A response to Apple and its AirPods? A gadget more than profit? No, rather a necessity, to cover the absence of the headphone jack of the new Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL. Google has designed its own wireless headphones, where the compatibility with Pixel phones and the Google Assistant are the protagonists....
The idea of Google with these Pixel Buds is to provide us with the day to day in a way much greater than what normal headphones would do. This is achieved with wireless connectivity, but also with the intelligence of Google Assistant. Just touch the right earphone to invoke Google Assistant, where we can play music, make calls, directions on maps, notifications ...
But perhaps the most surprising thing is the instantaneous translation. We can be talking to another person in different languages and the headphones will hear what the other user says to translate each phrase to the moment. If the two users have Pixel Buds, the two will be able to speak in their language. We will see in actual use how they translate well, since they use Google Translator and artificial intelligence.
Connecting the wireless headphones via Bluetooth has always been a nuisance, as we must pair them again and again when we switch devices. In this sense the Pixel Buds offer a similar solution to Apple with the W1 chip of the AirPods, when we open them we get a notification on the phone (with Android Nougat or higher) to match them.
Special features
There are no apps for the management of Pixel Buds. The headphone settings are only accessible from Google Assistant, which I think is a good thing. In the settings we can see if the headphones are connected to the smartphone, the battery level and a little more information that you would not be able to see otherwise.With a forward or backward swipe on the right earpiece, you can control the volume. Holding your finger down, you will be in direct contact with Assistant, which is very quick. There is no lag between the touch of the headset and the beginning of the voice assistants listening. Touch the headset, talk, and release once the command is complete. Its that easy!
With a double tap, Assistant will let you know if you have any notifications from your phone, and this in my opinion is the best thing on the Pixel Buds. Once you’ve tried this feature, you’ll wonder why other headphones are not able to do it. I didn’t put the headphones back in the box for almost a week because of this.