One of the more unexpected aspects of Pixel Buds Pro 2 is the use of a custom Tensor-branded A1 chip, with Google sharing a bit more on why it went that route today.
In making a successor to the 2022 Pixel Buds Pro, Google says it "wanted to push the boundaries of noise cancellation and audio quality, in a smaller package." In short, it found that "off-the-shelf solutions wouldn't meet those needs."
Building Pixel Buds Pro 2 was about removing the need for compromises
As such, the team "followed the strategy used for Pixel phones and developed our own engine" for "ultra low-latency audio processing" that allows for higher noise-canceling bandwidth. The original Pixel Buds Pro processed audio inputs 5-6 times the speed of sound, and the second generation takes that up to 90 times. Meanwhile, there's a dedicated processing path for your audio that's independent of ANC.
...as a soundwave hits the outside microphone and journeys towards your eardrum, the new Buds can perform more processes more quickly along the way -- isolating sounds, canceling them and even creating "anti-noise" for sound that leaks through the earbud, all before you can hear it.
The Pixel Buds teams provided Google's Silicon division with "final performance goals -- from the computational demands of ANC to power consumption targets -- and the algorithms that would be involved in achieving them." Tensor A1 was completed sometime in 2023, with Pixel Buds Pro 2 launching in late September of 2024.
From there, the Silicon team began designing the architecture of the chip, and after rounds of testing, prototyping and validating performance, sent their final design to be fabricated. It arrived with the Buds team in 2023 ready to unlock new possibilities.
Meanwhile, in terms of the physical shape and comfort, Google "looked at places where buds might push against the ear and where they might slot in more naturally, and designed for that." That, along with physical research, led to the stabilizer fin that you twist for a more secure fit.
In terms of testing, Google says it "increased the number of Googler testers they used compared to other audio products and standardized surveys for more consistent data and to eliminate as much bias as possible."
Transparency mode testing found that people were "much more concerned about sound artifacts like amplifying natural ambient sounds." As such, Google focused on that. In the future, the team plans to "focus on aspects like self-voice, which we believe will become more important in the future."