Overall Score 6.8 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | ipX4 | ip54 |
weight | 8.56g | 50g | |
has no wires or cables | ✓ | ✓ | |
sweat resistance | ✓ | ✗ | |
has stereo speakers | ✓ | ✓ | |
SOUND QUALITY | has active noise cancellation (noise control) | ✓ | ✓ |
has passive noise reduction | ✓ | ✓ | |
driver unit size | 11mm | 9.2mm | |
lowest frequency | 10hz | 10hz | |
highest frequency | 20,000hz | 20,000hz | |
has a neodymium magnet | ✓ | ✗ | |
POWER | battery life | 6hours | 4.5hours |
battery life of charging case | 30hours | 18hours | |
charge time | 0.3hours | 3hours | |
battery power | 20mah | ✗ | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✗ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✗ | ✓ | |
has aptx hd | ✗ | ✓ | |
audio latency | 144ms | ✗ | |
MICROPHONE | number of microphones | 6only | 6only |
has a noise-canceling microphone | ✓ | ✓ | |
EXTRAS | has ambient sound mode | ✗ | ✓ |
has in/on-ear detection | ✓ | ✓ | |
has find earbuds feature | ✓ | ✓ | |
supports fast charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
multipoint count | 2only | ✗ | |
has a mute function | ✓ | ✓ | |
control panel placed on a device | ✓ | ✓ | |
warranty period | 1years | ✗ | |
has voice prompts | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
Ingress protection ratings refer to the rating of protection offered by a casing, against solids and water. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating means protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (water).
Having a value of IPX4, the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s rating for solids indicates that no data available to specify a protection rating, and of liquids that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Compared to the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen), Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a rating of IP54 meaning that
ingress of dust is not totally prevented but dust does not enter in harmful quantities to interfere with the correct operation or impair safety
and that of liquids is that,
they both have the same rating against liquids
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a weight of 8.56g . We consider a lower weight best because lighter devices are more comfortable to transport.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, at 50g
are heavier than the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) with a difference of 41.44g
For a device to be true wireless it should have no wires linking any part of the device together, Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) are true wireless for this matter since they don't have wires. This is an important distinction as some wireless earbuds have wires linking the two earbuds .
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also is true wireless since it doesn't have wires linking the two earbuds together.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have sweat resistance
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have stereo speakers, what this means is that Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.
Both Bowers & Wilkins PI7 and Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have stereo speakers
ANC uses more advanced kind of tech to reduce unwanted ambient sounds. How it works, it listens to the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after inverts the soundwaves to counter it. Simply put, it's like having +1 (sound from your surrounding) and adding -1 (counter sound by the device) giving 0 which results in a reduced level of noise.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, causing less ear fatigue since you don't need to crank up the device volume to outcompete background sounds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have ANC making either of the earbuds ideal for flights and rush hour travels. The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 work with different noise cancellation settings, pick the setting that suits your commute or that suites your relaxation time.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) stay well in place, creating a sound seal that tones down your environment sounds well as preventing the earbuds sound from leaking out at the same.
Both Bowers & Wilkins PI7, and Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have passive noise reduction this means that they tone down ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a unit size of 11mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, and can produce better bass.
A driver unit is basically a mini speaker that makes sound in the device, the unit size dictates the loudness of the earbuds.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 driver unit is 9.2mm in diameter,
which implies that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) by 1.8mm
, many people have a misconception that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers find it difficult to produce high frequencies so yeah, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not mean that they deliver better quality sound.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response measures if and how well an audio component generates low recognizable frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, this implies that
both devices produce equal bass
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device produces high recognizable frequencies and if it changes to the signal while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this means that
both devices generate equal treble
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have neodymium magnets, if used in audio devices produce a higher sensitivity and substantial sound output while using less power. They can help generate music at quite a high SPL, using high magnetic flux.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s battery life is 6 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average before recharge. A device's battery life is given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is
less than that of Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) by 1.5 hours
. Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will no longer play for long like they used to.
The battery life of the charging case is given by the vendor, and Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s case has a full charge of 30 hours. A charging case with more battery hours enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple times before having to recharge the case itself.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's charging case has a battery life of 18 hours,
less than that of Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) by 12 hours
It takes 0.3 hours to fully charge the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s battery. It is highly adivsable to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds when they have been unused for extended periods.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery,
more than that of Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) by 2.7 hours
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)'s battery capacity is 20mAh, battery power, shows the amount of electrical energy that a battery can store.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen), the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you simply place down on a supported charging pad.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also support wireless charging, always look out for the charging standard of the earbuds.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a battery level indicator, an indicator shows you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights show the charging state of your earbuds and case.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a battery level indicator, these allow you to determine the charging state of your earbuds, if charged fully, or having a low battery.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 use USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have Bluetooth version of 5, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data movement between devices placed in range, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a Bluetooth version of 5,
equal to that of the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it provides better results than other codecs at a similar bit rate.
Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) will work fine with your MacBook. If you intend on using these with Android you need to pay even closer attention to codec support for if they only have AAC they won't provide the best audio quality possible, ensure that they also support aptX HD, LDAC, or LHDC as well.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support AAC as well. Designed to be the successor of the MP3 format, AAC generally achieves higher sound quality than MP3 encoders at the same bit rate.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support APTX Adaptive, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It has a variable bit rate (between 279kbps and 420kbps).
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support APTX HD, an audio codec for Bluetooth devices that are developed by Qualcomm. It supports high-quality 24-bit audio (at a bit rate of 576kbps).
Latency refers to the time it takes for the audio signal to be transmitted to your earbuds. Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a latency of 144ms, a lower latency reduces audio lag and is particularly important when playing games or watching videos.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have 6 microphones.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen)
. More microphones record better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background sounds.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are intended to filter out noise from the earbuds' sound.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a noise-canceling type of microphone. This is useful in noisy environments.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to pass through ambient sound so that they can still be heard even while wearing them
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears improving your listening experience.
If misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) support the find earbuds feature.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have the find earbuds feature. Use the earbuds app on your smartphone to play a sound from your device to help you find them.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to lower the amount of time it takes to charge the earbuds.
Also the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support fast charging. It's very similar to regular charging, just that the battery fills up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in thirty minutes.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you to link to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. For example, you can switch calls from one device to another without having to manually disconnect and reconnect.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have the mute function. The mute function means that you unilaterally turn off the earbuds' microphone, but you can still hear the other party talk.
With the Apple AirPods (3rd Gen), so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever functions are supported on the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a control panel on them.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) have a warranty period of 1 Years, the period of time that warrant free repair and adjustment services in case of a malfunction occurring under normal use that has followed instruction manuals.
The Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) support voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also support voice prompts .i.e the earbuds will notify you when the battery is low, and it's time to recharge them.
Apple AirPods (3rd Gen) come with their own special case. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them in your pockets without a casing can easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a travel bag included, which is useful for safe transportation.