Bowers & Wilkins PI7
See price on AmazonOverall Score 7.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)
See price on AmazonOverall Score 7.3 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | IPX4 |
weight | 50g | 10.6g | |
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 | 9.2mm | 11mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20,000Hz | 20,000Hz | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 6hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 24hours | |
charge time | 3hours | 1hours | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✗ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5.3 | |
maximum bluetooth range | 10meters | 10meters | |
has aac | ✓ | ✓ | |
has aptx adaptive | ✓ | ✗ | |
has aptx hd | ✓ | ✗ | |
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 | ✓ | ✓ | |
has voice prompts | ✓ | ✓ | |
travel bag is included | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
IP ratings refer to the rating of protection offered by a casing, against dust and liquids. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value means protection against solids say dust, while the second refers to resistance against liquids (sweat).
Scoring IPX4, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)'s rating for solids indicates that no data available to specify a protection rating, and the second value of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes. In comparison to the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd 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 Pro (2nd Gen) have a weight of 10.6g . We take in account a lower weight better because lighter devices are more comfortable to move with.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, at 50g are heavier than the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) by of 39.4g For a device to be true wireless it should have no cables linking any part of the device together, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) are true wireless for this case since they have no wires. This is a major difference since wireless earbuds have wires linking the pair of earbuds . Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also is true wireless since it has no wires connecting the 2 earbuds together. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) are resistant to sweat Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from separate channels on both left and right sides, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have stereo speakers ANC makes use of more advanced kind of tech to reduce ambient sounds. ANC works when, it detects and analyzes the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. Simply put, it's like taking +1 (noise) then producing -1 (inverted noise) to make 0 therefore "diluting" the noise.
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have ANC allowing you to listen at lower volume levels, causing less ear fatigue since you don't have to crank up the device volume to overcome background sounds. The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have ANC making both earbuds ideal for flights and rush hour travels. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 operate with different noise cancellation settings, pick the setting that you prefer for travel or that enhances your chill time.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) sit well in place, creating a sound seal that reduces background sounds and also prevents the earbuds sound from leaking out at the same. Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that they limit ambient noise instead of actively using technology to cancel it out. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) driver unit is 11mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, therefor producing better bass.
The driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the earbuds, its size determines 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 Pro (2nd Gen) by 1.8mm
, a common assumption that driver units of a bigger size automatically produce better sound quality.
However, large drivers usually have difficulty producing high frequencies so yeah, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not imply that they produce better quality sound.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)'s lowest frequency is at 20Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well a particular audio component generates low audible frequencies and if it alters the signal while at it. Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, this implies that Bowers & Wilkins PI7 can produce a juicier bass than the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)'s highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well a particular audio component makes high recognizable frequencies and if it makes any adjustments to the signal while at it. Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this means that both devices can produce equal treble Apple AirPods Pro (2nd 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 usually 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 Pro (2nd Gen) by 1.5 hours . Each time you recharge your earbuds, they get a little less playing 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.
This is given by the vendor, and Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)'s case has a charge of 24 hours. A charging case with more battery hours enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go several times before recharging the case itself. Bowers & Wilkins PI7's charging case has a battery life of 18 hours, less than that of Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) by 6 hours It takes 1 hours to fully charge the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)'s battery.
It is highly adivsable to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds for the first time. Bowers & Wilkins PI7 takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery, more than that of Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) by 2 hours The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you simply place down on a compatible charging pad.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also support wireless charging, take note of the charging standard of the earbuds. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the device has a low battery. The battery indicator lights display the charging state of your device and charging case.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a battery level indicator, these enable you determine the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or having a low battery. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have Bluetooth version of 5.3, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data transfers between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves. Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a Bluetooth version of 5, older than that of Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth. Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a maximum range of 10meters, equal to that of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) Apple AirPods Pro (2nd 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.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) will work well with your iPad. 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. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have 6 microphones.
While the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 microphones are 6, equal to that of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) . More microphones result in better sound quality and help the device to filter out background sounds. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) use a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are intended to filter out noise from the desired sound. The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a noise-canceling microphone.
This is useful in noisy environments. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient noises to still be heard even when wearing them The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode as well, helpful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of your surrounding, for example when you’re having a jog but would still want to be able to hear traffic. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears improving your listening experience. When lost in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have a find earbuds feature. Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have the find earbuds feature.
Simply use the earbuds app on your smartphone to play an alarm from your device to help you find them. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to charge a device.
Also the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support fast charging. It's very similar to regular charging, only that the battery is filling up much faster. Say, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery is charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) support multipoint of 2 connections, this feature allows you connect to more than one Bluetooth device and switch between them. Say, you can seemlessly switch calls from one device to another without manually disconnect and reconnect. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have a mute function, they support the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support this function. It means that you unilaterally turn off the device's microphone, but you can still hear the other party's voice. With the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen), so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a control panel on them. The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) have voice prompts. Automatically receive information via audio messages, like if there is a problem with the connection.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too support voice prompts .i.e the earbuds notifies you when the battery is low, and it's time to recharge the earbuds. Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen) come with their own special pouch. Carrying earbuds without a case, or putting them in your bag without a cover can easily put them at risk of getting damaged.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a travel bag included, which offers safe transportation.