The Google Pixel Buds‘ best feature – the ability to translate languages in real time – is coming to all headphones that have the Google Assistant built in.
Google revealed the news quietly via the support page for the Pixel Buds, as spotted by Droid-Life. Now, all users with Assistant-optimised headphones will be able to translate between 40 different languages.
Users will hear spoken languages translated into their native tongue, while they can use the Google Translate app on their Android smartphone in order to craft their responses. The support page reads: “Google Translate is available on all Assistant-optimised headphones and Android phones.”
There are a number of high-end Assistant-enabled headphones already available, including the Sony 1000X M3, Bose QC35II, JBL Everest 110GA, JBL Everest 710GA, Sony WF-SP700N, Sony WI-SP600N and Earin M-2 The addition of the feature to other headphones is a boost, considering the £159 Pixel Buds themselves are such a hard sell.
Related: Best headphones 2018
In our review of Google’s first headphones hardware – announced in October 2017 – Rich Easton awarded the buds just 4/10. He called them fiddly and inelegant, and criticised the non-isolating sound. He also said they were cumbersome to use across multiple devices.
He wrote: “The Pixel Buds are an ambitious attempt at high-tech headphones but they’re poorly executed and limited by a need for a Pixel phone if you want to use them to their full potential. While I can appreciate some of the ambition, the execution leaves a lot to be desired meaning you should probably pass on this first attempt.”
Perhaps a second-gen product would relieve some of these issues? We can probably expect those in October next year.
Are you a fan of the real-time translation feature on the Google Pixel Buds headphones? Are you glad to see it launch on other devices? Drop us a line @TrustedReviews on Twitter.
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Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
