Google's new budget earbuds, the Pixel Buds 2a, deviate quite a bit from the Pixel Buds A-series they replace. The price point is higher, active noise-canceling (ANC) is onboard for the first time, and the design now closely matches the higher-priced Google Pixel Buds Pro 2. That sounds stellar on paper, but it also puts pressure on Google to make the Pixel Buds 2a competitive in a tougher price bracket.

After using the Pixel Buds 2a for a week, it's clear that these earbuds offer a great value proposition, at least in isolation. Google's latest budget earbuds hang with the best in this category, including the AirPods 4 and OnePlus Buds 4. The sound quality is impressive at most volumes, ANC and transparency modes are good, and the fit copies everything I love about the Pixel Buds Pro 2.

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