If you’re looking for premium-quality wireless earbuds that offer superior sound, and that are manufactured using high-quality components, take advantage of cutting-edge technology, feature an ergonomic design, and come from a leader in the audio industry, what you want in your ears are the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s.
These earbuds work with any iOS or Android mobile device, Windows or Mac computer, or any device that transmits audio via Bluetooth (including many of the latest e-book readers and smartwatches).
I’ve been reviewing Bluetooth earbuds since they were first introduced and only a handful have truly impressed me. After receiving a review unit of the Pi8s from Bowers & Wilkins, I was eager to put these to the test, since I’ve previously been very impressed with older generations of the brand’s wireless earbuds.
After several weeks using them, what I discovered is that with the Pi8s, Bowers & Wilkins not only enhanced their sound quality and active noise cancellation technology, but they’ve also integrated many other features like CD quality lossless audio, improved 12mm carbon cone drivers, increased battery life, and customizable EQ.
So, if you’re able to make a $400 investment in your next pair of premium wireless earbuds, keep reading this review to determine if the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s are what you need. Chances are, you too will be as impressed as I am with the collection of features, design, and audio quality these earbuds offer.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Wireless Earbuds
Specifications
Price: $399.
Wireless Charging Case: Yes.
Drivers: 2x 12mm Carbon Cone.
Active Noise Cancellation: Yes.
Microphones: 3 per earbud for telephony and ANC.
Bluetooth: 5.4 with aptX lossless technology.
Battery Life: Up to 6.5 hours (20 hours using Charging Case).
Multiport Connectivity: Yes (2 simultaneous devices).
Water Resistance: IP54 (Earbuds Only).
Earbud Weight: 0.25 ounces each.
Available Colors: Anthracite Black, Midnight Blue, Jade Green, Dove White.
Pros
- Elegant and comfortable design.
- Generates CD quality lossless audio.
- Active noise cancellation (ANC).
- HIgh-performance digital signal processing (DSP).
- Customizable control using the Bowers & Wilkins Music app.
Cons
- Expensive.
- Water resistance rating is not ideal for the gym.
Who the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Wireless Earbuds Will Appeal To
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds are ideal for smartphone users who want to participate in hands-free phone calls and video calls, plus listen to their favorite music, podcasts, and audiobooks.
While these days you can find decent quality wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation (ANC) starting around $100 (such as the OnePlus Buds 3), the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s offer the features most people need, and so much more. In this case, you get what you pay for. You’re not simply paying more from a well-known brand name.
Tune Out the Outside World and Enjoy Your Favorite Audio
One “must have” feature to seek out when shopping for wireless earbuds is active noise cancellation (ANC). This is technology that cancels out and removes unwanted ambient noise wherever you are. ANC allows you to focus just on the audio you want to hear.
Bowers & Wilkins uses a handful of technologies, as well as a collection of three microphones within each earbud, to provide impressive active noise cancellation that works exceptionally well whether you’re listening to audio or participating in hands-free calls – either indoors or outdoors.
Among the other standout features are the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s’ elegant, compact, ergonomic, and water resistant design. The earbuds come with four interchangeable ear tip sizes to ensure a comfortable and snug fit, but unlike other popular earbuds (like the Apple AirPods Pro 2nd Generation), the Pi8s lack a stem.
From an aesthetic standpoint, you can wear these earbuds in the office and maintain a professional appearance, and participate in crystal-clear, hands-free phone calls via your smartphone or cellular-enabled smartwatch.
While the Pi8s are water resistant, I don’t recommend using them during a workout or when participating in outdoor activities that involve harsh weather conditions. There are fully waterproof and durable wireless earbuds that are much better suited for these uses.
Based on my testing, the Pi8s are better used at home, at work, during your commute, or while traveling on an airplane or train — when you want to tune out the ambient noise around you and clearly hear your phone calls, music, or other types of audio — and look good wearing them.
I wore these earbuds for hours at a time listening to all sorts of audio and while participating in hands-free phone calls using my iPhone 15 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra smartphone. I found the earbuds are extremely comfortable. After a few minutes, I often forgot I was wearing them because they’re made from high-end, but very lightweight components.
Whether I was listening to music, podcasts, or audiobooks, the Pi8s generated extremely clear and rich, CD quality audio that sounded truly authentic. For example, when listening to a recording of an artist’s live concert, if I closed my eyes, it sounded like I was sitting in the very best seat of a concert hall hearing the music performed in-person. It’s this sound quality that’s a key differentiator between the Pi8s and many competitors.
Experience CD Quality Lossless Audio Using the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Earbuds
When I paired the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s with any of the devices I used them with, the earbuds’ onboard touch controls were easy to use. To get the most use out of these earbuds, it’s necessary to memorize the taps or presses that play/pause audio, move between audio tracks, fast forward/rewind within a track, answer and end phone calls, and switch between ANC, pass-through, and voice assistant modes. This is the most difficult aspect of using these earbuds. That said, once you learn these commands, working with them becomes second nature.
Of course, it’s also possible to control audio and phone calls from the smartphone or device the earbuds are paired with. In fact, I suggest downloading the free Bowers & Wilkins Music app for iOS or Android. This app gives you quick access to all of the features built into the earbuds, including the ability to turn on/off noise cancellation or pass-through, and customize your listening experience using Advanced EQ and True Sound sliders. This means you can enhance or reduce the lows, mids and highs of any audio.
Based on the ambient noise where you’re using the earbuds, the active noise cancellation automatically adapts and keeps the audio at the volume you set. I found the Pi8s handle this task exceptionally well. Using the app, you can also create your own locally stored audio library and playlists, plus link the music streaming services you subscribe to, so you can use just one app to access Amazon Music, Qobuz, Tidal, Deezer, Pandora, TuneIn, Soundcloud, and NTS, plus control the earbuds at the same time.
Meanwhile, one of the biggest drawbacks of most wireless earbuds occurs when you’re on an airplane. If you want to use the in-flight entertainment system, this typically requires you to plug in headphones using cable with a 3.5mm audio jack. Bowers & Wilkins is one of the few wireless earbud brands to solve this issue. The Pi8s come with a USB Type-C to 3.5mm audio jack cable.
One end of this cable plugs into the Pi8s wireless charging case, while the other end plugs into the airplane’s entertainment system (or any other equipment that has a headphone jack and that does not support Bluetooth). Using this cable, the audio is sent from the entertainment system to the charging case, where it’s then wirelessly transmitted to the earbuds.
The Pi8s Expertly Handle Hands-Free Calls, Too
For as long as I’ve used a smartphone, I’ve always used either wired or wireless headphones or earbuds to keep my hands free during phone calls or video calls. Between the sound quality these earbuds generate, the quality of the microphones, and the active noise cancellation, for me, phone calls consistently sounded very clear. Whether indoors or outdoors, I was able to hear the people I spoke with – and they could hear me – even when I was in a noisy environment.
Whether using just one earbud or both during calls, the sound quality was as good, if not significantly better than most of the other high-end wireless earbuds I’ve used. This is another example of how spending $400 for the Pi8 earbuds makes them a worthwhile investment.
Pairing the earbuds with a smartphone (or any iOS or Android mobile device) is an extremely quick and simple process. And thanks to the multiport connectivity capabilities offered, you can keep the Pi8s paired with two devices simultaneously.
The Wireless Charging Case Keeps the Earbuds Going for Up To 20 Hours
The wireless charging case that comes with the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8s is slightly larger and thicker than what you get with the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation), but the case still fits comfortably in a pocket. On the bottom of the case is a single USB Type-C port that can be used to plug in the supplied charging cable or 3.5mm audio jack cable.
The case is made from plastic and matches the earbuds’ color (Anthracite Black, Midnight Blue, Jade Green, or Dove White). While the earbuds themselves are rated IP54 for water resistance, the case is not, so you’ll want to keep it dry.
When the earbuds’ batteries are fully charged, you can expect up to 6.5 hours of continuous playback with ANC turned on (longer with it turned off). The charging case can provide an additional 13.5 hours of playback without needing an external power source. When the battery in each earbud runs low, a 15-minute charge in the case provides up to two hours of additional playback.
The earbuds fully recharge in two hours. I found these playback times (which are published by Bowers & Wilkins on the company’s website) are pretty consistent with everyday use, but a lot depends on the earbud features being used.
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Wireless Earbuds
My Final Thoughts: Are the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Wireless Earbuds Worth It?
The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 wireless earbuds are designed for people who want the best that audio technology has to offer and who can afford it. These days, $400 is a high price to pay for Bluetooth earbuds. After spending several weeks using the Pi8s, I can comfortably state they’re worth every penny. They consistently offer excellent sound quality and utilize a lightweight, ergonomic, and very comfortable design.
Just as you might purchase a top-of-the-line Mercedes instead of a Honda or Toyota if you have the disposable income and want to purchase a status symbol that’s also a prestigious, highly functional, and well made automobile, the same principle is true with the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using them, and I am confident you will too.
