Google Pixel Buds:First wireless headphones.

Google Pixel Buds 

Headphone jacks killer

Pixel Buds isn't just the name of my Android-centric group chat anymore -- they're Google's first attempt at a wireless headset, and they're pretty smart, too. It's not hard to look at them as the answer to Apple's surprisingly popular AirPods, but they're much more capable... as long as you don't mind a cord dangling behind your head.

The Google Pixel Ear Bluetooth headphones are designed to complement the colors and look of the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL, while bringing their own translating smarts to the table as well.

The first thing you'll notice is that, unlike Samsung's and Apple's 'true wireless' offerings, there's a cord hanging in between the two noise-makers – while these buds are wireless, they're not truly so.

However, that cord does have some clever uses... not least meaning it'll be harder to lose your earbuds, and you can hang them around your neck when they're not in use.

The Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL don’t feature headphone jacks anymore, but to sweeten the pill, Google has a a new pair of wireless earbuds that are powered by Google Assistant. Here is our first look at the Google Pixel Buds!

Google's new Pixel Buds also do real-time translation, and at its 4 October event we got an impressive demo on stage showing off what looked like a much more Babel Fish-esque experience. Again, most of the magic is happening inside the phone, but this time it's all within Google's own house; the recordings are processed by Assistant and read through Google Translate.

Design and build quality.

Pixel Buds are wireless earphones in that they connect to your phone via Bluetooth rather than a 3.5mm headphone jack. They connect to each other by a wire, however, so they aren’t true wireless earbuds like Apple’s Air Pods or Bragi’s The Headphone.

Before the eagle-eyed among you point out that it looks as though there's a wire connecting the two earbuds, you're (at least technically) wrong. It's actually a small length of cord, which is mainly there for aesthetic purposes.

You could actually cut it and the headphones would still work. Google chose to design them this way so users have flexibility in terms of how they're worn. The small cord loops on both buds are Google's version of the plastic wings that are designed to help keep in-ears in position.

The Pixel Buds follow the premium design philosophy of the Pixel line and are a great looking pair of earphones. The Buds are not completely wireless however, with the two buds connected with a fabric tether that has a certain portion that loops through the earpiece. You can adjust the size of this loop to what best suits your ear size, allowing for it to sit cleanly and securely in your ear.

Touch controls on the right earbud are used to enable the Google Assistant. Another very useful software feature is the ability to use Google Translate on the fly. The Translate app will have to be opened on your smartphone to listen to what the other person is saying and you will hear the translation through the earbuds. The phone app will let you translate and broadcast what you want to say as well.

The Pixel Buds aren’t in-ear monitors, with a protruding piece that go straight into your ear canal. Even though these are non-occluding, much like the Apple Earpods.We like the color options for the Pixel Buds: Clearly White, Just Black, and Kinda Blue.

Sound quality

The sound quality seems more than acceptable, with the design of the buds not being truly noise-isolating, but still enough to put a decent roar into your ears.A single tap on the right earbud will play and pause tracks.You can swipe your finger left and right on the earbud to increase or decrease the volume, and it did the job instantly.

The music we piped through was perfectly audible and even pretty pleasant -- even though the Buds don't seal your ear canal the way in-ear buds do -- but the nuances were pretty quickly drowned out. The bass came through nice and punchy, though. We'll circle back on this when we get to test the Buds more thoroughly.

We didn’t get much of a chance to really listen and inspect the audio capability of the Pixel Buds, but from what we heard we can tell you with certainty that they get loud. Incredibly loud. Sound was balanced.

Connectivity

Google apparently did some fiddling with the Bluetooth on Pixel Buds so that it’s easier to connect them than normal Bluetooth headphones. It’s too early to say if it’s as good as the results that Apple got with the W1 chip that’s in AirPods and other headphones.

You’ll be able to use the Pixel Buds with other phones, with Google Assistant features working on any Assistant-enabled Android device, and the fast pairing working on any phone running Android N or higher. The language translation is exclusive to Pixel Buds used with a Pixel phone. So they’re similar to AirPods in that you won’t get the complete experience when using them with other phones, but a few more features travel with Pixel Buds than with AirPods.

Translation Feature.

The other exciting feature with the Pixel Buds works in tandem with Assistant: Instant translation via Google Translate. Tap and hold the right earbud and say “help me speak spanish,” or one of the 40 supported languages. On your Pixel 2 smartphone, you’ll see the Google Translate app open up but with a unique interface specifically when it detects the Pixel Buds are connected. Tap and hold the right earbud and say a phrase, and the smartphone will then speak the phrase in the language you request. You’ll need to be holding the phone in front of the person you’re chatting with so they hear the translation from the speaker.

To translate a conversation, one person needs to wear the Buds while the other speaks through the phone. To interact with Google Assistant, you need to hold a finger down on the right earbud and speak. I was told to say, "Ok Google, help me speak spanish" and Google Translate popped up on the Pixel, defaulting to a spanish-to-English conversation.It’s undoubtedly an exciting feature, but it’s not really new and no one has gotten it perfectly right yet.

Google Translate can already convert 40 languages, and working through Assistant/Google Translate means that it streamlines the process better than Bragi's earphones, but the jury is out on how well this will work when out and about.

Battery Life

Pixel Buds have about five hours of battery life, and come with a carrying case that can recharge the buds four times. Right off the bat, that’s pretty similar to AirPods, with the only real obvious advantage going to Apple’s smaller, more easily pocketable case.

The charging box, which doubles as a case for the headphones, is a little irritating. The outside feels a little flimsy (again, though, we were trying pre-production units), and while the battery life is good for five hours on the Pixel Buds from a single charge (and you can get multiple juices from keeping them in the case) having to wrap the cables around the outside is tedious.

Price

The Pixel Buds will set you back a whopping $159, and we think that’s absolutely bonkers. It’s high price for earbuds that aren’t fully wireless.BUt We’re  sure the instant translation is worth the high price, though we are pretty happy with how Assistant handled itself.

Conclusion

These buds are cool and features are great. They're good a little expensive perhaps, but overall still a decent idea from Google, and likely to entice people who are worried about losing separate wireless buds. Assistant's capabilities are great and good for people who needs to conversate with the people of different nationalities and for people who wants to get rid of wires.