Hey.
The bundled headphones sometimes turn out to be a very good product in terms of quality, which can become an everyday option for unassuming users (most of whom are) who have not yet succumbed to the fashionable trend of abandoning wires wherever possible.
In this role of 'wired everyday headphones', the Google Pixel EarBuds USB-C looks great. But let's talk about everything in more detail.
Let's start with the price. Separately, in a beautiful box, these headphones from Google can be purchased for $ 30, which, taking into account delivery from foreign online stores, makes the profitability of the purchase questionable.
However, on the net you can find many offers from people selling sets of their Pixel smartphones and offering these headphones for almost half the official price – $ 18, which makes this purchase much more interesting.
For experienced buyers, it will not be difficult to find an option to save on delivery by joining group purchases, information about which is available on social networks in groups of every large and not so large city.
Yes, in this case, you most likely will not get a beautiful box, but is it really necessary? But the headphones are guaranteed to be original.
Now about what you get for $ 15-30.
These will be white wired headphones with a USB-C connector, which will fit most modern devices equipped with a connector of this type.
On the one hand, this is not very convenient, since you can listen to music and charge your smartphone at the same time only with the use of splitters. On the other hand, the versatility of this solution is growing every day, since almost all new items coming out for sale are deprived of the “outdated” jack 3.5 connector.
Appearance and materials
The appearance of the headphones resembles both the wireless Pixel Buds from Google and the EarPods from Apple.
A kind of symbiosis of headphone design from two worlds. Good or bad, you decide. Personally, I liked this design.
The headphone case is visually divided into two halves: the outer pill, for which the headphones are convenient to take, and the inner one, which is inserted into the ear.
The shape of the inner half is just like Cupertin's headphones, but not so much that Apple has patent claims.
In addition, Google headphones have their own unusual element – a plastic adjustable arch with a wire inside, which acts as a headphone retainer in the ear.
Choosing your size is as easy as shelling pears, it is enough either to stretch this arc a little, increasing the size of the loop, or, conversely, remove it. It can be pulled out with perceptible effort, so there is no risk that the size will change in the ear from wearing. At the same time, the wire does not suffer, since it is inside freely, without tension.
The plastic of the inner part of the case is smooth, tough, durable, giving the impression of a quality product. The lid of the outer tablet is matte, slightly rough for a more comfortable grip.
The sound guide is covered with a black nylon mesh and looks appropriate.
The designations of the sides are painted with gray paint on the inside, however, given the design, these designations are seen more as a tribute to traditions, since in order to confuse the sides, one must not only try very hard, but also have unconventional thinking.
Cable
A few words about the cable. It is thick and slightly thicker than usual in this kind of headphones.
It also has virtually no memory effect. It took about two minutes from the moment the headphones were removed from the package until they were fully straightened. And this is actually wonderful.
You get very tired if the headphones hang in rings for a long time, twist and cling to everything. This is not here.
From the point of view of strength, it is still difficult to say something, but there is reason to believe that nothing criminal in this parameter will be found.
Plug
I would like to highlight the plug separately. It is massive and could have been a little smaller and sleeker. Headphones with a traditional jack 3.5 and even EarPods with a Lightning connector look like Thumbelina in this parameter.
Remote controller
It is also massive and angular with sharp sharp edges that periodically cling to the collar. Alas.
And on the remote control, the central button is specially highlighted in black, on which many functions of the headset and control of the assistant are tied.
Looking ahead, I must say that the headset can do almost everything that its older TWS sister PixelBuds can, namely act as a part of an online translator of conversations in foreign languages, as well as control the voice assistant using taps and commands. For example, to start the assistant, just hold down the center button, and if you hold down the volume up key, the headset will sound the current time and the last received notifications.
Alas, the only thing you can't do with this headset versus PixelBuds is voice notifications.
Another limitation is the version Android on the device. For these smart features to work, Android on the smartphone must be at least the ninth.
In this case, the first time you connect, the headset will be recognized and you will be prompted to install a software package to support smart functions.
But back to the remote control. The click of the buttons on the remote control is clear, with a distinct ringing click. I wish it were a little quieter or softer.
As far as the remote control is concerned, it's worth mentioning the quality of the microphone and talk mode right away.
And here the remote control can be forgiven for not the most successful dimensions and design.
The microphone works fine. None of the interlocutors guessed that I was speaking through the headset. All noted the good quality of speech transmission and the absence of interference and extraneous noise. I like it.
Sound
There were no complaints about the sound quality of the headset.
Sound has volume and elasticity. In general, the headset gives a very smooth sound without distortions in any direction. What I would add is transparency. But with headphones of this type, this parameter suffers from the design itself.
Liked the low frequencies. They are in sufficient quantity and do not create a barrel effect.
In addition, the headphones do an excellent job with the maximum volume, at which the sound does not rattle, does not choke, and does not crumble into grains of sand and cycle and does not drill the brain with high frequencies, as is often the case with headphones of this type.
If you try to compare the sound with similar headphones from other manufacturers, then, in my opinion, Pixel EarBuds outplay both Apple EarPods and Samsung EO-EG920 Fit. And they overplay it significantly.
For the sound quality, I can give a solid four and a half out of five.
Conclusion
Due to its design, the headset is unlikely to be suitable for use in noisy places or in the subway, since there is practically no noise insulation here, like many devices of this type. But you will hear everything that happens around, which increases safety.
Another point that surprised me is how the headset plays out. Despite the presence of rather large compensating holes in the upper outer part of the case, it plays outward much quieter than you would expect from such earbuds without ear pads.
This point is also worth considering if you are a well-mannered person and do not want to acquaint others with your musical passions.
If you add up all the pros and cons, then there will be more pros, so I can safely recommend the headset for purchase. Anyway, there are not many inexpensive wired earbuds on the market today with good sound quality and excellent microphone quality. An additional bonus will be the ability to use the capabilities of Google Assistant and translator in real time (but only if you have Android 9).