If there’s one thing an A-series Pixel device is known for, it’s giving you a lot for a little less. That’s to say the “A” signifier connotes value, and that applies to Google’s Pixel phones, but also to Pixel Buds, the company’s line of wireless earbuds. In keeping with that A-series reputation, the Pixel Buds A-series were a good value when they were released in 2021. For $99, they’re fairly feature-rich and leaned into a design that was comfortable and provided enough passive noise cancellation to satisfy lots of people who bought them. There was one thing they didn’t have, though: active noise cancellation, better known as ANC.
That may have been fine for the time, but this is 2025, and while companies might’ve been able to get away with ANC-less wireless earbuds a few years ago, even today’s more budget-friendly picks come with the ability to cancel noise both actively and passively. Clearly, Google knows that, which is why the Pixel Buds 2a add ANC and still manage to keep the price down. That’s a tantalizing deal on paper, but there’s a lot that goes into making a pair of wireless earbuds worth buying in this day and age, which begs the question: are Google’s A-series Pixel Buds still a great value?
Pixel Buds 2a The Pixel Buds 2a are comfy ANC buds with an affordable price tag. 4 Pros ANC is better than expected
Comfy fit
Iris color looks great
Love the "twist-to-adjust stabilizer" Cons Some weird quirks with ANC
Sound is just okay
No personalized EQ
No Pixel Buds app on iOS
More money, more noise canceling
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