Google Pixel Buds Pro

Comment: I can’t stop thinking about Pixel Buds Pro’s 11-hour battery life

Ben Schoon | Jun 10 2022 - 8:07 am PT

It’s been almost a month since Google unveiled the Pixel Buds Pro, the culmination of its three prior pairs of earbuds. There’s a lot to love about the active noise cancellation, audio promises, and more, but I still can’t stop thinking about Pixel Buds Pro will top the charts with 11-hour battery life.

Pixel Buds Pro bring a lot to the table

First things first, let’s look at the big picture on Pixel Buds Pro, and what all they offer. These earbuds are packed across the board, with a $199 price tag delivering support for key features.

The earbuds come with 11mm drivers, active noise cancellation, support for a transparency mode, and “active in-ear pressure relief.” That last bit is enticing for me personally, as someone who hates the “plugged” feeling that most in-ear buds lend themselves to. It’s a key reason why I was a huge supporter of the “vent” in Pixel Buds and A-Series – it was just more comfortable than everything else.

Pixel Buds Pro also bring back some of the flagship features the A-Series lacks. Touch controls get swipes for volume back, and the charging case picks up wireless charging again.

The whole package is just so good on paper, but the thing I can’t stop thinking about is battery life.

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Pixel Buds Pro have the best battery life

11 hours.

That’s how long Google claims the earbuds on their own will last on a single change. No dropping it back in the case to keep going. That’s more than a full workday of battery life from the Pixel Buds Pro, and it’s kind of incredible.

With Active Noise Cancellation off, up to 11 hours of earbuds listening time, and up to 31 hours total listening time with the charging case.

That number drops, of course, when ANC is turned on, but seven hours with the feature turned on is still amazing to see.

How does the rest of the market compare? Here’s a look at some of Google’s biggest rivals:

Google Pixel Buds Pro – 11 hours ANC off/7 hours ANC on
Apple AirPods Pro – 5 hours ANC off/4.5 hours ANC on
Galaxy Buds Pro – 8 hours ANC off/5 hours ANC on
Galaxy Buds 2 – 6 hours ANC off/5 hours ANC on
Sony WF-1000XM4 – 6 hours ANC off/5.5 hours ANC on
Sony LinkBuds S – 9 hours ANC off/6 hours ANC on
Jabra Elite 7 Pro – “Up to 8 hours” – Full stats not available
Beats Studio Buds – 8 hours ANC off/5 hours ANC on
OnePlus Buds Pro – 7 hours ANC off/5 hours ANC on
Nothing Ear (1) – 5.7 hours ANC off/4 hours ANC on

If you’ll notice in that list, nothing crosses the 10-hour mark, with Sony’s new LinkBuds S being the closest at nine hours when ANC is turned off. Pixel Buds Pro are breaking new ground in today’s market, but they aren’t the first earbuds to cross that market.

Galaxy Buds+ were the last earbuds to hit this total

In 2020, Samsung launches the Galaxy Buds+ which were the first truly wireless earbuds to push battery life to its limits. Galaxy Buds+ were able to hit 11 hours of battery life from the buds themselves, then pack an additional full charge in the case. It was a stunning achievement at the time, and made them a favorite for many.

In mid-2020, we said that the Galaxy Buds+ were still some of the best earbuds around, in part because of their excellent battery life.

Samsung’s earbuds are most notable for their ridiculously good battery life. The buds on their own manage 11 hours on a single charge with another 11 hours ready to go within the carrying case. The vast majority of people won’t ever use their earbuds more than even 4 hours at a time, but what’s awesome about the Galaxy Buds+ is that you’ll never have battery anxiety.

And honestly, if battery life is hugely important to you, Galaxy Buds+ are still your best bet, as that focus has really become less important on newer earbuds. But Samsung did discontinue that model in 2021.

How did Samsung pull it off? Well for one, earbuds were a bit simpler back then, not focusing on features like transparency modes and active noise cancellation. But more importantly, Samsung used a custom chip to help optimize everything for better endurance.

Not so ironically, it seems that’s how Google is hitting the same total with Pixel Buds Pro battery life. Thanks to some intensive talent-hiring over the past couple of years, Google has built a custom chip to help deliver the best possible experience on Pixel Buds Pro, from the audio to the battery.

We will, of course, have to wait for Pixel Buds Pro to actually hit the market to properly judge them. After all, Google has a rocky history for earbuds. Pixel Buds Pro release in July.