Review: Nomad’s leather cases for Pixel Buds Pro and A-Series just get better with time

Ben Schoon | Nov 29 2022 - 8:01 am PT

Pixel Buds are some of the best earbuds you can buy for an Android phone. The Pixel Buds Pro offer a premium, ANC-equipped experience with useful features while the Pixel Buds A-Series have excellent sound and even better value, but all models ship with the same white case. Nomad offers up leather cases for Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Buds A-Series and they just get better with time, as I’ve found over the past several months of use.

Truly wireless earbuds tend to be something you carry with you every day, often stuffed in a pocket or purse where they’re constantly in contact with other items. While Google’s white cases tend to hold up relatively well to that sort of abuse, my Pixel Buds A-Series had noticeable scratches within just a few days.

Scratches and scuffs on plastic are not attractive, but they look great on a leather case.

That’s a big reason I’ve kept Nomad’s leather cases on my Pixel Buds Pro over the past several months, and I’ve been super pleased with the patina they’ve been developing.

I’ve had the Nomad case on my Pixel Buds Pro for most of the time since the July release of these earbuds, and the brown leather has developed a nice patina with scratches and scuffs that add a lot of character to the look. It truly is just getting better over time. And that was the case back in 2020 with Nomad’s case for the original Pixel Buds, but I think the brown leather lends itself better to this patina versus that blue tint.

The fit of Nomad’s leather cases also seem to have improved since that original generation. Where the original Pixel Buds case was tight to a slightly annoying degree, both the A-Series and Pixel Buds Pro leather cases are much easier to slip on and off. I can take off both cases without the need of another tool, though it’s still a tricky process. The easiest method is still to jam the blunt end of a pen or eraser of a pencil to help push the earbuds out. The top section of the case also fits rather well, but I have found that it falls off a little too easily on my Pixel Buds Pro. This wasn’t the case on the A-Series version, or a black version of the Pixel Buds Pro case Nomad also sent out, so it might be and isolated case.

*Nomad leather case for Pixel Buds A-Series*

The added size of the Pixel Buds case with Nomad’s accessory on top is still pretty slim. The different is negligible, especially after you get used to carrying it around. Wireless charging also isn’t affected on Pixel Buds Pro, and the cutout for the USB-C port on both Pixel Buds Pro and A-Series is large enough to fit most cables.

I also quite appreciate the added grip the case offers in my jeans pocket, as it’s far less common that my Pixel Buds Pro will slide out of my pocket, but it doesn’t result in the case being difficult to remove from my pocket.

For Black Friday and Cyber Monday, Nomad has virtually everything in its store for 30% off (until 11/29 at 12 p.m. PT), including Pixel Buds leather cases. Without holiday pricing, Nomad’s cases range from $25 to $40 depending on model. You can also pick up the blue color exclusively on the Google Store.

Pixel Buds Pro and Pixel Buds A-Series are also currently on sale at Amazon.