Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs AirPods Pro 2: Which Premium Earbuds Come Out On Top?
Naila Syifa
Updated January 2025
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Apple AirPods Pro 2 are some of the most highly anticipated premium wireless earbuds on the market. Both offer advanced features, impressive sound quality, and seamless integration with their respective ecosystems. In this comparison, we'll dive into the key differences between these two powerhouses to see which one comes out on top!
Key Takeaways
AirPods Pro 2 offers a Hearing Test, Aid, and Protection features, while Pixel Buds Pro 2 has a more limited Hearing Wellness feature. Siri on the AirPods Pro 2 is smarter than Google Assistant on the Pixel Buds Pro 2, with the ability to respond to nods and head shakes. However, Pixel Buds Pro 2 boasts a longer runtime with real-time translation capabilities.
Pixel Buds Pro 2
Light Ears Ahead
✓ Active Noise Cancellation
✓ Conversation Detection
✓ Real-Time Translation
✓ 8-Hour Listening Time
AirPods Pro 2
Premium Earbuds
✓ Pro-Kevel Active Noise Cancellation
✓ Hearing Health
✓ Siri & Siri Interactions
✓ 6-Hour Listening Time
Design
Pixel Buds Pro 2
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 has a stem-less pebble-like appearance with a rounded outer shell that serves as touch controls. With a matte finish and four color options — Porcelain, Hazel, Winter Green, and Peony — it has a casual and fun look. Meanwhile, the AirPods Pro 2 looks more simple and elegant. It comes in a glossy white finish with a stem that houses the touch controls.
Both earbuds come with silicone ear tips in 4 different sizes, so you can find the right fit for your ears. Talking about comfort and fit, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 has a special twisting stabilizer. During intense activities or workouts, you can twist to lock the earbuds in place, preventing them from falling out. After that, you can untwist for a more comfortable fit during regular use. The AirPods Pro 2 has no such mechanism and relies only on the ear tips.
Both earbuds have an IP54 rating, which means they are protected against dust and water splashes. However, only the AirPods Pro 2 has its case also rated for IP54, while the Pixel Buds Pro 2 case has an IPX4 rating, which means it is protected against water splashes but is not dust-resistant.
Features
AirPods Pro 2
Both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 2 equally support spatial audio with head tracking, offer Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) for blocking out external sounds, have Transparency Mode for letting ambient sounds in, and can detect when you're in a conversation to lower the volume or pause the music automatically.
The AirPods Pro 2 also features Adaptive Audio, which mixes ANC and transparency mode to optimize noise control based on your environment. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 has no such equivalent feature, you can only choose between ANC, transparency mode, or have both turned off altogether.
The AirPods Pro 2 also stands out with three hearing health features. The Hearing Test measures your hearing ability at different frequencies and identifies if you have hearing loss. The Hearing Aid takes the test result and customizes the sound accordingly. The Hearing Protection helps you protect your hearing when you're in loud environments.
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 offers a Hearing Wellness feature on the app, but it is limited to measuring how often you are exposed to high volume levels and can send you notifications when the exposure limit is reached. It's still valuable but not as comprehensive as the AirPods Pro 2's hearing health features.
Both earbuds have voice assistant support, but Siri for the AirPods Pro 2 is smarter than Google Assistant on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. For example, instead of just responding to voice commands, Siri can identify nods and head shakes to accept or reject calls, interact with messages, and more. It's very useful when you don't want to talk out loud.
However, Google Assistant on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 can help with real-time translation. You can ask it to be your language interpreter, then it will translate what you say and play it through your phone speaker. When the other person responds, it will translate their speech back to you through the earbuds.
Compatibility
AirPods Pro 2
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 is mainly designed for Android devices and Pixel phones, with its Pixel Buds app being available only on Android devices. However, it can still connect to iOS devices via Bluetooth.
In contrast, the AirPods Pro 2 is designed primarily for Apple devices and integrates seamlessly with the iOS ecosystem. You can still use it to listen to music from Android devices via Bluetooth, but you'll miss out on many of the advanced features and controls that are only available on Apple devices.
Battery Life
Pixel Buds Pro 2
Both earbuds come with a charging case, which equally offers up to 30 hours of listening time with the active noise cancellation enabled. However, when used separately without the charging case, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 offers up to 8 hours of listening time compared to 6 hours for the AirPods Pro 2, giving the Pixel Buds Pro 2 a slight edge in this aspect.
Charging the Pixel Buds Pro 2 for 5 minutes in the charging case provides up to 1.5 hours of listening time with ANC disabled. In comparison, 5 minutes of charging the AirPods Pro 2 in the case gives up to 1 hour of listening time.
Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs AirPods Pro 2
Final Thoughts
AirPods Pro 2
Both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 2 offer impressive features and capabilities, making it a tough choice for consumers. While the Pixel Buds Pro 2 has a unique twist-to-lock mechanism for a secure fit and real-time translation capabilities, the AirPods Pro 2 stands out with its more comprehensive hearing health features, Adaptive Audio, and advanced Siri Interactions.
Ultimately, the choice will depend on the user's priorities and the ecosystem they are more invested in, as the AirPods Pro 2 integrates better with Apple devices while the Pixel Buds Pro 2 is optimized for Android.
If you like to read more about wireless earbuds, check out our other relevant guides here:
Best Wireless Earbuds
Pixel Buds A-Series vs Pixel Buds 2 Pro
Pixel Buds A-Series vs Galaxy Buds FE
Pixel Buds A-Series vs AirPods 4
Pixel Buds A-Series vs Beats Studio Buds
Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs Galaxy Buds 3 Pro
Pixel Buds 2 Pro vs Sony WF-1000XM5
Author
Naila Syifa
Content Manager at Synced. She crafts insightful content on the latest trends in technology, consumer electronics, and smart home gadgets.
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