Google recently announced its latest truly wireless earbuds under the moniker of the Pixel Buds-A series. The device is a trimmed down version of the original Buds, removing features such as gesture-based navigations and wireless charging. The new Pixel Buds have been revealed to be launched initially in the United States and Canada. Today, Google confirmed that it will be launching the new earbuds in India and that they will be available via E-commerce site Flipkart when they do launch. The launch date, however, is not fixed, as per a tweet by the company, but an official announcement should be done quite soon, if not in a day or two. In case you missed it, the Buds A-series will be on sale in the US and Canada starting June 17 for $99 or Rs 7,300. Google has cut down on some features in order to assure that the cost is low. The budget earbuds have opted out of features like wireless charging and swipe controls for volume related controls. In terms of the features, Google claims that the A-series Buds can provide the same sound quality as the original Buds. The buds feature 12mm custom dynamic drivers that promise to deliver full, clear and natural sound. To add to this, another key feature that is available on the Pixel Buds A-series is Adaptive Sound, which can increase or decrease the volume based on your surroundings. During calls, to offer a better experience during calls, the buds make use of beamforming mics in order to focus on your voice and reduce the outside noise. They also come with support for Google Assistant, with users having been provided with the option to simply state commands like “Hey Google, play my music.” When it comes to miscellaneous features, the buds come with an IPX4 rating for sweat and splash resistance. The A-series buds can deliver five hours of battery life on a single charge, with the charging case providing a total of 24 hours worth of battery life. There is also fast charging support, which is a very nifty feature.
Will the Buds Sell in India?
The India truly-wireless buds segment is quite hotly contested, with local companies like BoAT and Noise accounting for a good chunk of the sales despite offering half decent products. Top brands like Samsung and Apple have brand recognition in the country, with some of the former’s options usually on sale. As for the Pixel Buds A-series, the earbuds are pretty good, but pricing will be key. The Indian crowd does not believe in features as a whole; rather, it keeps pricing as a key determiner. If Google manages to price the buds relatively competitively, we can expect them to sell well, as the Hey Google functionality is a boon in most instances. Only time will tell whether these buds will do well or fail, much like some of Google’s mobile offerings, but regardless of the sales figures, they should be a pair of reliable yet feature-rich truly wireless earbuds.
