Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro 2 are smaller, lighter and sound better – but how do they perform on the bike?

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Google’s new Pixel Buds Pro 2 are significantly smaller and lighter than the previous version, while audio performance and battery life have improved, making them a realistic contender for the best cycling headphones title. 

Despite their tiny size, they deliver an immersive, powerful listen that’s warm and enlivening with a surprisingly wide soundstage.

Like Apple’s AirPods and many other cycling headphones, the Pixel Buds are an in-ear rather than bone-conduction design, such as the Suunto Wing, or Shokz OpenFit. 

The latter will always be a better choice for those concerned solely with completely uninhibited awareness of traffic and other hazards.

Google’s buds are among the most comfortable cycling headphones I’ve used and their fit remained secure throughout testing on the bike, in the gym and during runs in all weather. 

However, the price of £219 / $229 / €249 is higher than most of their competitors and Apple users won’t be able to get the best out of the Pixel Buds.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 spec details

The Pixel Buds are among the smallest cycling headphones I’ve tested, at 22.74x23.08x17.03mm, weighing 4.7g each with the default medium ear tips.

The Californian brand says it used 45 million data points from innumerable pairs of ears during the development of the new Pixel Buds, to hone the fit and comfort.

The new buds also use Google’s Tensor A1 chip, which is claimed to process audio 90 times faster than the speed of sound. There’s integration with Google’s Gemini AI tool, which you can speak to without getting your phone out of your pocket.

Active Noise Cancellation has been improved since the first-generation Pixel Buds, with Silent Seal 2.0 said to adapt to your ears and the environment up to 3 million times per second, cancelling out twice as much noise as the original Pixel Buds.

Google supplies four sets of ear tips, from extra-small to large, while there’s a twist-to-adjust stabiliser designed to lock the buds in place for cycling or running.

The improved 11mm drivers produce robust, absorbing bass, while a new high-frequency chamber delivers detailed but never fatiguing treble. 

The buds have an IP54 rating, which is enough to protect them from splashes but not submersion or jets of water. 

The accurate and responsive touch controls use a series of taps for playback and swipes to adjust volume. 

They controls are excellent, if perhaps a little too sensitive – the hood of my running jacket paused playback on three occasions as I looked over my shoulder on a long run (Big Foot was not, as I feared, in pursuit).

The tasteful matt pebble-like case charges via USB-C or wirelessly. 

Battery life is claimed at eight hours with Active Noise Cancellation – enough to play all 12 of The Beatles’ UK studio albums (including the Yellow Submarine soundtrack). Turning ANC off extends that time to 12 hours. 

The case stretches this figure to 30 and 48 hours respectively, while a five-minute charge will get you 90 minutes’ listening without Active Noise Cancelling. Impressive claims.

The ANC is highly effective, making the Pixel Buds ideal for office use.

The Pixel Buds app offers preset and custom EQ options and a seal check to analyse the fit. There are also useful hearing wellness and exposure tools, displaying the decibel level and cumulative volume you’ve subjected your ears to.

Fear not if the buds fall out while out running or cycling – you can use the Find Device function to locate them on a map and call them or the case when you’re within earshot. The ring volume increases steadily until you're reunited.

Apple users won’t be able to download the Pixel Buds app and access these features, though, limiting their appeal if you don’t have an Android phone.

The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are available in Porcelain, Hazel, Wintergreen and Peony – or white, grey, green and pink, if you like.

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 performance

Much of my 20 years’ journalism experience has been while working on guitar, vinyl and tech magazines. In that time, I’ve reviewed a wide musical spectrum of amplifiers, effects pedals, turntables and headphones.

I’ve recently been testing a range of bone- and air-conduction headphones designed for cycling and running to find out which are best suited to the rigours of an active lifestyle.

To assess the performance of the Pixel Buds Pro 2, I used them on my daily commute, on outdoor runs of up to 10 miles and during several gym sessions.

This enabled me to get a thorough picture of the fit, function, comfort and hi-fi performance.

Fit 

While the Pixel Buds are supplied with four ear-tip sizes, they don’t have the varying-size ear fins found on cycling headphones such as the Sennheiser Momentum Sport and Sony LinkBuds. 

This didn’t pose any problems for me, though. With the large ear tips fitted, not once did the Pixel Buds escape my ears, while running or on the bike. 

These are the most comfortable in-ear headphones I’ve tested, to the point I almost forgot I was wearing them during an eight-mile run. This is, of course, subjective, and some users may rue the lack of ear fins to tailor the fit.

Sound quality

The Pixel Buds offer a potent and rousing sonic performance with a wide soundstage and no distorted or fatiguing elements – they make your favourite music fun to listen to. 

The EQ settings are useful and I found myself switching between the slightly bass-forward default mode and ‘Balanced’.

Cueing up bdrmm’s Alps, the electronic kick drum thudded away with a formidable muscularity while trebly synth motifs and clouds of ethereal guitar atmospherics flickered and fizzed in the margins. It was captivating, reminding me of the widescreen presentation of the excellent Sony LinkBuds. 

I hit repeat immediately, then checked Hearing Wellness and received a Loud! warning and a reading of 97dB. Oops.

The wide soundstage was similarly apparent throughout the mournful majesty of Sam Cooke’s A Change Is Gonna Come, with the strings sweeping in from the left and those exultant horn parps out right. 

The top end can edge slightly towards stridency at higher volumes, but I appreciated the enhanced clarity over rival headphones.

With Transparency mode selected for my rush-hour commute, the sonic presentation remained full and balanced, with the bass entirely present and more subtle details continuing to shine through. Despite this, I remained alive to approaching cars, barking dogs and even the noisy freehub on my Temple Adventure Disc 2. 

The balance between music and background noise is spot-on once you adjust the volume to taste, although there isn’t the ability to tweak the mix of ambient sound as there is with the Sennheisers. There’s also no Anti-Wind mode, although this never caused significant sound issues during testing – even when going faster on steep descents. 

Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 bottom line 

Google’s improvements to the original Pixel Buds have made their diminutive successors a serious challenger for the crown of best cycling headphones. 

They stand on the podium alongside the Sony LinkBuds and Sennheiser Momentum Sport for audio performance, with their excellent separation and invigorating high-end detail backed up by a heavyweight bass foundation.

Comfort is superb, the battery life will get you through a full day at the office and there are plenty of useful features in the app. 

However, they are among the more expensive options in a crowded market, Apple users won’t benefit from all of those features and the lack of ear fins may prevent some people getting a solid fit. 

If you’re an Android phone owner and have the budget, though, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are an excellent choice for cyclists and runners.

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