Home Wireless Earbuds Powerbeats Pro Vs. Bowers & Wilkins Pi7

A Review By Comparison of the Powerbeats Pro Vs. Bowers & Wilkins Pi7

Last updated on Mar 14, 2023   6 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 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
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro

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Reasons why you might like the Powerbeats Pro

Overall Score 4.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.

  • Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating of IPX4
  • Battery Life of 9 hours
  • Number Of Microphones of 2 only

A summary of the review by feature comparison

Category Features Bowers & Wilkins PI7 Powerbeats Pro
DESIGN ingress protection (ip) rating ip54 ipX4
weight 50g 20.3g
has no wires or cables
wingtips included
sweat resistance
is dust proof and water-resistant
has stereo speakers
SOUND QUALITY has active noise cancellation (noise control)
has passive noise reduction
driver unit size 9.2mm 12mm
lowest frequency 10hz 10hz
highest frequency 20,000hz
POWER battery life 4.5hours 9hours
battery life of charging case 18hours 24hours
charge time 3hours 0.7hours
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
MICROPHONE number of microphones 6only 2only
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
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
Powerbeats Pro ipX4

IP ratings is the level of protection given by an enclosure, against solids and liquids. In the format of IPXX, 'X' represents a number The first value of the IP rating refers to protection against solids such as dust, while the second refers to protection against liquids (sweat).

Scoring IPX4, the Powerbeats Pro'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.

In comparison to the Powerbeats Pro, 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

Weight

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 50g
Powerbeats Pro 20.3g

Powerbeats Pro have a weight of 20.3g . We take in account a lower weight better because lighter devices are easier to move with.

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, at 50g are heavier than the Powerbeats Pro with a difference of 29.7g

Has No Wires Or Cables

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

For a device to be true wireless it should have no wires connecting any part of the device together, Powerbeats Pro are true wireless for this case since they don't have wires. This is a major distinction as some wireless earbuds have cables connecting the pair of earbuds together.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also is true wireless since it has no cables linking the pair of earbuds together.

Wingtips Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro have wingtips, these are reserved for earbuds for workouts and come as an optional add-on to the separate silicone ear tip for a more secure fit.

Sweat Resistance

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro have sweat resistance

Is Dust Proof And Water-Resistant

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro are both dustproof and water-resistant.

Has Stereo Speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro have stereo speakers, what this means is that Powerbeats Pro'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 Powerbeats Pro have stereo speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

ANC uses advanced technology to reduce ambient sounds. ANC works when, it listens to the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and inverts the soundwaves to cancel it out. Simply put, it's like having +1 (sound from your surrounding) and producing -1 (inverted noise) to make zero hence "diluting" the noise.

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have Active Noise Cancellation enabling you to listen at lower volume levels, good for your ears as you don't have to crank up the device volume to overcome background sounds.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro sit tightly in place, this creates an acoustic covering that reduces background noise well as preventing the device sound from leaking out at the same.

Both Bowers & Wilkins PI7, and Powerbeats Pro have passive noise reduction which means that both tone down ambient noise without using technology to cancel it out.

Driver Unit Size

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 9.2mm
Powerbeats Pro 12mm

The Powerbeats Pro have a unit size of 12mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, therefor producing better bass. A driver unit is basically a mini speaker that makes sound in the device, the unit size corellates with the loudness of the device.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 driver unit is 9.2mm in diameter, which means that they have a smaller driver unit than that of Powerbeats Pro by 2.8mm , a common assumption 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 imply that they deliver better quality sound.

Lowest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10hz
Powerbeats Pro 10hz

The Powerbeats Pro'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 alters the signal while at it.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, this implies that both devices make sound with equal bass

Highest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 20,000hz
Powerbeats Pro

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20,000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well a particular audio device produces high recognizable frequencies and if it changes to the signal on its way through.

Power

Battery Life

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 4.5hours
Powerbeats Pro 9hours

The Powerbeats Pro's battery life is 9 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 longer battery life, you get to use it for longer and requires fewer chargings.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7's battery life is less than that of Powerbeats Pro by 4.5 hours . Each time you recharge your earbuds, 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
Powerbeats Pro 24hours

The battery life of the charging case is given by the manufacturer, and Powerbeats Pro's case is said to have a charge of 24 hours. A charging case with more battery hours enables you to recharge your earbuds on the go many times before recharging the case itself.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7's charging case has a battery life of 18 hours, less than that of Powerbeats Pro by 6 hours

Charge Time

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 3hours
Powerbeats Pro 0.7hours

It takes 0.7 hours to fully charge the Powerbeats Pro's battery. It is highly adivsable to fully charge the battery before using the earbuds when they have been unused for long periods.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 takes 3 hours to fully charge the battery, more than that of Powerbeats Pro by 2.3 hours

Has Wireless Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you simply place down on a compatible charging pad.

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro have a battery level indicator, an indicator alerts you when the earbuds has a low battery. The battery indicator lights display the charging state of your earbuds and case.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a battery level indicator, these enable you to determine the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or the battery is running low.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Bluetooth Version

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 v5
Powerbeats Pro v5

Powerbeats Pro 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.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 has a Bluetooth version of 5, equal to that of the Powerbeats Pro . Newer versions provide faster data transfers.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10meters
Powerbeats Pro 10meters

Powerbeats Pro have a 10meters distance to connect via Bluetooth.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a maximum range of 10meters, equal to that of the Powerbeats Pro

Has Aac

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro 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 Powerbeats Pro will work fine with your iPad. If you are planning on using these with Android , 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.

Has Aptx Adaptive

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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
Powerbeats Pro

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
Powerbeats Pro 2only

The Powerbeats Pro have 2 microphones.

While the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 microphones are 6, more than that of Powerbeats Pro by 4 . More microphones result in better sound quality and help the device to filter out background sounds.

Has A Noise-Canceling Microphone

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are intended to filter out noise from the earbuds' sound.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even while wearing the earbuds

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Supports Fast Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro support fast charging. Most often, technologies like Qualcomm’s Quick Charge, are used to reduce the time it takes to charge a device.

Also the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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 can be charged to 50% in just 30 minutes.

Has A Mute Function

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The Powerbeats Pro, so you can easily access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a control panel on them.

Has Voice Prompts

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Travel Bag Is Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro come with a special pouch. Carrying earphones without a case, or placing them in your bag without a casing can easily damage them.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.

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