After launching two updates since its release in July 2022, Google is planning to bring a larger update to the Pixel Buds Pro wireless headset, which will add Clear Calling.
Google is working on a major software update for the Pixel Buds Pro, according to people familiar with the matter. Google added support for Spatial Audio in March of this year, and a 5-band EQ and left/right volume balance in October last year.
After Google introduced Clear Calls on the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro last December, a feature with similar goals is coming to Google’s premium headphones. Clear Call filters out background noise and boosts sound so you can hear people better in noisy environments like sidewalks or shops.
On phones, this feature requires a Tensor G2 chip and doesn’t work with VoIP calls. It’s unclear whether the Clear Call feature on the Pixel Buds Pro will work entirely on the headset or will rely on the paired phone.
The second addition to the Pixel Buds Pro will support “Ultra Wideband Voice,” boosting call quality from 16kHz to 32kHz, a feature Google is working to support in the Android Bluetooth stack.
Where “ultra-wideband voice connections” are stated, this refers specifically to codec connections where the media being transmitted consists of encoded frames derived from 32kHz sampled speech (or other audio).
From what little information there is on Ultra Wideband (Note: SWB, Super Wide Band), it appears to be an upgrade to HD Voice (HD Voice), which is enabled over LTE Voice (VoLTE). Judging from the wording of “5G voice services,” operators may also need to make adjustments to support higher-quality audio across the board.
Finally, there are some hearing-related digital well-being features, which will likely only address what a user listens to and at what volume.
These Pixel Buds Pro updates are expected to roll out in the coming months.
