Home Wireless Earbuds Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 Vs. Nothing Ear 1

Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 Vs. Nothing Ear 1 Review

Last updated on Mar 30, 2024   7 minute read
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Bowers & Wilkins PI7

Bowers & Wilkins PI7

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Reasons why you might like the Bowers & Wilkins PI7

Overall Score 7.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IP54
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 4.5 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode
VS
Nothing Ear 1

Nothing Ear 1

See price on Amazon

Reasons why you might like the Nothing Ear 1

Overall Score 7 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)
  • Battery Life of 5 hours
  • Has Usb Type-C
  • Number Of Microphones of 6 only
  • Has Ambient Sound Mode

Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 Vs. Nothing Ear 1 Review In Summary

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
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Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 Vs. Nothing Ear 1 Review In Detail

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 IP54
Nothing Ear 1 IPX4

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

Weight

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 50g
Nothing Ear 1 9.4g

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

Has No Wires Or Cables

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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 .

Sweat Resistance

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Nothing Ear 1 have sweat resistance

Has Stereo Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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

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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Driver Unit Size

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 9.2mm
Nothing Ear 1 11.6mm

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.

Lowest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10Hz
Nothing Ear 1 20Hz

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

Highest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 20,000Hz
Nothing Ear 1 20,000Hz

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

Power

Battery Life

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 4.5hours
Nothing Ear 1 5hours

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.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 18hours
Nothing Ear 1 29hours

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

Charge Time

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 3hours
Nothing Ear 1 1.5hours

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

Has Wireless Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Bluetooth Version

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 v5
Nothing Ear 1 v5.2

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.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10meters
Nothing Ear 1 10meters

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

Has Aac

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has Aptx Adaptive

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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).

Has Aptx Hd

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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).

Microphone

Number Of Microphones

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 6only
Nothing Ear 1 6only

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.

Has A Noise-Canceling Microphone

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

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Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Supports Fast Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Has A Mute Function

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they support the option to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Warranty Period

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1 1Years

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.

Has Voice Prompts

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.

Travel Bag Is Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

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.