Support our independent tech coverage. Chrome Unboxed is written by real people, for real people—not search algorithms. Join Chrome Unboxed Plus for just $2 a month to get an ad-free experience, access to our private Discord, and more. Learn more about membership here.
START FREE TRIAL (MONTHLY)START FREE TRIAL (ANNUAL)
The Pixel Buds Pro – now coming up on about a year in their life cycle – are set to get a new feature that is quite a bit more useful than what we’ve seen with recent updates like Spatial Audio. Don’t get me wrong: Spatial Audio is fun to mess around with, but it’s not exactly the most practical add-on for most users. And though it was a fun new feature for the Pixel Buds Pro, I’d wager many users don’t find a ton of usefulness in it at this point.
Clear calling is a real world upgrade
Clear Calling, on the other hand, sounds like an update that will have a pretty massive impact on overall appeal of the Pixel Buds Pro for most users. The same Clear Calling that Google rolled out to Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro at the end of 2022 is now on the way for their best in-house earbuds as well, according to a source from 9to5 Google.
For those unaware, Clear Calling on the Pixel 7 series provides callers with a smart, noise-cancelling feature that clears out background noise in favor of speech from the actual people on the phone call. Think of it like a Google Meet background blur filter for phone calls. And it applies to the other user’s phone, not the person holding the Pixel. Noise reduction via external mics has been a thing on smartphones for years, but Clear Calling takes this to the next level, singling out the person’s voice on the other end of your Pixel phone even if they are calling you from a too-noisy environment.
And now it looks like that capability is on the way to the Pixel Buds Pro, too. As many current and potential users tend to take calls with their earbuds in, Google seems to be ready to use this unique Tensor G2-driven ability in their earbuds, too. And unlike something like Spatial Audio, this is an update that I think a vast majority of people will actually take advantage of on a daily basis.
As we look at nearly a year in review on these earbuds, I’m pretty impressed with all that Google is doing. Along with head-tracked Spatial Audio, Google’s also added a proper 5-band EQ, removed gaming lag, and added left-right volume balance as well. This next update could come with a few additional features, but this Clear Calling ability alongside all the other updates Google has already added to the Pixel Buds Pro make them some of the best wireless earbuds around: especially if you are a Pixel user. Look for the Clear Calling update to arrive in the next few months.
SUBSCRIBE TO UPSTREAM
Get Chrome Unboxed delivered straight to your inbox
Upstream is our flagship, curated newsletter with the top stories, most click-worthy deals, giveaways, and trending articles from Chrome Unboxed sent directly to your inbox a few times a week. Join 31,000+ subscribers.
