The Google Pixel Buds 2a look great, but I wanted more out of them

The wireless earbud market is a rough place. I say rough because no matter what kind of earbuds you’re looking for — budget or premium — they all seem to hit the same notes: most of them are fine.

Still, once in a while, a newcomer will shake things up for the better and step out of that ho-hum territory, even if just a bit.

In the budget market, the Google Pixel Buds 2a try to do just that by finally adding a little bit of piazza to the market. However, though the Buds 2a look flashy, they don’t really break the cycle.

Price, availability, specs

The Pixel Buds 2a will be available on October 9th, 2025, and cost $130, which is decent as far as budget earbuds go. You can pick them up at the Google Store, or retailers like Amazon or Best Buy.

They come in two colorways: iris, which I reviewed, and hazel, which is more like black. I’m far more enthusiastic about the lighter, purple-blue, and I really wish more companies would play with color.

What I liked about the Pixel Buds 2a

First and foremost, the best thing about the Pixel Buds 2a is the color. In a world of gray-scale earbuds, I love a pop of color. While I wish there were even more options, I do appreciate the cool, pastel iris option.

The case is much smaller than the Pixel Buds Pro and the Pixel Buds Pro 2, and it has a hint of that iris color at the closing.

Beyond the look, the Buds 2a have a pretty good fit, too. They come with medium tips to start, but you can switch them out with extra small, small, or larger tips to find your perfect fit.

Plus, using the app, you can test the fit and seal, which is pretty handy.

The unique design locks into place with a slight twist, and for the most part, they stay put. They’re pretty comfortable, too. I wore mine for hours without any discomfort.

The touch controls are also simple and responsive.

Overall, the look, feel, and function of the Buds 2a are great.

Getting fancy, the Buds 2a are powered by the Tensor A1 chip.

The general sound is decent for budget earbuds, and you can adjust the settings on the Pixel Buds app to your liking.

Set up was quick and painless on my Google Pixel 8 Pro, and I took advantage of the multipoint connection by syncing it with my Asus Zenbook.

The big new addition to the A-series is Active Noise Cancellation. It’s not the best ANC for budget earbuds, but it’s pretty decent for the price point.

Plus, you can listen (with ANC on) for up to seven hours before they need a charge, or up to 20 without ANC.

An additional perk is that you can set up a battery widget on your phone to keep an eye on your battery in real-time. If you’re like me and you juggle several audio devices, it can be helpful to see which one is charged and at what percent.

Finally, the Buds 2a have Gemini compatibility, so you can summon the AI whenever you call out “Hey Google” and chat with a bot if that’s your thing.

What I didn’t like about the Pixel Buds 2a

While they may look premium, the Buds 2a fall into a few budget earbud traps.

First off, they don’t support wireless charging. I have a cord set up to charge my headphones at the ready, so it’s not that big of a deal. But for anyone who loves the convenience of plopping their earbuds down on a charger, you can’t do that here.

Google does offer a 67W charger with double-ports, but if you’re going budget, you’re probably not looking to spend more.

While the overall sound on the buds was fine, the quality noticeably suffered as soon as you cranked up the volume. In particular, the bass became much muddier as the music got louder.

I cranked up Billie Eilish’s Bad Guy, and the buds buzzed rather than thumped. I even tweaked the settings in the app. However, the sound was still decent enough. At lower volumes, it was perfectly fine.

I tested a few show tunes from Wicked, the Astro Bot soundtrack, and the glorious O Fortuna!, but the results were more or less fine for every song, as long as I kept them at a reasonable volume.

One thing I was less thrilled about was the lack of actual volume controls. After switching from the Buds Pro 2 and the OnePlus Buds 4, I went from having gesture controls to asking Gemini to adjust the volume.

You can also control the volume on your phone, but it’s still annoying to have to use something else.

The Buds 2a also struggled a bit with calls, with anyone I connected with mentioning I sounded like I was underwater.

Lastly, while the general fit is fine for casual exercise, I wouldn’t recommend using them during any extreme routines.

To be fair, they never left my ears. However, I was constantly adjusting them during each burpee and jumping jack. Any vigorous high steps also affected the sound quality, and it was a little like listening to music through a fan.

Should you buy them?

If you’re on a budget and you have a Google Pixel phone, the Pixel Buds 2a are a good option.

While I do wish they were a tad cheaper, $130 isn’t bad for decent earbuds with okay ANC. Plus, you won’t find any that feel this premium with such a fun color.

Overall, I had a good experience with the Buds 2a, but the problem is that I have other earbuds that do ANC and exercise better — and I really miss those gesture controls.

And if you have a little extra cash, you might do better springing for the Pixel Buds Pro 2. If not, though, these are a good pick for the price, and you can’t beat that color.