-
The winner
Sony WF-1000XM5
Excellent sound quality and robust ANC
It’s hard to beat all the mainstream thrills, customization options, and supreme audio performance that a pair of Sony WF-1000XM5 buds bring to the table. Even though Sony’s latest flagship in-ears have been out for a minute and cost a little more than the competition, you truly get what you pay for with these premium earbuds!
Pros- Crisp-clear treble and midrange
- Warm and full-bellied bass
- Some of the best in-ear ANC
- Sound Connect app is great
Cons- Expensive
- Gesture customization could be better
-
Second best
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
A must for Google devotees
We love the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 (just not as much as we love the Sony XM5). If you already own your fair share of Google hardware, you’ll feel right at home with the PBP2. These Google in-ears look cool, sound great, and deliver exceptional ANC and battery life.
Pros- Great sound quality
- Comfortable and secure
- Solid ANC and excellent transparency
- Cheaper than the XM5
Cons- Pixel Buds Pro app is Android-only
- Limited to SBC and AAC codecs (at this time)
Comparing some of the best wireless earbuds can be a challenge, especially when you’re forced to put two incredible choices side by side. Our latest debacle finds us pitting the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, a Gen 2 release, against the Sony WF-1000XM5, the newest member of Sony’s in-ear flagship family. But the point isn’t to dissuade you from going with one pair over the other; it’s to help you hone in on the buds that best suit you.
In today’s battle of the buds, we’ll weigh in on aspects like design, sound quality, ANC, and battery life. And while we anticipate a few draws, what we’re most interested in are the minor differences between both of these premium products.
Price, availability, and specifications
Google wins the price fight
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are priced at $230 and can be purchased at major retailers like Amazon, Best Buy, and the Google Store. The Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds retail for $300, but can often be found on sale for as low as $250. You can buy the XM5 through major retailers like Amazon and Best Buy and directly through Sony.
As for how the two match up when it comes to specs, take a look below:
Read Our Review
The Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are a bright spot in a dull market
A perfect fit with a little extra flair
Read Our Review
Sony WF-1000XM5 review: The buds to beat
Great audio + great ANC + great battery life = great earbuds
Design, fit, and controls
Comfort and stability across the board
When it comes to overall comfort and a secure fit, it’s hard to go wrong with either pair of premium earbuds. Both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Sony XM5 feature ergonomic designs with reduced bulk and increased stability (especially when compared to the previous generation of both buds). You’ll get four pairs of ear tips in the box with both pairs of buds, but the Pixel Buds Pro 2 even include small wings for enhanced in-ear anchoring.
In our experience, the memory foam ear tips that come with the Sony XM5 buds do a nice job of keeping them lodged in your ears and forming a solid seal. This bodes well for those trying to block out as much background noise as possible.
Bud controls for both models are handled by single, double, triple-tap, and long-press commands to flat touch points on the back of each bud. These gestures control everything from play/pause to track skipping, volume, and voice assistants.
If you’re into exciting colorways, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 offers four great choices: Porcelain, Hazel, Wintergreen, and Peony (an Android Police fan favorite). And while Sony’s Black and Silver colorways look modern and cool, too, the newer Smoky Pink option is $50 more than the other two choices. (Each Pixel Buds Pro 2 color option is the same $230 price).
Software
One is nicer to iOS devices
The Pixel Buds 2 Pro use Google’s latest Tensor A1 chip and support Bluetooth 5.4 with LE Audio; the WF-1000XM5 use Sony’s V2 Integrated processor and QN2e Noise-Canceling Processor. The XM5 support Bluetooth 5.3, though we’re assuming the older version is simply because the XM5 earbuds have been out longer than the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
However, flagship performance for a pair of earbuds is more than just state-of-the-art speaker drivers and audio processing; the best true wireless products should have rock-solid companion apps, too, complete with a myriad of useful features, settings, and unique customizations. If you care about the bells and whistles, we’re going to say that Sony’s Sound Connect app (for iOS and Android) gives you more ways to personalize your XM5 experience.
That said, do keep in mind that if you’re all about gesture customizing, the Sound Connect app doesn’t let you program different left-bud-right-bud commands for the same gesture.
Now, this doesn’t mean that we don’t love the Google Pixel Buds app. Google’s software lets you do most things you’d expect an earbud companion app to let you do, including sound customization with a five-band EQ, bud location with a Find My feature, gesture customization, updates, and more. One thing to keep in mind, though, is Google’s mobile software is Android-only, while the Sound Connect app is available for iOS and Android.
A couple of things to note: our Pixel Buds Pro 2 reviewer had a hard time enabling Bluetooth Multipoint (a feature that is enabled by default on the Sony XM5) and found that the Find My function relied too much on phone proximity.
Sound and call quality
One is better out of the box
We won’t beat around the bush: both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Sony XM5 deliver incredible sound quality. That being said, we do think the XM5 buds provide a slightly more complete out-of-the-box audio experience. And they do so with smaller drivers (8.4mm) than the 11mm units you’ll find on the Pixel Buds Pro 2.
This means brighter and more articulate treble and midrange, with warm and full-bellied bass underneath. The XM5 buds are terrific from one genre to the next, and if you’re looking for a little more high or low, the Headphones Connect app comes loaded with different EQ presets, along with the ability to create your sound profile. We were also impressed by how good the XM5 sounded during phone and video calls.
Related
Sony WF-1000XM5 vs. WF-1000XM4: Battle of the buds
How do the new Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds stack up against the brand’s older flagship model?
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are nothing to shake a stick at, though. Our reviewer thought the default audio settings lacked bass, but a quick tweak or two in the Pixel Buds Pro app cleared this up. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 sounded great from one genre to the next, and we thought they made for precise and reliable earbuds for phone and video calls, too.
As for hi-res listening, the XM5 will be the better option. Not only do the Sony buds support the SBC and AAC codecs, but you’ll also be able to listen to Sony LDAC tracks. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 are limited to SBC and AAC for the time being.
Noise-canceling
Some of the best in the business
You really can’t go wrong with either Google or Sony buds when it comes to noise-canceling capabilities. Each premium pair uses a robust ANC system that does a fantastic job at canceling out low-frequency drones from the likes of bus, train, and plane engines, HVAC equipment, construction equipment, etc. You’ll also be able to customize ANC and transparency performance in the Pixel Buds Pro and Headphones Connect apps.
We do think you get a little more bang for your buck with Sony ANC, though.
The Headphones Connect app gives you access to something called Adaptive Sound Control. This lets you create calibrated ANC settings to best match your time of day, location, whether you’re sitting or standing, and other criteria. We’re also big fans of the Quick Attention feature, which automatically lowers media volume and puts on transparency, just by holding a finger to the left bud.
Related
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 vs. Pixel Buds Pro: So. Many. Improvements
Should you upgrade to Google’s newest earbuds?
Compared to the previous generation of the Pixel Buds Pro, our reviewer noted how much better transparency is on the Pixel Buds Pro 2. This bodes well for those of us who need to snap in and out of audible conversations without having to switch between ANC and ambient listening manually.
Google also claims its Silent Seal 2.0 technology is able to adapt to your environment up to three million times per second and cancels twice as much noise as the O.G. Pixel Buds Pro.
Battery life
Google and Sony keep the playback going!
How long can you expect these bad boys to last on a full charge? You’re in good hands with both Google and Sony on this front. The Pixel Buds Pro 2 should last up to eight hours on a full charge, and a fully charged case provides a total of 30 hours of playback (with ANC enabled).
The Sony WF-1000XM5 boasts the same eight-hour runtime (with ANC turned on) as the Pixel Buds Pro 2. A fully charged case provides a total of 30 hours of ANC playback. Both the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Sony XM5 support USB-C and wireless charging, too.
Which is right for you?
Sony takes home the gold in our book
The Pixel Buds Pro 2 and Sony XM5 are some of the best true wireless buds you can buy in 2024, but if we were forced to pick one model over the other, we’d have to go with the Sony WF-1000XM5.
Sony does it again
Sony WF-1000XM5
$250 $300 Save $50
While not quite on Sony’s level, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are still a phenomenal pair of true wireless buds and a more-than-worthy successor to the Pixel Buds Pro that came before it.
While the regular retail price of these buds ($300) is more than you’ll pay for the Pixel Buds Pro 2, we think Sony’s flagship in-ears sound better and has a superior set of features and customizations over what you’ll find on the Pixel Buds Pro app (which iPhone owners can’t even use). The XM5 also delivers better ANC.
We still love the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2, though. And if you already own several Google devices, features like Android Fast Pair allow you to seamlessly incorporate the Pixel Buds Pro 2 into your Google ecosystem.
We still love Google earbuds!
Google Pixel Buds Pro 2
While not quite on Sony’s level, the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 are still a phenomenal pair of true wireless buds and a more-than-worthy successor to the Pixel Buds Pro that came before it.
