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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless vs Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless
Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless
Tested using Methodology v1.4
Updated Jan 15, 2024 08:37 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.5
Updated Jan 15, 2024 07:54 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeEarbuds
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Noise CancellingNo
MicYes
Variants
- Surface Earbuds (Glacier)
- Pixel Buds 2 (Almost Black)
- Pixel Buds 2 (Clearly White)
- Pixel Buds 2 (Oh So Orange)
- Pixel Buds 2 (Quite Mint)
Our Verdict
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless
Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless
The Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless are much better truly wireless headphones than the Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless. The Google are more comfortable and have a better control scheme that's much easier to use. They also feel more stable in the ear and have a much better-balanced sound profile that's much more consistent between different users. They also last longer off a single charge, and their case holds a lot more full charges. On the other hand, some people may prefer the fit of the Microsoft as they don't enter the ear canal nearly as deeply. Their companion app also gives access to a graphic EQ and presets
Notice: Two or more of the products selected have been tested with different test methodologies, so some of the results below aren't directly comparable. Learn how our test benches and scoring system work, and read more about the latest changes to our headphones test methodology.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Mixed Usage
5.8
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
Earbuds
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.0
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.04 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
6.5
6.9
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Okay
Great
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
No
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
No
No
Talk-Through
No
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
9.2
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
0.8 °C
Portability
9.4
9.3
Portability Picture
L
1.5"
1.4" (3.6 cm)
W
1.2"
1.5" (3.8 cm)
H
1"
1.0" (2.5 cm)
Volume
1.8 in³
2.10 in³ (34.41 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
7.5
8.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
3"
2.5" (6.4 cm)
W
1.3"
1.7" (4.3 cm)
H
1"
1.0" (2.5 cm)
Volume
3.9 in³
4.30 in³ (70.46 cm³)
Build Quality
7.5
7.5
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.0
8.0
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Frequency Response
Bass Amount
-8.65 dB
-3.53 dB
Treble Amount
-3.03 dB
-2.66 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
5.3
9.1
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
1.66 dB
0.18 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Accuracy
2.8
7.4
Std. Err.
9.59 dB
3.36 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
99.35 Hz
89.8 Hz
Low-Bass
-19.64 dB
-5.83 dB
Mid-Bass
-4.14 dB
-3.15 dB
High-Bass
0.33 dB
-1.55 dB
Mid Accuracy
8.3
9.3
Std. Err.
2.28 dB
0.95 dB
Low-Mid
0.39 dB
0.17 dB
Mid-Mid
-2.69 dB
0.31 dB
High-Mid
-2.04 dB
0.4 dB
Treble Accuracy
5.7
7.5
Std. Err.
5.79 dB
3.74 dB
Low-Treble
-4.99 dB
-0.56 dB
Mid-Treble
-3.32 dB
-4.23 dB
High-Treble
-11.87 dB
-10.82 dB
Peaks/Dips
6.1
8.5
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
2.8 dB
1.06 dB
Dips
1.55 dB
0.65 dB
Imaging
7.5
8.5
Phase Response
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.43
0.11
Weighted Phase Mismatch
3.47
1.62
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
2.03
1.7
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
2.94
1.62
Passive Soundstage
2.2
2.1
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.5
6.6
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.0
2.7
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
No
Speaker Modeling
No
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
No
Virtual Surround
No
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
5.5
7.2
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
1.728
0.504
WHD @ 100
0.549
0.170
Test Settings
Firmware
3.0.0.5
225
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth 4.2
Bluetooth 4.2
Codec
aptX, 16-bit, 48kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 48kHz
EQ
Default
No EQ
ANC
No ANC
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation
1.3
3.6
Noise Isolation
Isolation Audio
Overall Attenuation
-2.71 dB
-8.98 dB
Noise Cancelling
No
No
Bass
0.14 dB
-0.51 dB
Mid
0.57 dB
-6.73 dB
Treble
-8.66 dB
-20.18 dB
Leakage
9.1
7.6
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
26.27 dB
35.89 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.9
5.3
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
293.44 Hz
630.82 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
2.9 dB
3.87 dB
HFE
2,673.34 Hz
3,272.31 Hz
Weighted THD
46.144
5.814
Gain
43.1 dB
2.73 dB
Noise Handling
7.0
6.0
SpNR
20.72 dB
34.13 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
4.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
6.6
5.9
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.8 hrs
6.7 hrs
Additional Charges
2.0
5.0
Total Battery Life
17.4 hrs
40.2 hrs
Charge Time
0.6 hrs
1 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Auto-Off Timer
No
Audio While Charging
No
No
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
7.5
6.5
App Picture
App Name
Surface Audio
Google Pixel Buds
iOS
Yes
No
Android
Yes
Yes
macOS
No
No
Windows
Yes
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
No
ANC Control
No
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
No
No
Surround Support
No
No
Connectivity
Bluetooth
6.7
6.6
Bluetooth Version
5.0
5.0
Multi-Device Pairing
No
No
NFC Pairing
No
No
Line Of Sight Range
140 ft
156.00 ft (47.55 m)
PC Latency (SBC)
331 ms
370 ms
PC Latency (aptX)
314 ms
N/A
PC Latency (aptX HD)
N/A
N/A
PC Latency (aptX-LL)
N/A
N/A
iOS Latency
92 ms
178 ms
Android Latency
63 ms
189 ms
Non-Bluetooth Wireless
0.0
0.0
Non-BT Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Non-BT Latency
N/A
N/A
Wired
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connection
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Analog/USB Audio Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
Wired USB
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
PC / PS4 Compatibility
PC/PS4 Analog
No
No
PC/PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PC/PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
USB-C
USB-C
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless
Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless
Comments
Microsoft Surface Earbuds Truly Wireless vs Google Pixel Buds 2020 Truly Wireless: Main Discussion
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