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The second-gen Pixel Buds (pictured) will *probably* be succeeded by the Pixel Buds A at this week's Google I/O.

The second-gen Pixel Buds (pictured) will *probably* be succeeded by the Pixel Buds A at this week’s Google I/O.

Image: google

SAVE $20: Google’s second-gen Pixel Buds are on sale at Walmart for $159.99 as of May 17 — that’s 11% off their usual retail price of $179.99.


The dust is settling after Samsung and Apple‘s late-April product announcements, which means Google is next up to bat. The tech giant’s annual I/O developer conference is back (in virtual form) this Tuesday, May 18, after being canceled last year due to the pandemic — and based on what we know so far thanks to a busy rumor mill, it should be chock full of big reveals.

One thing we can say mostly for sure is that Google will likely announce a new pair of wireless earbuds called the Pixel Buds A, a successor to 2020’s excellent second-gen Pixel Buds (Google’s answer to Apple’s non-Pro AirPods). Initially leaked in a marketing email last month, not much is known about the Pixel Buds A so far aside from a new green colorway, but they’ll presumably be a cheaper take on last year’s model. (“Google usually puts that letter ‘A’ at the end of product names to denote that they’re slightly trimmed down, budget-friendly alternatives,” says Mashable tech reporter Alex Perry.)

SEE ALSO: Which AirPods competitor is worth your money?

We’re eager to see exactly how Google prices the Pixel Buds A given the fact that the standard Pixel Buds are already pretty reasonable at $179.99. In fact, they’re even cheaper than usual ahead of I/O: Walmart had the Clearly White variant on sale for just $159.99 as of May 17, which is a solid $20 savings (or just over 10% off).

Perry took the Pixel Buds for a test drive this time last year and concluded that they actually managed to “beat the standard AirPods in a few key ways” — they look better (there’s no “awkward stem”), they’re way more comfortable (“You’ll barely realize they’re in your ears”), and they even sound “a tiny bit better.” Hands-free Google Assistant integration and up to 24 hours of power with an included charging case were big pluses in his book, too.

Note that the Pixel Buds do *not* include adaptive noise cancellation — only a meh adaptive sound feature — but as Perry pointed out, Google probably omitted that feature to keep their price low. (Read Perry’s full review at Mashable here.)

All things considered, they’re definitely in the top of their league as far as mid-range earbuds go — don’t miss out on your chance to grab a pair on sale.

Google's Pixel Buds are on sale for $20 off ahead of its I/O event

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