B&W updates PI7 earbuds with better battery life for the same price

Two years after releasing its first pair of true wi-fi earbuds, Bowers and Wilkins is right here with two up to date fashions. The $399 (£349 / €399) PI7 S2 are the upper finish of the 2, with twin drivers, extra microphones, and the power to make use of their charging case to transmit audio from a wired supply (like an in-flight leisure system) when Bluetooth isn’t an possibility. There’s additionally the step-down $299 (£249 / €299) PI5 S2. 

Each earbuds now provide 5 hours of listening on a single cost. That’s up from 4 hours for the unique PI7 earbuds, and 4.5 hours for the unique PI5s, although it falls in need of our present high wi-fi earbud picks, the Sony WF-1000XM4, which provide eight hours of playback, in addition to the six-hour AirPods Professional 2. The PI7 S2’s case affords an additional 16 hours, whereas the PI5 S2’s affords 19. 

B&W can be boasting about “upgraded wi-fi connectivity” on each pairs of earbuds, which will increase their Bluetooth vary to 25 meters (round 82 ft). However the precise wi-fi codecs listed as supported are the identical as final time — aptX Adaptive for the PI7 S2, and the lower-end aptX for the PI5 S2 — and there’s no signal of help for the newer aptX Lossless.  

Different variations between the PI7 S2 and PI5 S2 embody an extra built-in microphone on the previous, which has three mics per earbud as a substitute of two. The PI7 S2 additionally has a dual-driver configuration, which generally affords a extra detailed sound, versus only a single driver with the PI5 S2. Lastly, the higher-end mannequin comes with adaptive noise cancellation, which adjusts to your environment, versus energetic noise cancellation on the PI5 S2 (which might be manually configured through the companion app). 

Each earbuds can be found from right this moment. The PI7 S2 is available in black, white, or blue, whereas the PI5 S2 is available in two shades of grey, lilac, and — later this spring — inexperienced.