I also used the buds for walking directions to my doctor’s appointment. Using voice command, I launched my favorite Spotify playlist. To stop hearing notifications, I quickly double-tapped the earbud and went back to listening to music.
PIXEL BUDS 3 FULL
After announcing who the email was from and the subject line, I pressed an earbud until I heard a chime to hear the full email. Once again, I long-pressed an earbud to initiate the feature and heard a chime then the assistant began reading the latest text messages starting with an email.
PIXEL BUDS 3 SOFTWARE
The software began translating into English in real time and did a better job than I could do with my rudimentary grasp of the language.Īnother nifty Google Assistant-powered feature is Notifications, which as the name suggests, lets the digital assistant read out your recent activities including email, messages, flight changes and traffic updates, to name a few. In order to simulate a conversation, I turned to Telemundo and watched Hoy Día and tapped the right microphone in the Google Translate app. From there, Translate actually read out my sentences into Spanish.
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Google Translate launched on my Pixel 5 and I started speaking in English. To test it out, I said “Hey Google, help me speak Spanish,” and long-pressing a bud. For instance, the A-Series allow you to use Google Translate, which lets you carry on a conversation in over 40 languages. All those snazzy features from the 2020 Pixel Buds are also standard on the A-Series. For any further Assistant action, you’ll utter the magic words, “Hey Google.”įeatures on a pair of sub-$100 earbuds are typically a non-existent occurrence. Speaking of Google Assistant, a long press on either bud summons the digital assistant to read any recent notifications. But unlike the 2020 Pixel Buds, to raise or lower the volume you have to use Google Assistant or (shudder) touch your phone. When a call comes in, a single tap answers while a double tap ignores or ends the conversation. When listening to music, a single tap will play/pause a track, while a double tap will skip the track forward and a triple tap skips backward. Google threaded the needle on this one, activating commands with a light, but firm tap. Not sensitive enough forces harder taps which is an uncomfortable experience both physically and aurally. Too sensitive and the slightest brush can trigger an unwanted action. Tap controls can be hit or miss with wireless earbuds.
PIXEL BUDS 3 ANDROID
Want to use Google Assistant? Your phone or tablet needs at least Android 6.0.
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From there, the A-Series were ready to rock and roll.Īs demonstrated by my Note 20 Ultra, the A-Series will pair with any device, including iOS gadgets, as long as it has Bluetooth 4.0 capability. Clicking the Setup button took me to a quick firmware update. As soon as I flipped open the charging case, a big prompt informed me that the A-Series were ready to pair appeared on both my Google Pixel 5 and my Samsung Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. Google is borrowing a few of Apple’s tricks with its proprietary Fast Pair technology. However, if the default tips aren’t just right, you can swap them out for either the large or small tips. Google has embedded a spatial vent to alleviate in-ear pressure and enhance spatial awareness. In fact, it felt more like a tiny ear hug. I definitely felt the default medium eartips expand against the entrance to my ear canal, but it was never uncomfortable. They fit snugly along my ears’ scapha, hiding just under the helix.
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The A-Series are really comfortable to the point where I happily wore them for 2.5 hours. Surprisingly the Bose’s case is a scooch lighter (1.6 ounces, 2.4 x 1.7 x 0.9 inches).
PIXEL BUDS 3 PRO
It’s absolutely dainty compared to the AirPods Pro (2.7 ounces, 3.5 x 2 x 1.3 inches). Still, the A-Series are smaller than the AirPods Pro (0.19 ounces, 1.2 x 0.9 x 0.9 inches) and the QC Earbuds (3 ounces, 1.5 x 1 x 1.1 inches).Īs for the charging case, it weighs 1.5 ounces without the earbuds (1.9 ounces with the buds) and measures 2.5 x 1.9 x 1 inches. But measuring 0.8 x 1.2 x 0.7 inches, the new buds are larger than the 2020 Pixel Buds (0.8 x 0.8 x 0.7 inches). At 0.18 ounces, the A-Series weigh the same as their predecessor.