, and just plain music-listening. I wore them for up to 40 minutes at a time.

Unboxing the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

First impression: The Buds are pretty, coming in an array of subtle colors—off-white, black, pink, and mint green. I tried them in mint, and thanks to the circular shape of the Buds themselves, they were strangely reminiscent of plugging Mentos into your ears.

The Buds came in an egg-shaped charging case (and use a USB-C cable to juice up, so no annoying proprietary cord needed) and with some extra goodies. Namely, three additional sizes of ear tips to ensure proper fit.

How the Buds Feel

I tried both the default size (the mediums), as well as the smalls, and liked the feel of the former better. Once I got the placement right—you tuck it into your ear, then rotate to secure—they stayed put. They never really felt like part of my ear though; I wouldn’t say they hurt, but I was always cognizant that they were there. With my AirPods, I could honestly forget they were even in.

Getting Started

Setting up the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 was ridiculously easy. All I had to do was unlock my phone, open the case and press the pairing light on the back, and my Pixel phone recognized my Buds immediately. (Full disclosure: I didn’t read the instructions first; the set-up was that intuitive.) They popped up on my Pixel’s screen, and I tapped the “connect” to begin set-up—I didn’t even have to futz with anything in my Bluetooth settings.

One of the first things the setup screen prompted me to do was test my ear seal. I performed the test wearing the mediums. I initially only got a thumbs up for the right one, but after I played around with the insertion of the left one a little more, I was able to achieve a proper fit with that one, too.

Then I acquainted myself with the touch controls:

• Swipe forward to raise the volume.
• Swipe backward to lower the volume.
• Single tap to play or pause, or to answer a call.
• Double tap to skip to the next track or reject a call.
• Triple tap to go to the previous track.
• Press and hold to turn on active noise control.

After that quick tutorial—and a confirmation that yes, I am now able to see battery level for both earbuds and the charging case in the Buds app and my phone’s Bluetooth settings—I started to put them to work.

Working Out With the the Pixel Buds 2

I had one order of business to take care of before I started sweating: pairing the Buds with my workout equipment. For my runs, that was my Garmin Forerunner 265 smartwatch—which allows me to listen to music on my run, sans phone—and my NordicTrack s27i for my iFIT cycling classes. My Garmin sometimes balks connecting to my Airpods, forcing me to restart it (and delaying my run in the process). But the watch recognized my Buds immediately, and they connected quickly and without any problem every subsequent time, too. My bike wasn’t quite so smooth: It would “see” my Buds, but wasn’t able to connect. I had to get off the bike and reboot it, after which the Buds did work.

On my runs—I wear only one Bud for safety reasons—I was able to use all the touch controls, but there were a few snags. The Buds sometimes confused a swipe for a tap, and instead of skipping the song, it would end up pausing it. The slower I ran, the easier it was for the Buds to get it right. (To be clear, I don’t think this is the fault of the Buds—when you’re in motion, what you intend to be a swipe can easily just become a thwack instead.)

On the bike where you’re stationary, the touch controls worked flawlessly. I was able to turn on noise cancellation with a press and hold, which really allowed me to immerse myself into my workout. The traffic underneath my window blended away, as did the hum of the fan and the slight rhythmic creak of the pedals, so the only thing I was hearing was my “coach” calling out intervals. When I unpaired the Buds from my bike and synced them with my phone to listen to music instead, I was able to go from song to song without having to unlock my phone and rummage each time. I wore the earbuds while lifting at the gym too, and the noise cancellation was a nice way to remove the literal background noise and concentrate on the dumbbells in front of me.

I’ve only been wearing the Buds for a couple weeks, but so far, my sweat hasn’t short-circuited them. According to Google, the Buds have a water protection rating of IP54, meaning that they should be able to withstand water spray. Temps have been pretty mild and cool in Pennsylvania where I’ve been testing these, so I am curious to see how they hold up during my normal swampy, humid runs in the summer, when my sweat pools everywhere.

Taking Calls on the Pixel Buds Pro 2

My Buds came along on some workday walk-talk breaks, too. Call quality was great on them, and so was the connection: I have one spot on my regular route where my Airpods always drop, and my Buds stayed on the whole time. I used transparency mode on my walks for safety, so I was able to hear any cars coming up behind me.

Battery Life

With noise cancellation off, Google says you should get 12 total hours of listening time with just the Buds (and 48 hours if you store them in the case). In the two-plus weeks since I’ve been wearing the Buds, I haven’t had to charge them, and the case remains at 13%.

Price

At $229 as its regular retain price, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are pretty pricey, though not quite as steep as the Airpods Pro 2, which retail at $249. They’re also $30 more than Google’s base A-series model. But for that upcharge, you do get a bunch more features, including: a twist-to-adjust stabilizer for a closer fit, active noise cancellation and transparency mode, the capability to charge wirelessly, and lots more hours of listening time. If premium listening is a priority for you, it could be worth the extra splurge.

Bottom Line

I really appreciated the ease of use with these Buds, since they’re made to seamlessly integrate with my phone. This took away a lot of the struggle that sometimes comes with my Airpods-Android combo, and, in many cases, they allow me to get started with my workout quicker since I don't have to mess around with anything. (Or try to connect…and connect…and connect.)

With earbuds, though, function is huge, but it’s not the only thing: Since you’re sticking them in your ears, they have to be comfy, too. With the Buds Pro 2, I never really forgot I was wearing them—I could always feel a little bit of pressure. And after a few times when my runs hit 40 minutes, I noticed some tenderness along the openings of my ear after I had taken them out. It wasn’t so much because of the tips, but more so the circular design that I think was just rubbing due to the shape of my ear. The fit for this kind of thing is just super individualized, and you really won’t know how it feels until you give it a try. If the fit works with your ear anatomy, though, and you’ve got an Android phone, the Buds Pro 2 could be a great addition to your workout routine—and outside of it, too.