Update, Mar 30 (7:30 pm ET): New information emerges about the Pixel Buds A
What you need to know
- A new "wireless device" has been spotted in the FCC.
- It's likely that these are a new model of Google Pixel Buds set to be launched later this year.
- The FCC filing could point to better connectivity, but specs are largely unknown.
Last year's Google Pixel Buds (2020) were a step up from the original model that launched in 2019, finally ditching the wire after most Bluetooth earbuds already transitioned to the "truly wireless" form factor. While the Pixel Buds are among the best wireless earbuds on the market, there's always room for improvement. As it turns out, we may not have to wait too long to see those improvements, thanks to a new FCC filing for a new pair of Pixel Buds.
9to5Google spotted filings for two devices that can likely be attributed to Google. The model numbers, "GPQY2" and "G7YPJ," are similar to that of other Google products, and it's likely that they each represent each separate earbud, given that's how Google filed last year's model. 9to5Google also pointed out that the device dimensions, 27x20x15mm, closely match that of the previous model.
The FCC filing doesn't really give any notable details about the specs. Still, it seems the power output has been increased on this new model, which should help address concerns about connection problems that plagued last year's model. Given Google's tendency to play catch-up with its earbuds, we may finally get active noise canceling, a common feature on the latest earbuds like the Samsung Galaxy Buds Pro.
Clues in the FCC filing indicate that a launch could probably happen sometime this summer, meaning they could arrive alongside the Google Pixel 5a and just in time for the Google Pixel 6 later this year.
Update, Mar 30 (7:30 pm ET) ― The name and colors of the upcoming Pixel Buds have reportedly been revealed
According to information gathered by 9to5Google, the upcoming earbuds will be called the Pixel Buds A. It's unclear why Google went with a letter instead of a number, but it could suggest a cheaper alternative, similar to devices like the Google Pixel 4a 5G.
The earbuds will reportedly look nearly identical to the current pair but with a new set of colors. This includes an all-white colorway and a darker green, and it's likely to match the available colors for the rumored Google Pixel 5a. Besides that, the Buds could function and appear more or less the same, although that may disappoint some like our own Ara Wagoner, who hopes to see a few changes to Google's next Pixel Buds.
