AirPods 5 vs Google Pixel Buds Pro 2

Google announced Pixel Buds Pro 2 on 13 August 2024 and put them on shelves from 26 September 2024. AirPods 5 came two years later: Apple announced them on 9 September 2026, in stores from 18 September 2026. Both cancel noise, but they’re built for different phones and different ears, and either difference can settle the choice before any spec does.

AirPods 5 and Pixel Buds Pro 2 side by side

Spec	AirPods 5	Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
Announced	9 September 2026	13 August 2024
US price	$129, or $149 with the Wireless Charging Case	$229 list
Full features on	Apple devices	Android 6.0 or newer, with a Google Account
Fit	Open, one size, no tips	Sealed; four tip sizes and a twist-to-adjust stabilizer
Chip	H2	Tensor A1 in each bud
Driver	Not published	11mm
Noise cancellation	Active Noise Cancellation on both models	Silent Seal 2.0
Listening, noise cancellation on	Up to 4 hours, or 5 with the Wireless Charging Case	Up to 8 hours
Case charging	USB-C; Apple Watch charger and Qi on the wireless model	USB-C and Qi
Dust and water	IP57, buds and case	IP54 buds; IPX4 case
Weight, one bud	4.3 g	4.7 g with a medium tip
Hearing features	No hearing aid feature	Hearing Wellness, Loud Noise Protection
Bluetooth	5.3	5.4
Codec list	Not published	Not published

Your phone decides most of it

AirPods 5 save their full feature set for Apple devices. Siri AI comes as a beta in iOS 27, in English first, not at first in the EU on iOS, iPadOS and watchOS, and not for users under 13. Live Translation is a beta that doesn’t cover every language or region, and hands-free Siri works, as it does on all AirPods. On an Android phone, AirPods 5 are Bluetooth headphones with limited features.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 are the mirror image. They’ll pair with anything on Bluetooth 4.0 or newer, iPhone included, but the Pixel Buds app, Gemini and head-tracked spatial audio need Android 6.0 or newer and a Google Account. Head tracking also needs a Pixel 6 or newer (not the A-series) or a Pixel Tablet, plus an app that supports it, and Gemini depends on your account, country and subscription. The app is where you’ll find the five-band equalizer, and the case has a speaker so you can make it ring when it goes missing. Google says the buds switch between your devices, but it doesn’t say whether they connect to two at once.

Open fit or a seal

AirPods 5 come in one size with nothing to swap; Apple calls it an all-day, open-ear fit. Each bud weighs 4.3 grams. If tips have never stayed comfortable in your ears, this is the pair that doesn’t ask you to try another size.

Pixel Buds Pro 2 go the other way, with four tips (extra small, small, the medium that comes fitted, and large) and a twist-to-adjust stabilizer that you turn for a tighter or a looser fit. Each bud weighs 4.7 grams with the medium tip. If stem-style buds have always slipped out of your ears, this is the design to try. Google lists the same 25.0 × 49.9 × 63.3 mm for a bud as for the case, so that figure tells you nothing about the size of a bud.

The fit also changes how noise cancellation feels. AirPods 5 cancel noise with your ear canal open, so the room stays more audible than it would behind a seal. Apple says they remove up to 50 percent more noise than AirPods 4 with Active Noise Cancellation, and Google says Silent Seal 2.0 cancels up to twice as much as the previous Pixel Buds Pro; both claims are against each company’s older buds, not against each other. When you want to hear the room, AirPods 5 have Transparency, Adaptive Audio and Conversation Awareness, which lowers playback when you speak, and Pixel Buds Pro 2 have Transparency and Conversation Detection.

AirPods 5 are rated IP57, buds and case. Pixel Buds Pro 2 are rated IP54, with an IPX4 case. Neither pair is for swimming, and Apple adds that its rating isn’t permanent and that you shouldn’t charge the buds wet.

On an iPhone but want a seal? Apple’s sealed pair is covered in AirPods 5 vs AirPods Pro 3.

Battery: Pixel Buds Pro 2 last longer

Mode	AirPods 5, $129	AirPods 5, $149	Pixel Buds Pro 2
Noise cancellation on	Up to 4 hours	Up to 5 hours	Up to 8 hours
Noise cancellation off	Up to 6 hours	Up to 7 hours	Up to 12 hours
With the case, noise cancellation on	Up to 20 hours	Up to 22 hours	Up to 30 hours
With the case, noise cancellation off	Not published	Not published	Up to 48 hours
Five minutes of charging	About an hour	About an hour	About an hour and a half, noise cancellation off

With noise cancellation on, Pixel Buds Pro 2 run twice as long as the $129 AirPods 5 between charges. Google also says 15 minutes of charging gives about 3 hours.

Charging differs too. The $129 AirPods 5 case charges over USB-C only; the $149 Wireless Charging Case adds an Apple Watch charger and Qi, and Apple lists no MagSafe support for it. Pixel Buds Pro 2 charge over USB-C or Qi. Google’s 65.0 grams for the Pixel case includes the earbuds, so it can’t be set against the 32.3 and 34.7 grams Apple gives for the two AirPods 5 cases.

Chips, drivers and controls

AirPods 5 run on Apple’s H2 chip, and their case has no ultra-wideband chip. Pixel Buds Pro 2 put a Tensor A1 chip in each bud, play through an 11mm driver, and take taps and swipes on the bud itself.

Price and what’s in the box

AirPods 5 cost $129, and $20 more buys the $149 model with the Wireless Charging Case. Even that one costs less than the $229 Google listed for Pixel Buds Pro 2, though Google’s own store had them for $189 on 19 September 2026. Sale prices come and go, so compare apple.com and the Google Store on the day you buy.

The Pixel box includes all four tip sizes, and the buds come in Porcelain, Olive, Peony and Hazel on Google’s store; Google’s 2024 announcement also named Wintergreen. Apple pictures AirPods 5 in white and lists no USB-C cable in the box.