The Google Pixel Buds Series A Are the Best Earbuds for Under $100

The newest Google Pixel Buds A-Series are the best, sub-$100 wireless earbuds you can buy. In fact, if you didn’t know the pricing, you’d never guess the “A” stands for affordability.

Though they are certainly similar to Google’s previous Pixel Buds 2, which are now available for just $129, the Pixel Buds A are even lighter weight and come in a Dark Olive color as well as the original Clearly White.

But what we love, like, really adore, about these headphones is how fantastic they fit in your ears and how great they sound for the $99 price tag.

Price and Availability: The Google Pixel Buds A-Series earbuds are available now for $99 at Walmart, Best Buy, B&H Photo, and the Google Store.

Why We Chose It: Here’s a little secret. Before last year, we couldn’t wear earbuds. Oh, how we tried. But those little buggers kept falling out of our obviously misshapen ear canals. And then, everything changed. With the advent of new technology and design in the headphone space, earbuds were finally being made for everyone.

Earlier this year, we were thrilled with the fit and sound of the Samsung Galaxy Earbuds Pro, but even on sale as they are on Amazon right now, they are still an investment. Which is why these Google Pixel Buds A-Series caught our eye. Not only are these wireless earbuds stylish and comfortable, but they are so very affordable. Yes, they are technically a downgrade from the pricier Google Pixel Buds 2, but for under $100 they come with a charging case, touch controls, Google Assistant integration and upgraded mic technology for better speech quality during calls.

Inside, they come loaded with a 12mm speaker driver and dual microphones. The compact case does not have wireless charging, but the earbuds come packaged with a USB-C cable.

Why You Need It: The new Google Pixel Buds Series A feel good. We got the Dark Olive color and they certainly don’t look like a sub-$100 product. The case is a rounded rectangle and uses a magnet to to keep the ear buds secure—though they are also easy to pull out when you’re ready.

But, once again, we’re going to sing the praises of the comfortable design, which in addition to being extremely lightweight and discreet, are also outfitted with a small fin which lodges into the ear to keep it stabilized. And we say, “hallelujah” to that. We put them through the wringer, too, starting with long walks and ending with a boot camp class. At no time did the Pixel Buds A even threaten to fall out.

The touch controls are simple, just tap them once to stop audio and again to start it—which we did quite often when we took them to shop at Trader Joe’s. For volume, you’ll either have to use your device or ask Google to raise or lower the sound.

Sound quality is impressive considering the price point. An adaptive sound mode will automatically pump up the volume depending on your ambient noise and our kids liked the bass boost for their Polo G listening.

They also did a great job letting us make and take phone calls, either at home or on the busy streets of Downtown Brooklyn. Background noise was kept at bay while we chatted and nobody complained that they couldn’t hear us—even in the noisier atmospheres.

The Pixel Buds A gave us about four hours of battery life on one charge and they are IPX4 water-resistant, so though we wouldn’t wear them in the pool, we felt comfortable getting stuck in the rain.

What Others Are Saying: PC Magazine thinks these comfortable Google ear buds are a great deal for under $100. “Last year’s Pixel Buds were disappointing, offering mediocre sound quality plagued with Bluetooth artifacts at a too-high price of $179. Google’s Pixel Buds A-Series look the same, but they cost a lot less at $99 and they fix most of the audio issues we experienced with their predecessors, with clean, balanced sound. Most importantly, they continue to deliver the best hands-free Google Assistant voice control you’ll find in any pair of true wireless earphones.”

Forbes thinks Google got it right with the Pixel Buds A. “The A-Series feels like the search company wiping the slate clean and having another go at an originally promising—but ultimately flawed—pair of smart earbuds. I can comfortably say the slate is near spotless and Google has created a well-executed pair of earbuds that largely deliver on their promise. At this price, they’re hard to ignore for casual users.”

Final Conclusion: For under $100, Android users cannot do better than these comfortable, well-designed earbuds from Google. We love the ease of use, the elegant, slim design, built-in Google Assistant and the amazingly stable rubber fin that hold them in your ears.