Google’s Pixel Buds are the rumored Bluetooth wireless earbuds that were suspected to make an appearance at Google’s official event today, and sure enough the rumors were right, as Google announced the Pixel Buds in hopes of capturing the interest of anyone who has been on the fence about buying Bluetooth earbuds, though it’s worth keeping in mind that these aren’t truly wireless like the Gear IconX 2018 or any number of other available options. That said, Google’s Pixel Buds come with one very intriguing feature that you won’t find on many other offerings, though it is available on some earbuds like Bragi’s Dash Pro.
This is of course, the ability to translate languages, with the Pixel Buds using Google Translate integration and Google Assistant to make this happen. For the casual travelers or anyone that has to travel for business, this could be extremely useful in navigating the cultural divide set upon by the language barriers that people face if they aren’t able to speak in the native language of the country they’re traveling to. This isn’t the only feature that is offered by the Pixel Buds, but it’s quite likely to be the one that stands out the most.
Another strength of the Pixel Buds will be the battery life, which are said to last up to five hours on a single charge. This is more than what users can typically expect from any truly wireless earbuds, but when compared to those which have a cord in between each earbud, five hours might actually be a bit low. Still, five hours should be plenty for many users, and the case also charges the buds so if you do run out of power, you can simply pop them back in the case and let them charge back up. Google does not seem to mention however, how long it takes to charge the earbuds back up.
Since these have Google Assistant integrated into them, users will be able to utilize them just like they could with Google Assistant on a Pixel device, and ask Google questions, or ask it to turn up the volume on currently playing music, or even switch tracks. Activating Google Assistant is done by touching the right earbud, and touch controls can also manage volume and playback if you want. Google also notes that these were designed to be comfortable and provide some really quality sound for music in addition to being wireless, so if you plan on wearing them throughout the whole five-hour single-charge battery life, then they should be comfortable the entire time, though this might vary from user to user. The Pixel Buds are set to launch later this year for $159 and they will come in three different colors, which as you may have guessed if it wasn’t already known, will match the colors of the phones, those colors being Just Black, Clearly White, and Kinda Blue. If you’re planning on picking these up either once they officially begin to ship or through pre-order if you’re willing to wait, the earbuds are supposed to start shipping out to buyers in about six to seven weeks. If you’re wanting to get a closer look at Google’s new Pixel Buds, you can do so by viewing the gallery of images below.
