Overall Score 7.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 7 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Category | Features | Bowers & Wilkins PI7 | Nothing Ear 1 |
---|---|---|---|
DESIGN | ingress protection (ip) rating | IP54 | IPX4 |
weight | 50g | 9.4g | |
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 | 11.6mm | |
lowest frequency | 10Hz | 20Hz | |
highest frequency | 20,000Hz | 20,000Hz | |
POWER | battery life | 4.5hours | 5hours |
battery life of charging case | 18hours | 29hours | |
charge time | 3hours | 1.5hours | |
has wireless charging | ✓ | ✓ | |
has a battery level indicator | ✓ | ✓ | |
CONNECTIVITY | has usb type-c | ✓ | ✓ |
bluetooth version | v5 | v5.2 | |
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 | ✓ | ✓ | |
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 |
IP ratings is the rank of protection offered by a casing, against solids and liquids. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value represents protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to resistance against liquids (water).
Having a value of IP54, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's rating is read as, the first number of 5 denotes 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 the second number of 4 means that they can withstand low pressure spray similar to that of a shower head when tilted at 180° for 10 minutes.
Compared to the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, Nothing Ear 1 have a rating of IPX4 meaning that
no data available to specify a protection rating
and that of liquids is that,
they both have the same rating against liquids
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We prefer a lower weight best because lighter devices are easier to move with.
The Nothing Ear 1, at 9.4g
are lighter than the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 with a difference -40.6g
True wireless devices have no wires connecting any part of the device together, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 are true wireless for this case since they have no wires. This is an important distinction as some wireless earbuds have cables connecting the pair of earbuds .
Nothing Ear 1 also is true wireless since it doesn't have cables linking the two earbuds .
Nothing Ear 1 have sweat resistance
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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 Nothing Ear 1 also have stereo speakers
Active noise cancellation utilises more advanced technology to actively cancel noise. How it works, it listens to the sound pattern of incoming noise and after generates a mirror signal to counter it. In simple terms, it's like taking +1 (sound from your surrounding) then adding -1 (counter sound by the device) to make 0 hence "diluting" the noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have ANC allowing you to listen at lower volume levels, good for your ears as you don't need to crank up the earbuds volume to overcome background sounds.
The Nothing Ear 1 too have Active Noise Cancellation which makes either of the devices ideal for flights and morning commutes. Each work with different noise cancellation settings, pick the noise cancellation type that suits your commute or that suites your relaxation time.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 stay well in place, this creates an acoustic covering that tones down background sounds while preventing the device voice audio from leaking out .
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this means that they tone down ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a unit size of 9.2mm in diameter, the bigger the unit the more powerful, and can produce better bass.
A driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the device, the unit size determines the sound produced by the earbuds.
Nothing Ear 1 driver unit is 11.6mm in diameter,
making them have a larger driver unit than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 2.4mm
, 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 it's true that, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not indicate that they produce better quality sound.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio device generates low frequencies that can be heard, and if it makes any changes to the signal on its way through.
Nothing Ear 1's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 can produce a juicier bass than the Nothing Ear 1
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response measures if and how well a particular audio device makes high recognizable frequencies and if it makes any adjustments to the signal while at it.
Nothing Ear 1's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, this implies that
both devices produce equal treble
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is 4.5 hours, these last less than 5 hours of listening which is considered average for a single charge. A device's battery life is commonly given by the manufacturer, and with more battery hours, you get to use it for longer and have to charge the device less often.
Nothing Ear 1's battery life is
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 0.5 hours
. Every time you recharge your device, they get a little less listening time. The effect is not noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will no longer play for long like they used to.
The battery life of the charging case is given by the manufacturer, and the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's case has a full charge of 18 hours. A charging case with more battery hours allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go several times before recharging the case itself.
Nothing Ear 1's charging case has a battery life of 29 hours,
more than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 11 hours
It requires 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is highly adivsable to charge fully the battery before using the earbuds for the first time.
Nothing Ear 1 takes 1.5 hours to fully charge the battery,
less than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7 by 1.5 hours
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the earbuds, you simply place down on a supported charging pad.
Nothing Ear 1 also support wireless charging, always look out for the charging standard of the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a battery level indicator, an indicator shows you when the device has a low battery. Its lights show the charging state of your earbuds and charging case.
Nothing Ear 1 too have a battery level indicator, these enable you tell the charging state of your earbuds, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have USB TYPE-C, a standard connector for transmitting both data and power in a single cable.
Nothing Ear 1 too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug is part and parcel of most current laptops, phones, and tablets.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Bluetooth version of 5, Bluetooth is a wireless technology standard that allows data movement between devices placed in close proximity, using short-wavelength, ultra-high frequency radio waves.
Nothing Ear 1 has a Bluetooth version of 5.2,
newer than that of Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
Nothing Ear 1 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support AAC, a codec used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at the same bit rate.
Since its the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 will work well with your MacBook. If you are planning 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 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).
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have 6 microphones.
Nothing Ear 1 microphones are 6,
equal to that of the Bowers & Wilkins PI7
. More microphones result in better sound quality and enable the device to filter out noise.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling microphone, these microphones are intended to reduce noise from the desired sound.
The Nothing Ear 1 too use a noise-canceling type of microphone. Especially useful in noisy areas.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient noises so that they can still be heard even while wearing them
The Nothing Ear 1 support ambient sound mode as well, it’s useful when you want to listen to music but also be aware of your surrounding, say you’re having a run but would still want to hear traffic.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when they are removed from your ears .
Nothing Ear 1 support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears saving battery life.
When misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a find earbuds feature.
The Nothing Ear 1 also have the find earbuds feature. You can use the earbuds app on your smartphone to play an alarm from your device to help you locate them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Commonly, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the amount of time it takes to fully charge the earbuds.
Nothing Ear 1 too support fast charging. This kind is similar to regular charging, only that the battery fills up much faster. For example, with Quick Charge 3.0, the battery can be charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the earbuds.
The Nothing Ear 1 also have a control panel on them.
Nothing Ear 1 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 following instruction manuals.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have voice prompts. Automatically receive information through audio messages, say if there is an issue with the connection.
The Nothing Ear 1 also have voice prompts meaning the device will notify you when the battery is running low, and you need to recharge them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with a special case. Carrying earbuds without a case, or placing them in your bag without a casing may easily damage them.
Nothing Ear 1 too have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.