Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 Are Better AirPods Pro for Android
Switch between your computer and cell phone, and the headphones are smart enough to know it. You can answer a call on your phone while also connected to your computer, which is super helpful for multitaskers.
One thing I find underwhelming, as I have with all voice assistants so far, is the Gemini integration. You press the buds to ask every question to standard Gemini, including follow-ups, which is very annoying if you have multiple questions at once. Google has also integrated a wake phrase (“Hey Google, let’s talk”) to open its Gemini Live conversational AI.
The prompt opens Gemini Live, and you can ask it anything you can think to ask an AI for—from restaurant reviews to a good workout schedule based on your current day’s activities. You can even interrupt it if you think it’s missing your point, and it will follow context.
I’d rather use this functionality in the Gemini Live app on my phone, so I don’t have to speak them out loud, but if you are hard of sight or simply hate typing, the wake word and Gemini Live might be more impressive to you. I’d note that as long as you have the Gemini app, you can open Gemini Live and use it with any other pair of headphones. You don’t need Pixel Buds Pro 2 to use Gemini Live, it’s just to have the wake word.
I would trade these features in a heartbeat for the myriad hearing assistance tools Apple is adding to its AirPods Pro via a software update. After all, almost any headphones with Android can connect to Gemini Live. If you’re looking for a pair of buds that might also help you hear a little better, those are still what I would choose.
As far as a pair of headphones that do everything else you’d ask of them in all contexts, there are very few earbuds I can recommend as highly as the new Pixel Buds Pro 2. They have excellent noise canceling, work great on calls, and have long enough battery life to last an entire workday. I can see why Google raised the price by $30 over the last pair, and they’re worth the extra cash. These are probably the best high-end earbuds for Android that exist right now.
