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Updated January 10, 2024·
If you're looking for a budget-friendly option, the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is significantly less expensive than the Google Pixel Buds A Series and may be suitable for exercise with its sweatproof feature and longer battery life. However, if sound quality, comfort, and call quality are your priorities, and you're willing to invest a bit more, the Pixel Buds might be the better choice as they offer a richer listening experience, especially for calls and meetings, and are optimized for both Android and Apple devices. Neither of these options support active noise cancelling, so if that's important for you, you might want to consider other models. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
- Very good for exercise
- Very good for air travel
Advantages of the Google Pixel Buds A Series
- Very good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Good for TV and video
Key differences
Music
5.7
6.4
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is only fair for music, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Gaming
5.1
8.6
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Phone Calls
7.6
8.5
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is very good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is good.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
8.9
8.4
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and Google Pixel Buds A Series are both very good for podcasts and audiobooks, though the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is somewhat better.
TV and Video
5.4
7.8
The Google Pixel Buds A Series is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is poor.
Noise Reduction
6.5
4.6
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 is only fair for noise reduction, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series is poor.
Battery
10.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has 10 hours of battery life. The Google Pixel Buds A Series has 5 hours of battery life.
Cost
$30
$58
$0
$20
$40
$60
$80
$100
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has a price of $30 and the Google Pixel Buds A Series costs $58.
Build Quality
9.0
7.4
The Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 has excellent build quality, while the Google Pixel Buds A Series has good build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 and the Google Pixel Buds A Series compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 | Google Pixel Buds A Series |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $58 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | ||
Release Date | |||
Release Date | June 1, 2021 | June 1, 2021 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 5.7/10 | 6.4/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 7.6/10 | 8.5/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.2/10 | 8.7/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.5/10 | 7.8/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 8/10 | 7.4/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 10 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 1.5 Hours | 1.3 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5.2 | 5 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 40 | 24 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 6.5/10 | 4.6/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | No | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | No | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 6.8/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 7.4/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 8.2/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Medium | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5.2 Grams | 5.1 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Outlier Air V3
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Dig into reviews and images
Trusted Reviews
Kob Monney | July 2022
"The V3 present the best version of the Outlier Air series yet. The new features such as Active Noise Reduction and Ambient mode are integrated well; the performance of both is as good as you’ll get below £100. The design is less bulky and more comfortable thanks to being smaller and lighter, and the Outlier Air V3 eke out more clarity, detail and definition from music."
Google Pixel Buds A Series
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Sound Guys
Jasper Lastoria | October 2022
"For the person who doesn’t want to think about their earphones while using them, Google has created the Pixel Buds A-Series. For a reasonable price, Google packs in a bevy of features like touch controls and a good fit into this Android-friendly set of earbuds to make productivity and life easier."
Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Outlier Air V3 or the Google Pixel Buds A Series
About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
About Google
Mainly known as the most popular search engine on the planet, Google is a multinational technology company that also offers a variety of audio-oriented products. Beside their smart speakers under the Nest product line, Google offers several models of true wireless earbuds under the Pixel line, some of which happen to be an affordable but very powerful option for those already in the Android ecosystem.
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Why trust us
This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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