Google Announces Cheaper Pixel Buds

Almost two years after it launched its Pixel Buds earbuds, Google is back with a cheaper version called the Pixel Buds A-Series. The price? Just $99.

“When we first introduced our truly wireless Pixel Buds, we were most excited about how such a small product could pack so much functionality,” Google’s Austine Chang writes. “Now, we’re making that same premium sound quality, along with hands-free help from Google Assistant and real-time translation, available at an affordable price.”

The Pixel Buds A-Series are thematically similar to the Pixel 3a and Pixel 4a series smartphones in that they deliver the most important features of their predecessors but at a much lower cost. In this case, they’re almost half the cost, as the original Pixel Buds launched at $179.

The Pixel Buds A-Series still lack active noise cancelation (ANC), but they do feature Adaptive Sound, which increases or decreases the volume based on your surroundings. And beamforming microphones help the buds to focus on your voice and reduce external noises during phone calls.

The Pixel Buds A-Series will be available in Clearly White, which features gray undertones, and Dark Olive. They provide up to five hours of listening time on a single charge or up to 24 hours using the charging case. And you can get 3 hours of listening time with about 15 minutes of case charging.

The Pixel Buds A-Series are now available for pre-order in the U.S. and Canada and will ship to customers by June 17. You can learn more at the Google Store.