Overall Score 6.4 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
Overall Score 4.5 Represents average audio ecosystem compatibility score.
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 | 20000Hz | ✗ | |
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 | ✓ | ✓ | |
See price on Amazon | See price on Amazon |
Ingress protection ratings is the rating of protection offered by an enclosure, against dust and water. The letters 'IP' are followed by two values The first value of the IP rating means protection against solids say dust, followed by the one that refers to protection against liquids (sweat).
Scoring IPX4, the Powerbeats Pro's rating is read as, the first value of X denotes 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.
Compared 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
The Powerbeats Pro have a weight of 20.3g . We consider a lower weight best for the reason that lighter devices are more comfortable to transport.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7, at 50g
weigh more than the Powerbeats Pro by of 29.7g
True wireless devices have no cables connecting any part of the device together, Powerbeats Pro are true wireless for this case since they have no wires. This is an important difference since wireless earbuds have cables linking the pair of earbuds .
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also is true wireless because it has no wires linking the pair of earbuds .
The Powerbeats Pro come with wingtips, these are commonly used for earbuds for workouts and come as an optional add-on to each silicone ear tip for a better fit.
Powerbeats Pro are resistant to sweat
Powerbeats Pro are both dustproof and water-resistant.
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, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have stereo speakers
ANC makes use of advanced kind of tech to reduce ambient sounds. How it works, it studies the sound pattern outside and inside the earbud and then inverts the soundwaves to counter it. In simple terms, it's like having +1 (sound from your surrounding) and adding -1 (counter sound by the device) giving 0 resulting in a reduced level of noise.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have ANC enabling you to listen at lower levels of volume, good for your ears since you don't need to crank up the device volume to outcompete background sounds.
Powerbeats Pro stay well in place, creating an acoustic covering that reduces background sounds well as preventing the device sound from leaking out .
Both of these devices have passive noise reduction this means that they tone down ambient noise instead of actively using technology to cancel it out.
Powerbeats Pro have a unit size of 12mm in diameter, bigger drivers are more powerful, and can produce better bass.
A driver unit is basically a mini speaker that produces sound in the earbuds, its size determines the sound made by the earbuds.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 driver unit is 9.2mm in diameter,
which implies 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 it's true that, larger drivers are capable of generating louder sound, but this does not mean that they produce better quality sound.
Powerbeats Pro's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, low-frequency response inidcates how well an audio component produces low frequencies that can be heard, and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7's lowest frequency is at 10Hz, this implies that
both devices produce equal bass
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7's highest frequency is at 20000Hz, high-frequency response shows how well an audio component makes high human frequencies and if it makes any changes to the signal while at it.
Powerbeats Pro's battery life is 9 hours, these last longer than 5 hours of listening which is considered average for a single charge. 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 Powerbeats Pro by 4.5 hours
. Each time you recharge your device, they get a little less listening time. The effect is barely noticeable at first, but over a few years, your wireless earbuds will have shorter listening time.
The battery life of the charging case is given by the vendor, and the Powerbeats Pro's case has a full charge of 24 hours. A charging case with more battery hours allows 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
It requires 0.7 hours to fully charge the Powerbeats Pro'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 Powerbeats Pro by 2.3 hours
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7, the device supports wireless charging. To charge the device, you simply put down on a supported charging pad.
The Powerbeats Pro have a battery level indicator, an indicator notifies you when the earbuds has a low battery. Its lights show the charging status of your earbuds and charging case.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a battery level indicator, charging indicators enable you tell the charging state of your device, if charged fully, or having a low battery.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have USB TYPE-C, an industry-standard connector for transmitting both data and power through a single cable.
The Powerbeats Pro have Bluetooth version of 5, 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,
equal to that of the Powerbeats Pro
. Newer versions provide faster data transfers.
The Powerbeats Pro have a 10meters distance connecting via Bluetooth.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a maximum range of 10meters,
equal to that of the Powerbeats Pro
Powerbeats Pro support AAC, a codec that is used for Bluetooth audio. It supports 24-bit audio at 250kbps. Since it uses psychoacoustic modeling, it provides 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 well with your iPhone. If you intend 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.
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 Powerbeats Pro have 2 microphones.
While the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 microphones are 6,
more than that of Powerbeats Pro by 4
. More microphones record better sound quality and enable the device to filter out background sounds.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a noise-canceling type of microphone, these microphones are intended to reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even when wearing them
The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have in/on-ear detection, the sensors in the earbuds can detect when they are removed from your ears so that the music is paused.
If misplaced in a room, or can't easily find them in your bag, the Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a find earbuds feature.
Powerbeats Pro support fast charging. Most often, technologies like MediaTek’s Pump Express, are used to reduce the time it takes to charge a device.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 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 is charged to 50% in 30 minutes.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have a mute function, they support the feature to mute/unmute a conversation directly from the earbuds.
The Powerbeats Pro, so you can access the volume control, pause, play, mute, etc whichever features are supported on the device.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 too have a control panel on them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.
The Powerbeats Pro come with a special pouch. Carrying earbuds openly, or placing them in your bag without a cover can easily damage them.
Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have a case included, which is useful for safe transportation.