I've been using the Pixel Buds Pro now for a few months, and for the most part, I've really enjoyed Google's newest earbuds.
Even though they don't work as well natively with my iPhone 14 as my other pair of earbuds, the Beats PowerBeats Pro, I like that the Pixel Buds Pro's case is much smaller, so it's easier to stash them in my pocket.
I also like their very good active noise cancellation, and though I wouldn't say the audio quality is among the best wireless earbuds, it's still strong enough so that I never feel as if I'm missing anything from my music.
Recently, I also discovered that the Pixel Buds Pro are a lot tougher than I thought.
Last week, someone in my family (I won't say who) decided to wash all of our winter jackets in preparation for the colder months ahead. Into the washer and dryer went my North Face jacket — and along with it, the Pixel Buds Pro, which had been left inside a pocket.
I only realized what had happened after I went looking for my jacket, only to be told that it was somewhere between the rinse and dry cycles. I feared the worst — after all, the earbuds themselves have an IPX4 rating, meaning they're protected against splashing water, while the case only has an IPX2 rating, which means it can only take a few splashes of water.
I feared the worst as I removed the earbuds and case from my coat; during their journey through the washer and dryer, the buds themselves had come out of the case.
However, I was pleasantly surprised once I popped each bud into my ears, and they worked just as well as before. The case was undamaged, too. So, while I wouldn't recommend putting your earbuds in with your laundry, it looks like they can survive the wash — at least they did in my case.
