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

A Review By Comparison of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi7 Vs. Nothing Ear 1

Last updated on Mar 14, 2023   7 min 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 6.4 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

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Reasons why you might like the Nothing Ear 1

Overall Score 6.0 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

A summary of the review by feature comparison

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 20000Hz 20000Hz
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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A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 IP54
Nothing Ear 1 IPX4

Ingress protection ratings is the rating of protection given by an enclosure, against solids and liquids. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value refers to protection against solids say 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 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 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

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a weight of 50g . We prefer a lower weight better because lighter devices are easier to carry.

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

For a device to be true wireless it must have no cables linking any part of the device together, Bowers & Wilkins PI7 are true wireless for this matter since they don't have wires. This is a key distinction as some wireless earbuds have wires connecting the 2 earbuds together.

Nothing Ear 1 also is true wireless because it doesn't have cables connecting the pair of earbuds together.

Sweat Resistance

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Nothing Ear 1 are resistant to sweat

Has Stereo Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers, devices with stereo speakers deliver sound from independent channels on both left and right sides, this creates a richer sound and a better listening experience.

Both Nothing Ear 1 and Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have stereo speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Active noise cancellation utilises more advanced kind of tech to actively counter noise. ANC works when, it listens to the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and after inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (noise) and adding -1 (inverted noise) to make zero resulting in a reduced level of noise.

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have ANC allowing you to listen at lower levels of volume, good for your ears as you don't need to crank up the device volume to outcompete background noise.

Nothing Ear 1 too have Active Noise Cancellation which makes either of the earbuds ideal for flights and morning commutes. Each operate with different noise cancellation modes, pick the mode that you prefer for commute or that enhances your chill time.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 stay tightly in place, this creates an acoustic covering that reduces background noise and also prevents the device sound from leaking out .

Both of these devices have passive noise reduction which means that both limit ambient noise without using ANC 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 earbuds, its size corellates with the loudness of 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 usually have difficulty producing high frequencies so yeah, larger drivers can generate louder sound, but this does not mean that they deliver better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10Hz
Nothing Ear 1 20Hz

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio device produces low audible frequencies and if it alters the signal while at it.

Nothing Ear 1's lowest frequency is at 20Hz, this implies that Bowers & Wilkins PI7 produce a juicier bass than the Nothing Ear 1

Highest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 20000Hz
Nothing Ear 1 20000Hz

Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well an audio device makes high recognizable frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.

Nothing Ear 1's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, 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 before recharge. A device's battery life is usually given by the manufacturer, and with longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.

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 barely noticeable at first, but over time, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 18hours
Nothing Ear 1 29hours

This is given by the vendor, and Bowers & Wilkins PI7's case has a charge of 18 hours. A charging case with a longer battery life allows you to recharge your earbuds on the go multiple 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 takes 3 hours to fully charge the Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery. It is recommended 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 just put down on a supported charging pad.

Nothing Ear 1 also support wireless charging, always look out for the charging standard of a device.

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 indicate the charging status of your device and case.

Nothing Ear 1 too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you tell the charging state of your device, whether fully charged, or having a low battery.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power through a single cable.

Nothing Ear 1 too have USB TYPE-C. This USB-C plug comes along with 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 range, 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 to connect 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. Because it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it can provide better results than other codecs at the same bit rate.

Being the highest quality codec that any Bluetooth-supporting Apple product supports, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 will work fine with your iPhone. 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

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 earbuds to filter out background sounds.

Has A Noise-Canceling Microphone

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 use a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are designed to filter out background sounds from the earbuds' sound.

The Nothing Ear 1 too use a noise-canceling type of microphone. Especially useful in noisy areas.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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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 while being aware of what’s happening around you, say you’re having a jog but would still want to hear traffic.

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the device can detect when removed from your ears so that the music is paused.

The Nothing Ear 1 support in/on-ear detection, automatically pauses your music, or audiobook when you remove earbuds from your ears improving your listening experience.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

If lost in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support the find earbuds feature.

The Nothing Ear 1 also have the find earbuds feature. Use the earbuds app on your phone to play a sound from your earbuds to find them.

Supports Fast Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support fast charging. Usually, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to lower the amount of time it takes to charge a device.

The Nothing Ear 1 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.

Has A Mute Function

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The 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

With the Bowers & Wilkins PI7, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.

Nothing Ear 1 too have a control panel on them.

Warranty Period

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1 1Years

The 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 that has followed instruction manuals.

Has Voice Prompts

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support voice prompts. Automatically receive information via audio messages, say if there is an issue with the connection.

Nothing Ear 1 too support voice prompts meaning the device notifies you when the battery is running low, and you need to recharge the device.

Travel Bag Is Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Nothing Ear 1

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 come with their own special case. Carrying earbuds without a case, or putting them inside your pockets without a casing can easily damage them.

Nothing Ear 1 also have a case included, which offers safe transportation.

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