Pixel Buds Pro 2 leak hints at hardware upgrades and an AirPods-inspired design change
An ad recently surfaced showing off the yet-to-be-revealed Pixel Buds Pro 2 on Reddit. User Living_Series8400 claims they were looking for a protective case for their Pixel Buds on Amazon when they came across the full-screen images. Unfortunately, they have since been removed from the source page.
The leak doesn’t reveal much about the internals, but from what we can tell, the earbuds will have a different design. If you look closely, the capacitive touch plate takes up more space 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 the result of a hardware upgrade, such as a larger battery, which would require more space.
Google may also want to improve the audio output, given that the speaker grilles are larger than the current generation and match the color of the touch plate instead of just 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 push out further hardware improvements, a better power source might be needed.
Back to the color: the earbuds are pink. 9to5Google Microsoft believes the shade will be called either “Raspberry” or “Peony,” though we believe it’ll be the former. Another leak from back in the day, 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
Speaking of the charging case, Google appears to be sticking with the same egg-shaped design and dimensions as the older model. Images show the device in a protective case from tech accessory brand Spigen. It looks similar to the current Buds Pro case sold by the company, even featuring a mounting ring on the side.
What’s interesting about the protective case is that there’s a second cutout next to the USB-C port. 9To5Google claims that this extra hole could be an external speaker “for the Find My Device network.” When Find My Device is enabled, the speaker will supposedly play an alarm to help you find your earbuds.
It’s a design extravaganza that other earbud brands have too. For example, the charging case for the AirPods Pro 2 has the same thing on the bottom.
Of course, as with any leak, take this information with a grain of salt. The details could change at any moment. Until we know more, check out TechRadar’s list of the best earbuds for 2024.
