Sick of AirPods? Google’s Pixel Buds Pro 2 Earbuds Are Cheaper Now Than Ever.

Everybody’s got ’em. AirPods, that is. And while Apple’s wireless earbuds are very good, they also reserve some of their best features for users of Apple devices. Siri, “Find My” device locating integration, and features of the sort work slickly and easily with iPhones, Macs, and iPads. Not so much with Android devices.

Plus, do you hate the abbreviated toothbrush-hanging-out-of-your-ear look? There’s another option. Google’s Pixel Buds are more device agnostic than AirPods, and they work just as well with Android devices—obvious, given that Android is a Google operating system—as they do with other devices.

Now they’re on sale for the lowest price we’ve seen, matched most recently around Black Friday of 2024. Being marked down 22% off their retail price, these ‘buds are selling for $179.

a full-featured pair of earbuds

Active noise cancellation? Check. I’d never go back to passive noise cancellation in a pair of earbuds; it’s truly the worst of both worlds. Not only does ANC block out ambient noise more effectively (by tuning its own sound waves to cancel out the sound waves of background noise), but you can set a passthrough mode that lets you hear your surroundings while still receiving audio through your ‘buds.

That’s an understated feature of a pair of everyday earbuds. Walking around town with earbuds in marks you as a sucker for pickpockets and thieves, but at the very least if you’re going to do it, having a pair of earbuds with passthrough sound means you’ll be able to hear traffic’s car horns and cyclists’ dinging bells, adding an element of safety.

Everybody’s ears are different, and so for fitment we look at the thousands of Amazon customer reviews. Most buyers seem happy with the Pixel Buds Pro 2s’ secure fit in their ears, although for strenuous activity they could topple out of your ears, just as AirPods do when I lay down on my back for bench presses or try to walk an unruly pup.

Although Amazon’s Spring Sale starts on Tuesday, March 25, I’d be surprised if these go on much more of a sale than the 22% off they are right now.