Don't ignore midrange earbuds - I wore Google's for a week and they left a big impression

Google Pixel Buds 2a ZDNET's key takeaways The Google Pixel Buds 2a are available for $129 in Hazel and Iris. They offer an array of software features to an extensive catalog of Android phones, which is their greatest strength. They do a lot of things, but none of them particularly well, which is common for midrange earbuds. View now at Google Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google. Nothing beats having a pocketable pair of buds that you can easily pop in your ear, take a phone call, summon your digital assistant to make a grocery list or add an event to your calendar, or simply listen to music and block out the busy environment around you. Although my AirPods are my go-to everyday earbuds, I absolutely cringe anytime an Android user buys a pair of AirPods -- I become an angel losing its wings, if you will. Why pay $250 for buds to lose access to a long list of their most handy software features? Also: These Google earbuds offer the ultimate listening experience for Android users - even on non-Pixel phones But Google's Pixel Buds 2a pose another question: do you need to buy the premium Pixel Buds Pro 2 when the Buds 2a are cheaper and promise some of the premium model's best features? How many Pixel Buds features are worth an extra $100? I wore the Buds 2a for a week to find out. Starting with audio, the Buds 2a sound good. I don't have anything especially good or bad to say about their sound profile. There's noticeable bass that sometimes muddies, present vocals, and great separation, but they have a much narrower soundstage than the Pixel Buds Pro 2, even with spatial audio enabled. I prefer the treble to be brighter, and fortunately, Google offers a five-band equalizer that helped my cause. I won't pick up the Buds 2a for a deep listening session, but they do the trick for passive listening when I'm at the gym or meandering through the grocery store. Google equipped the Buds 2a with the same Tensor AI chip that powers the earbuds' noise-canceling abilities. However, Google says the Buds Pro 2 feature Silent Seal 2.0 out of the gate, whereas the Buds 2a have Silent Seal 1.5. Also: Your Google Pixel Buds just got 4 audio upgrades for free - including a big one for gestures It's difficult to quantify the supposed half-step improvement in noise cancellation that the Buds Pro 2 offer over the Buds 2a, although their lesser performance is noticeable in noisy environments. Aside from the audible noise floor when active noise cancellation (ANC) is enabled, the Buds 2a do a fine job at muffling exterior noises. Jada Jones/ZDNET At the gym, the overhead music and clanking weights were an overwhelming opponent for the Buds 2a's ANC. However, if you'd rather not use powerful ANC, whether to avoid the clogging feeling in your ear or to stay semi-aware of your surroundings, the Buds 2a are a solid option. You can count on them to significantly reduce noise in your surroundings without creating a bubble of ANC around you. Still, the Pixel Buds 2a's fit is their greatest strength, and is the primary reason why the noise cancellation works as well as it does. They fit snug in my ears, thanks to the earbuds' wingtips. They stayed in my ears during bouts on the treadmill, sets of sit-ups, and a session of at-home yoga with minimal adjustments. The Buds 2a sport an IP54 rating, making them protected from dust and water splashes. So, if you stash the earbuds in your pocket, they should be protected from lint. If you wear them to the gym or in light rain, you should be fine. However, the charging case has an IPX4 rating, meaning it wasn't formally tested for dust ingress, so you'll want to keep its charging port free of dust. The Buds 2a support Gemini integration, provided your smartphone natively supports it or can download the Gemini app. This feature on the Buds 2a, just like any other earbuds with digital assistant compatibility, is less impressive on the buds' end, since your smartphone does the majority of the heavy lifting. Also: I'm a longtime Pixel fan - but I'm skipping the latest model, and here's why Still, something I greatly appreciate about the Pixel Buds line is that they are extensively compatible with Android devices, not just Pixel smartphones and tablets. Older Android phones running software as late as Android 6 can access the Pixel Buds' in-ear Google Translate compatibility and Google Assistant features, allowing hands-free functions, such as making phone calls, sending texts, setting reminders, or checking the weather. Jada Jones/ZDNET Android devices running Android 10 or later can replace Google Assistant with Gemini to complete more complex tasks, such as summarizing emails from Gmail or creating music playlists. All you need to do is download the Gemini app. For reference, the most recent version of Android is 16. To put this capability in perspective, Samsung's and Apple's earbud translation features are not only limited to Galaxy and iOS devices, respectively, but also require devices to support the latest software. With recent AI-powered upgrades to Google Translate, a larger number of Android devices can now maximize the earbuds' capabilities. ZDNET's buying advice The Google Pixel Buds 2a are a solid midrange option for people who have multiple Android devices and want a pair of earbuds that can support their daily audio needs without breaking the bank. If you can't justify the price of Google's premium earbuds, the Buds 2a are a great second choice. In the audio department, the Buds 2a don't do anything particularly spectacular or particularly terrible -- their audio, noise cancellation, and transparency mode abilities are perfectly middle-of-the-line. The earbuds excel in their software compatibility with an extensive range of Android devices, making them ideal for users with older Android devices, as well as those with a new smartphone and an older tablet, or those with a Pixel phone and an Android tablet. Still, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are $100 more for a reason. They deliver advanced features, such as conversation detection, low-latency gaming mode, longer battery life, wireless charging, beamforming microphones, and more robust hearing protection features.