There’s solid evidence the Google Pixel Buds will launch alongside the Pixel 4a

Google’s spiffy new Airpods Pro rival, the Pixel Buds 2, just passed through Bluetooth certification, indicating they may launch in the very near future.

The Bluetooth Certification appeared last night and confirms the new Pixel Buds will feature Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity.

The new Pixel Buds are the second generation headphones from Google, taking over from the dire original Pixel Buds we reviewed all the way back in 2018.

They were unveiled alongside the Pixel 4 family of phones and Pixebook Go Chromebook in October last year.

The buds originally carried a nebulous Spring 2020 release date. The certification would put the new Pixel Buds on track to meet this and match speculation they’ll be fully released alongside the hotly rumoured Pixel 4a smartphone in May.

This would be pretty cool as on paper the new Pixel Buds look pretty swish. The new earphones have a completely different design to the original Pixel Buds. Specifically they have a true-wireless, in-ear design that’s similar to the Airpods Pro. This in theory will give them a better fit and improved noise isolation compared to the originals.

As Google explained in its certification product description:

“Google Pixel buds deliver rich audio, clear calls, and hands‑free help from the Google Assistant. They are designed for your comfort, based on scans of thousands of ears. The customized, secure fit while the ambient vent keeps you open to the world around you.”

Google’s once again marketing the Pixel Buds real time translation and AI enhancements as key selling points. Real time translation was a feature debuted on the original Pixel Buds that did exactly what it said on the tin.

It let the buds translate what someone is saying in another language into the wearer’s native tongue in real time. Though this sounds great we found the feature hit and miss with real world use, hopefully Google will have improved it on the new Pixel Buds.