What you need to know
- Google Pixel Buds Pro is officially available for $199, but it is missing some features.
- There are no things like Bass Boost, Adaptive Sound, and other features anywhere when using the Pixel Buds app.
- A new report indicates that the Pixel Buds Pro will replace these features with “5-band EQ” later this year.
With Samsung Unpacked only two weeks away, now is the time for Google to shine. The much-anticipated Pixel Buds Pro earbuds are now available for purchase, at an affordable $199. However, some reviewers have noted that Google has removed some key features from the companion Pixel Buds app.
Google had to work a bit of its software magic in order to make up for the lack of basic features like active noise cancellation with Pixel Buds and Pixel Buds A-Series. These include features like Adaptive Sound, which is designed to automatically adjust the media volume based on your surroundings. According to 9to5GoogleHowever, these features have been intentionally removed for Pixel Buds Pro.
Our Pixel Buds Pro review is live, and it’s in agreement with others we’ve seen. In order to take full advantage of what these new earbuds are capable of, Google needs to offer an adjustable equalizer that is not currently available. However, Google confirmed to 9to5 that a future Buds Pro update will bring a “full 5-band EQ” later this fall.
While it’s a shame to see that Google has removed some useful features, like attention alerts, others like Bass Boost and Adaptive Sound make a bit more sense. The Pixel Buds Pro are the first in the lineup to use true active noise cancellation, and thanks to the specially designed 11mm drivers, the sound quality is truly excellent.
As noted in our review, Ted Kritsonis found the missing customizable EQ to be an “omission that stands out more precisely because the Pixel Buds Pro actually look good.” And while we expect Spatial Audio support to arrive at some point, it doesn’t make sense why Google would wait to include a major feature until a later software update.
Pixel Buds Pro are now available, and third-party EQ tuning solutions aren’t guaranteed to work for everyone. It made more sense for Google to make this available now, rather than just removing the features and (apparently) hoping no one would notice.
