Last updated: January 17th, 2023 at 09:23 UTC+01:00
Samsung announced last week that it’s going to release a new software update for the Galaxy Bud 2 Pro that will bring 360 Degree Audio Recording. Users will be able to capture immersive sound for the video content they create using a compatible Galaxy phone.
The company had said that it would be rolling out this update progressively. We can now confirm the rollout of this update. We’ve received it on one of our devices already. It’s only a matter of time before it’s made available to all users across the globe.
Record 360 degree audio with your Galaxy Buds 2 Pro now
Samsung is rolling out firmware version R510XXU0AWA5 for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro. The changelog confirms that this new feature is included. Once your earbuds are updated, record a video using the Samsung Camera app, and your earbuds will be able to capture immersive 360 degree audio. This feature is only supported on the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and the Galaxy Z Flip 4. The devices must be running One UI 5.0. Future devices will support this feature as well.
A new “Connected device diagnostics” option has also been added through this software update. It lets you see if every feature of your Galaxy Buds is performing as it should be by letting you test each feature separately. The Samsung Members and the Galaxy Wearable app must be updated to their latest versions for this feature to work.
Samsung also announced last week that it would release an update for the Galaxy Watch that would let users zoom the camera on their connected Galaxy phone through the smartwatch. That update has also started rolling out today.
Last updated: December 28th, 2022 at 07:45 UTC+01:00
Genshin Impact is an open-world action game that is widely popular. People love the game for its storyline, the excellent graphics, and the details you experience when playing it. It surely requires a high-end phone to get the best out of the game. The game demonstrated its popularity in South Korea, where the Genshin Impact-themed Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro sold out in a matter of minutes after they went on sale.
According to the Chinese gaming and animation company HoYoverse (via The Korea Herald), 100 units of the Genshin Impact-themed Galaxy Z Fold 4 and 200 units of the Genshin Impact-themed Galaxy Buds 2 Pro were sold within 14 minutes after they became available on Samsung’s Galaxy Store on December 21.
The Genshin Impact-themed Galaxy Z Fold 4 was priced at KRW 2,388,000 (around $1,880), while the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro was priced at KRW 329,000. The game-inspired versions of Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Galaxy Buds 2 Pro were first unveiled at G-Star, South Korea’s biggest annual gaming convention, which was held in Busan last month. The HoYoverse booth garnered huge visitor attention as thousands lined up to get a glimpse of these Genshin Impact-themed Samsung gadgets.
Ever since its launch in 2020, Genshin Impact has been a favorite open-world game for millions across the globe. In fact, as per a market tracker, Sensor Tower, the game managed to log the third-highest revenue in Sensor Tower’s global mobile games rankings. Its revenue went past $1.5 billion from the beginning of this year to December 20, 2022. The same popularity was seen in South Korea, which is why Samsung tried to make the best out of the situation, and it paid off well.
A few days after launching Star Wars-themed accessories for its mobile devices, Samsung unveiled Pokemon-themed accessories for some of its products. The company will bring these accessories to Singapore first before expanding their availability to more markets.
The Galaxy Buds 2 Pro will get the Poke Ball Cover which is priced at SGD 58 (around $42). The Poke Ball Watch Strap for the Galaxy Watch 5 also carries the same price tag. The Galaxy Z Flip 4’s Pokemon Cover with Ring is a little costlier at SGD 78 (around $57). All these accessories have designs that are inspired by Pokemon from the Kanto region. The accessories can be purchased in Singapore through Samsung Experience Stores and Samsung Online Store.
The Pokemon-themed case for the Galaxy Z Flip 4 has four beloved Pokemon characters printed on it, along with the Poke Ball in its white and red theme. The accessory protects the Galaxy Z Flip 4 from bumps and scratches. It also has a ring for a secure grip when using or carrying the device.
The Poke Ball case for the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro is shaped exactly like the Poke Ball. It protects the wireless earbuds and their case from drops and scratches. It has a lanyard loophole, too. The watch strap for the Galaxy Watch 5 has a red-colored strap on one side and a white-colored strap on the other, featuring Poke Ball designs and various playful colors.
Spatial Audio on Pixel phones and Pixel Buds Pro is not launching until January, but Google today detailed how it will work and what Android apps will be supported.
Movies are the intended use case of Spatial Audio on Pixel phones to offer an “immersive effect.” It will be supported on the Pixel 6, 6 Pro, 7, and 7 Pro, but it’s not clear whether another update (January’s) is needed or if everything is already in place with the QPR1 December patch. That said, the aforementioned menu does not yet appear after updating (compared to during the beta period):
Open your phone’s Settings app.
Tap Sound & vibration > Spatial Audio.
Turn on Spatial Audio.
Google says “you can use Spatial Audio on your Pixel phone with movies from Netflix, YouTube, Google TV, and HBOMax that have 5.1 or higher audio tracks. You must wear headphones or earbuds.”
Meanwhile, Pixel Buds Pro owners can enable “head tracked Spatial Audio.” This will presumably require new firmware:
Open your phone’s Settings app.
Tap Connected devices > Pixel Buds Pro > Settings > Head tracking.
Turn on Head tracking.
Meanwhile, Google has the following tips:
Use content marked as Dolby audio, 5.1, or Dolby Atmos.
Keep your phone steady or place it on a stable surface or stand.
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If you’re looking to step up the comfort and sound isolation of your Pixel Buds Pro, then a set of Comply foam tips may be just what you need.
Out of the box, Google’s Pixel Buds Pro come equipped with a set of silicone tips that offer solid comfort and decent enough isolation for most people. However, there’s always room for improvement, and there’s no better company to offer that than Comply. For years, Comply has been a leading maker of foam ear tips for most major brands of earbuds, supporting Apple, Google, Samsung, and many more.
Comply has once again continued supporting Google’s Pixel Buds line, with foam tips for the Pixel Buds Pro, which are better equipped for new tips than past models. Previous models of Pixel Buds were intentionally designed to let outside sound in so you could be more aware of your surroundings. That design made the improvements to sound isolation a bit more useless.
With the Pixel Buds Pro, Google closed off the earbuds to make way for noise cancellation, while also including a “Transparency” mode to hear what’s happening around you. Thanks to that change, it’s more immediately obvious that the Comply foam tips for Pixel Buds Pro do a fantastic job of blocking unwanted noise compared to the default ear tips.
Noise cancellation and isolation were already highlights of the Pixel Buds Pro, and Comply foam tips take things up another notch.
Another highlight of getting foam tips for the Pixel Buds Pro has been an increased sense of comfort. Initially, the Comply tips were a bit uncomfortable and needed to be squished down before they’d fit properly in my ears. After a few days, however, they became much easier to work with.
Once the Comply foam tips were properly broken in, I’d sometimes forget I was even wearing the Pixel Buds Pro. It’s been far more common for the battery to die — voice calls drain faster than music — in my Pixel Buds Pro before I feel any discomfort from wearing them. They’re also generally more secure, not needing to be fiddled with too much throughout the day.
However, there are a few downsides to switching to foam tips. The biggest issue stems from the way that the Pixel Buds Pro battery case is designed, needing each bud to be snugly in place. Normally, the buds are pulled to the right place by magnets, but the foam tips can somewhat interfere with that.
Instead, you’ll need to watch for the indicator light to flash to know that a bud is in place and charging. Similarly, on cold days, it can be a little hard to get the Pixel Buds Pro out of their case since the foam lightly grips the walls.
Another major downside is that foam tips wear down a bit faster than silicone tips do. After a few months of use, you’ll likely see the foam begin to wear or tear. It’s usually recommended that you replace Comply foam tips every three months. You can see a bit of that wear and tear in the picture above on a set of tips I started using in August.
When first buying Comply foam tips for the Pixel Buds Pro, it’s a good idea to buy the multipack which includes three sizes for $24.99. Once you know your preferred size, you can buy a three-pack of that size for $24.99 to cover an additional nine months of use.
Overall, Comply foam tips bring some much-appreciated upgrades to the Pixel Buds Pro, but the need to regularly replace them may be a deal-breaker for some. With the holidays just around the corner, a set of Comply tips would make a wonderful stocking stuffer for anyone who has a set of Pixel Buds Pro.
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If you’re looking for reasons to buy the Google Pixel 7 or the Google Pixel 7 Pro when they’re launched next week, consider this: you might get a free Google Pixel Watch or some Google Pixel Buds Pro earbuds with your preorder.
That’s according to tipster Roland Quandt (opens in new tab), who is usually reliable with the information that he provides. The Pixel Watch will apparently be included with Pixel 7 Pro preorders, with the Pixel Buds Pro on offer for Pixel 7 buyers. There is a catch though – Quandt indicates that these offers will only be available in the UK.
Whether they end up appearing as deals in other international markets, or whether Google puts together different preorder packages, remains to be seen. The new phones would certainly be a more tempting proposition with a free gift thrown in.
Pixel 7 Pro pre-order gifts in some countries include the Pixel Watch.Pixel 7 pre-order gifts in some countries include the Pixel Buds Pro.(read: UK)October 1, 2022
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Price points
What we do know is that the Pixel 7 and the Pixel 7 Pro will get unveiled on Thursday, October 6. As for the actual shipping and on-sale dates, Tuesday, October 18 has been mentioned as a possibility by those in the know.
The Pixel Watch is expected to make its debut on October 6 together with the Pixel 7 phones. Considering that the wearable is expected to retail for around $350 in the US and around £340 in the UK, that’s quite a freebie to be throwing in.
As for the Pixel Buds Pro, they’re already out and available to buy for $199 / £179 – not as expensive as the Pixel Watch is likely to be, but then again they’re being paired with the cheaper Pixel 7. All will be revealed next week.
Analysis: Google sweetens the deal
Google has form for putting some pretty decent preorder deals out there: you might remember that Google Pixel 6 preorders in the UK came with a free pair of Bose 700 wireless headphones, worth £300 (half as much as the phone itself).
Clearly preorder freebies sweeten the deal for potential buyers, and they’re likely to make a lot more people consider picking up a Pixel 7 smartphone – especially when it comes to the Pixel 7 Pro, if indeed a Pixel Watch will be bundled with it.
There’s going to be a hit in terms of finances for Google of course, but it might not be a bad idea to get as many people as possible wearing its new smartwatch. More users means more developer interest, which means more investment in Wear OS.
As always, pricing is going to be crucial – if the phones themselves are too expensive, then the preorder deals might not even matter. We will of course be bringing you all the news and announcements live on October 6, as they happen.
Today, you can touch-and-hold Pixel Buds Pro to cycle through Active Noise Control (ANC) or use the app. An upcoming change will make it easier to change ANC with the Pixel Buds app, while Google’s newest headphones are set to get a “Volume balance” feature in a future update.
At the moment, the row of buttons for Active Noise Control are found on the “Sound” page of the Pixel Buds app/settings. Some users are now finding that the three-button strip with Noise Cancellation, Off, and Transparency are located directly on the Pixel Buds app homepage/”Device details.” It appears just under the “Forgot” and “Disconnect” actions.
Additionally, this update brings ANC to the Pixel’s “Sound and vibration” panel that’s accessed by bringing up the system volume slider and tapping the three-dot overflow button at the bottom. The controls appear below “Media volume.”
Both are much better places for the ANC buttons as needing to dive into another menu has been annoying since the Pixel Buds Pro launched in July. This is not yet widely available, but there are a handful of reports today.
Current vs. new (Via u/npbevo)
It’s not clear how this change is rolling out as there does not appear to be a new update to the Pixel Buds app. (The last one was in July.) A Google Play services update could be responsible, but we’re not positive at the moment.
Meanwhile, back at launch, Google said the Pixel Buds Pro would be updated with Spatial audio head tracking and a full 5-band EQ. Both will be located within the Sound menu, and joined by “Volume balance” to
Change volume balance between left and right earbuds or switch to mono audio. Your chosen setting will apply across all your host devices.
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Prepping for a summer cookout? If you head over to Amazon right now, you can pre-order the retailer’s hottest new charcoal grill: the Google Pixel Buds Pro.
Yes, that sentence you just read didn’t make a lot of sense, but Amazon’s search engine thinks it does! The algorithm has apparently decided that not only do the new charcoal colored earbuds count as a “charcoal grill,” they’ve apparently been the best-selling product in that category for over 24 hours now (via Reddit and Mishaal Rahman) without Amazon doing anything about it.
See for yourself:
One of these things is not like the others.Screenshot by Sean Hollister / The Verge
“#1 new release in charcoal grills,” reads the badge provided by Amazon.
In general, I wouldn’t read too much into any badges you’d see on an Amazon product. As another example, did you know the “Amazon’s Choice” badge isn’t a stamp that indicates any sort of quality whatsoever? It’s algorithmically doled out to all sorts of products that you wouldn’t think deserve it.
And don’t get me started on Amazon’s user reviews — though there, the company does clearly know it has a problem, and pursues large enforcement actions (like this recent crackdown on Facebook fake review groups) every year.
Last month, The Wall Street Journal wrote about the deluge of random-letter-generator Chinese brands that appear when you look for products. It’s interesting to see how many of them rank in the charcoal grill list, too — including such storied brands as RESVIN, Cecarol, Oilzz, YSSOA, and DOIT.
Google’s Pixel Buds Pro are now available for pre-order ahead of their release on July 28, but one user has already gotten their hands on the earbuds, giving us a preview of what to expect, and showing how they compare to the A-Series.
u/Linkakox on Reddit posted to the r/GooglePixel subreddit this morning with the reveal that, somehow, Pixel Buds Pro had already landed on his doorstep.
How?
The order had been placed through Fnac.com, a French retailer. Apparently, the pre-order was submitted on July 21, but the site hadn’t yet put up the “pre-order” limitation, seemingly letting this user slip through the cracks and get their order early.
Regardless of how, what does this tell us?
Well, firstly we get a few early impressions on the earbuds. According to u/Linkakox, Pixel Buds Pro sound better with music than Pixel Buds A-Series, and that the buds are also physically a bit larger than the A-Series. As far as the fit is concerned, it’s mentioned that “they feel less secure” compared to Pixel Buds A-Series.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is also apparently good, and multipoint audio appears to be working.
As seen below, a quick gallery of pictures shows off the packaging for the earbuds and a comparison to the Pixel Buds A-Series. Looking at the earbuds themselves, the Pro model appears much more bulbous than A-Series, and of course lacks the “fin” on previous Google earbuds. The case on Pixel Buds Pro looks noticeably wider and thicker. Another image shared with us shows a small tube which contains extra eartips. There’s no charging method in the box at all, with not even a USB-C cable included. Of course, Pixel Buds Pro can use the same charger as your Pixel, even it’s a wireless charger.
Digging in a bit further, we asked u/Linkakox about the software situation with the Pixel Buds Pro, which appears to be the only thing stopping these earbuds from being ready for everyone based on these first impressions.
The existing Pixel Buds companion app doesn’t support all of the features of Pixel Buds Pro, such as ANC settings. But touch controls seem to work for moving between ANC and Transparency modes. Pressing an earbud for two seconds switches between the two modes.
Multipoint is even accessible through Android’s settings menu. Apparently, the Buds work with a Windows computer with Multipoint, which was expected functionality – after all, Multipoint is a Bluetooth feature, it’s only the intelligent switching that Google is running through Fast Pair.
Google is set to ship the Pixel Buds Pro to all users on July 28, with the $199 earbuds bringing up to 31-hour battery life, a custom audio chip, and more alongside the ANC. Stay tuned for more.
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The Pixel 6a is now available to pre-order in Europe, and it comes with a free pair of Pixel Buds A-Series. Pixel Buds Pro is also now available for pre-order ahead of next week.
Google announced at I/O 2022 that both products would be available to pre-order on July 21 with shipping and retail availability set for a week later. As of midnight, the Google Store is taking pre-orders of phones and earbuds in:
For the six European countries above, all three colors – Chalk, Charcoal, and Sage – are offered, while the Pixel 6a costs either €459 or £399. Pixel Buds Pro is available in Coral, Fog, Charcoal, or Lemongrass for €219 or £179.
The A-Series headphones are automatically included when purchasing from the Google Store or Amazon, but other retailers (like carriers) involve a redemption process that kicks off next month. You have until August 1 (or July 27 in some countries) to purchase the Pixel 6a and take advantage of this offer.
Update: Pre-orders are now open in Asia-Pacific:
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