New Google Pixel Buds now available in Singapore

It took some time, but Google’s answer to Apple’s AirPods Pro is finally available in Singapore. 

The new Google Pixel Buds (not to be confused with the finicky 1^st gen ones from 2017) are completely wireless and connect to devices via Bluetooth. Like AirPods, the Pixel Buds makes connecting super easy — you just need to flip up the Pixel Buds’ case. 

The catch here is that you’ll need to have a Google Pixel phone for the auto-pairing to commence. But it shouldn’t be a problem for other Android phones or even iOS devices — hit pairing mode on the case and go into your device’s settings to establish the connection. 

While many other wireless earbuds (even Huawei’s own Freebuds 3i) have gone all-in on active noise cancelling, the minimalist Pixel Buds doesn’t offer that. Which is great if you prefer to have some awareness of your surroundings, but will definitely bug those who prefer total sound isolation. 

[embed]https://twitter.com/madebygoogle/status/1282696872210182146[/embed]

Though, there is a feature called Adaptive Sound that automatically adjusts the volume to fit your surroundings. In theory, move from a quiet room to a noisy street, and the buds supposedly turns the volume up by itself without any physical input. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2MmAbDJK8YY&feature=youtu.be[/embed]

The Pixel Buds will be a great companion to fans of Google Assistant too as the virtual assistant is deeply integrated. Press and hold either the left or right bud to trigger Google Assistant, and it will fire off information such as the time as well as your notifications, appointments, and messages. 

To really feel like you’re in the future, the Pixel Buds offers real-time translations into your ear, so users can hold conversations with others in their own respective languages. Useful, we suppose, when we can all start travelling again. 

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I6r4y17bV8g[/embed]

The Google Pixel Buds are available for purchase in Singapore right now via the Google Store for $269. 

ilyas@asiaone.com