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 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
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 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
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A breakdown of the review per specifications

Design

Ingress Protection (Ip) Rating

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 IP54
Powerbeats Pro IPX4

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

Weight

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 50g
Powerbeats Pro 20.3g

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

Has No Wires Or Cables

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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 .

Wingtips Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Sweat Resistance

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Powerbeats Pro are resistant to sweat

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, creating a richer sound and a better listening experience.

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 also have stereo speakers

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Sound Quality

Has Active Noise Cancellation (Noise Control)

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Has Passive Noise Reduction

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Driver Unit Size

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 9.2mm
Powerbeats Pro 12mm

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.

Lowest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10Hz
Powerbeats Pro 10Hz

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

Highest Frequency

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 20000Hz
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Power

Battery Life

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 4.5hours
Powerbeats Pro 9hours

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.

Battery Life Of Charging Case

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 18hours
Powerbeats Pro 24hours

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

Charge Time

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 3hours
Powerbeats Pro 0.7hours

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

Has Wireless Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Has A Battery Level Indicator

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Connectivity

Has Usb Type-C

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The 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

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.

Maximum Bluetooth Range

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 10meters
Powerbeats Pro 10meters

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

Has Aac

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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.

Has Aptx Adaptive

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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
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 record better sound quality and enable 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 reduce noise from the earbuds' sound.

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
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Extras

Has Ambient Sound Mode

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

The Bowers & Wilkins PI7 support ambient sound mode, which uses microphones to channel ambient sound to still be heard even when wearing them

Has In/On-Ear Detection

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Has Find Earbuds Feature

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Supports Fast Charging

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Has A Mute Function

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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

Control Panel Placed On A Device

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

Has Voice Prompts

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

Bowers & Wilkins PI7 have voice prompts. With voice prompts, you receive information via audio messages, say if there is a problem with the connection.

Travel Bag Is Included

Bowers & Wilkins PI7
Powerbeats Pro

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.

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