Back in Spring 2021, we got the Pi5 and Pi7 which were Bowers & Wilkins first leap into true wireless earbuds. Then in 2023 they revised the lineup with S2 iterations for each model. Now they are taking cues from their coveted PX8 and Px7 Series headphones and bringing us a more sophisticated design for this new set of earbuds. Do they sound as good as they look?
Style
Bowers & Wilkins completely changed the look of not just the earbuds but the case itself. The case design goes into familiar territory of others like it being more compact, rounded, and clamshell. Easily making them more pocketable and not as bulky looking. The Smartcase has branding insignia on the front. With its curved body its not able to stand straight up on its own like its predecessors.
But it does support wireless charging and even Wireless Retransmission which the Pi7 first brought out. This can be utilized via the included 3.5mm jack to USB-C cable. If wireless isn’t your thing there is a USB-C port on the bottom as well as a USB-C cable included for charging. There is an indicator light on the front. You are slated to get 24hrs total of battery life with the earbuds giving you 8hrs and in the case an additional 16hrs.
On the earbuds side they have more of a uniformed curved look as well. There are small grill details which can be for the mics and each earbud has a branding insignia. I really like the look of these compared to the two-tone boxy design of the older series. They always looked to be sticking out your ears where the Pi8s feel and look flush. B&W was nice enough to send over the Anthracite Black pair, but they do come in additional colors of Midnight Black, Jade Green, and Dove White. They are rated IP54 for water resistance. Also, each only weighs 6g.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 include a USB-C to USB-C cable, 3.5mm audio jack to USB-C Cable, and various Ear Tips.
Features
Each earbud has capacitive touch controls which can easily be accessed via a tap or hard press. You can use them for play controls, toggling ANC, and even voice assistant. No issues with the touch controls at all using the past couple of months. If you don’t for any of those you can just change them to volume via the Bowers & Wilkins app.
Speaking of the B&W app you can go on here to change ANC, device pairing, and there is an Advanced EQ setting. They have made major strives compared to last year. App and Bluetooth syncing is on point.
There is Multipoint Bluetooth pairing on the Pi8 which means I can have both my phones paired up and don’t have to worry about disabling one or the other. Switching from one device to another and not taking my earbuds out is great and provides a seamless experience.
B&W Pi8 were mostly used with an iPhone 15 Pro, iPhone 16 Pro, and Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.
Sound
Besides bringing Px8’s elegant design to the Pi8, they also brought some familiar tech. You are getting 12mm drivers which operate with Carbon Cone that was on those headphones as well. Audio support has been cranked up with aptX Adaptive at 24-bit/96kHz and aptX Lossless. Just make sure you have an android device that supports it. iPhone only supports the AAC codec. Samsung Galaxy phones don’t support either.
Playing Busta Rhymes “Put Your Hands Where My Eyes Can See” you are getting the perfect number of bass without it feeling too heavy. A song like “Quicksilver” by Fourplay is mostly an instrument and you can get every detail from the various guitars, drums, and piano. “Good Days” by SZA does a respectable job of focusing on her vocals with clarity.
Besides listening to music, they are phenomenal for other content such as movies. Watching “Doctor Strange & the Multiverse of Madness” I feel like you are right in the city as they fight a giant octopus as the bass is thumping.
Experience
These have been my go-to pair of earbuds for the past couple of months now and they just hit all the marks. The ANC is nice and can do manage the blocking out most noise easily, especially on the busy crowded subways I take daily.
I have had various phone conversations, and I didn’t have much issue hearing the other party and vice versa. Only real gripe with the Pi8s are the case(at least in Black) is a fingerprint smudge magnet.
Verdict
It really felt like B&W redesigned the Pi8 from the ground up bringing a cleaner and sleeker design for the Smartcase and the earbuds. They sound incredible, giving tons of detail and an impressive battery life. They can be considered a bit pricey being $399 especially when compared to some other earbuds within its realm. If anything, there is the Pi6 that was released alongside it that is $150 less but doesn’t have as many features as the Pi8.
You can check our unboxing of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 on TikTok / Instagram
