On the eve of the next Made by Google event, a new leak for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 has surfaced showing off several specs, including an important hardware component.
Notable industry leaker MysteryLupin on X (the platform formerly known as Twitter) states the devices will feature a Tensor A1 chip, which delivers enhanced Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), that’s rumored to be twice as powerful as the previous generation.
In our review of the original Pixel Buds Pro, we found the ANC performance to be “respectable.” However, not everyone feels this way, as numerous forum posts online complain about the feature being “incredibly disappointing” or unreliable. The old model has a custom processor, but its performance seems to have come up short in users’ eyes.
Google’s Tensor A1 will presumably address these criticisms, although it’s hard to say for sure whether or not it’ll be successful without testing the earbuds ourselves.
What’s more, we don’t know if the chip is solely going to boost ANC or if it’ll be utilized to power other aspects of the Pixel Buds Pro 2 as well. MysteryLupin didn’t go into any further detail.
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2- Conversation Detection- Tensor A1 chip powers twice the Active Noise Cancellation – Seamlessly connect with your Pixel (Watch, Tablet, Phone)- 30 hours of listening time with the case, and 8 hours without pic.twitter.com/d3dR4H2R9BAugust 12, 2024
Battery life drop
They go on to reveal that the Buds Pro 2 may have a shorter battery life, peaking at eight hours and 30 hours with the case. In comparison, the previous generation could reach 31 hours with the case and 11 hours without. We saw an online concern regarding this number: Does the new battery life take into account an active ANC, or is it turned off? It’s most likely the former since the numbers are so close to each other.
MysteryLupin also mentions a couple of returning features. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 should be able to “seamlessly connect with” other first-party hardware like the Pixel Watch 2. This is probably a reference to Google’s Fast Pair. Conversation Detection is coming back, which allows the earbuds to pause music and switch to transparency mode whenever they detect someone speaking to you.
The leaker ends their post by stating the upcoming earbuds will retail for $229/£219/€249. This nugget of information matches other claims from older rumors, so there may be some validity to it.
Music tracking
Separately, 9To5Google found a product listing for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 on the British online retail platform Very. The page has since been taken down, although the publication managed to save a few screenshots. Most of the details mirror what MysteryLupin reported, although they do reveal two more features.
First, the listing states that the devices sport a “twist-to-adjust stabilizer wing,” which lets you physically “lock” the earbuds in place so they don’t jostle around. What’s more, the Pixel Buds app is receiving an update that will allow it to tell you “how loud you’ve been listening to music over time.”
It’ll recommend making adjustments to the volume to maintain “hearing wellness.” You wouldn’t want to become hard of hearing because you can’t stop jamming out to your favorite tunes.
As always, take this information with a grain of salt. Things can change at any time. Google’s next event kicks off tomorrow, August 13, at the time of this story publishing. All will be unveiled very soon.
While you wait, check out TechRadr’s list of the best earbuds of 2024.
