Pixel Buds Pro 2 leak hints at hardware upgrades and an AirPods-inspired design change
Images show a bigger touch plate at the end
An advertisement showcasing the yet-to-be-revealed Pixel Buds Pro 2 has recently surfaced on Reddit. User Living_Series8400 claims they were looking for a protective case for their Pixel Buds on Amazon when they ran into the images on full display. Alas, they've since been removed from the source page.
The leak doesn’t reveal much information about the internals, but from what we can tell, the earbuds will have a different design. If you look closely, the capacitive touch plate occupies more room on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 than on the current model. It even sticks out a bit more. Android Central suggests the change could be due to a hardware upgrade like a bigger battery necessitating the extra room.
Google may also aim to improve the audio output, as the speaker grills are bigger than the current generation and match the touch plate color instead of plain black. Now, the question is: Is a bigger battery on the Pixel Buds Pro 2 necessary? Maybe.
The Buds Pro's battery is already pretty good, but if Google plans to introduce new hardware improvements, then yes, a better power source might be needed.
Going back to color, the earbuds are adorned in pink. 9To5Google believes the shade will either be called “Raspberry” or “Peony,” although we believe it’ll be the former. Another past leak from July 9 claimed the Pixel Buds Pro 2 will come in four different colors: Raspberry, as just mentioned, Mojito green, Porcelain white, and Haze, which is a dark gray.
Design update
Moving on to the charging case, Google is seemingly sticking with the same egg-shaped design and dimension as the older model. Images show the device nestled inside a protective case made by tech accessory brand Spigen. It looks similar to the current Buds Pro case sold by the company, even including an attachment ring on the side.
What’s interesting about the protective case is that there is a second cutout next to the USB-C port. 9To5Google argues this extra hole may point to an external speaker “for the Find My Device network.” Upon activating Find My Device, the speaker would then play an alarm to help you zero in on your earbuds.
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It's a design flourish that other earbud brands include. For example, the charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 has the same thing on the bottom.
Of course, as with every leak, take this information with a grain of salt. The details could change at any time. Until we learn more, check out TechRadar's list of the best earbuds for 2024.
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Cesar Cadenas has been writing about the tech industry for several years now specializing in consumer electronics, entertainment devices, Windows, and the gaming industry. But he’s also passionate about smartphones, GPUs, and cybersecurity.