- No sign of Pixel Buds Pro 3 at Google’s recent unveiling event
- Some new upgrades have come to existing buds
- …As well as a new Pixel Buds Pro 2 colorway
At the recent August Pixel 11 unveiling event, we saw some new folding (and unfolding) phones, an updated smartwatch and even a location tracker, but one member of the Pixel family who wasn’t invited was the Google Pixel Pro 3.
Despite the Google Pixel Pro 2 being practically two years old now, and the cheaper Pixel Buds 2a being nearly a year old, the brand is not updating its earbud line-up just yet.
Given that the company isn’t known for its Samsung– or Apple-style sporadic launches, (Google has typically updated with greater regularity, with true wireless earbuds landing in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2024 and 2025, most recently with the Buds 2a) that could point to an August 2027 release date for new Pro Buds.
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Maybe Google wants to keep its buds in the oven a little longer this time, given that we’ve historically not given them glowing reviews to date. If the company was truly fixated on major updates for its phones, it probably wouldn’t have released new smartphones in which the only major update is a notification LED, a feature that while nice to have, is something many a rival phone was able to boast 10 years ago.
Technically, one new pair of Google earbuds did arrive at the August 12 event: Pixel Pro 2 now come in an olive green colorway, which is on sale now. But perhaps more interesting is that some new features are coming to the Pro 2 and 2a from September.
New Pixel Buds features: the lowdown
None of the new Google Pixel Buds features are groundbreaking — or would cause those review scores to shift — but they might be useful for existing owners. Admittedly, they won’t have me dusting off my Buds 2a, but they’re worth reporting.
Firstly, you can now use the Gemini chatbot to change audio settings. Whether it’s quicker to say “Hey Google, turn the volume up” or just turn the volume up yourself, is up to you. This also works for frequencies in the mix (think, “Hey Google, turn the bass up”).
Secondly, the live translation mode can now be triggered by tapping your earbud, and the Pixel Buds will automatically hear and translate for you (the upgrade being that you no longer need to use your phone to do this).
You need a Pixel phone for that tool — and for this next one, a Pixel Watch is needed. If you go to sleep listening to music, your Google-made smartwatch will recognize this, and pause your tunes. It’ll also turn off the Buds’ touch controls and silence notifications, so you won’t be woken by a late-night WhatsApp message, say.
There’s one more feature, which sounds like the most interesting, but it’s only for the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. It’s called Dynamic ANC, and it’ll change noise cancellation based on the fit of your earbud. In practice, this means if the buds wiggle around in your ear and affect the tip seal, the Pro 2 will compensate for resulting changes in sound.
Look, it’s a welcome new feature within Google’s current Pro Buds, even if the cynical among us might suggest Google could’ve achieved the same end result by releasing new earbuds with an emphasis on fit…
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tom.bedford@hotmail.co.uk (Tom Bedford)
