Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review

Our Verdict

The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 has the aesthetics, sound, and noise cancellation to depict you away from the AirPods Pro, only information technology isn't perfect.

For

Rich, spacious sound
Premium craftsmanship
Highly effective ANC
Powerful mics and quick charging
Adequate telephone call quality

Against

Missing advanced specs and features establish on the PI7
Weak battery life and wireless range
Iffy controls

Tom's Guide Verdict

The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 has the aesthetics, sound, and noise cancellation to draw you away from the AirPods Pro, merely it isn't perfect.

Pros

+
Rich, spacious sound
+
Premium craftsmanship
+
Highly effective ANC
+
Powerful mics and quick charging
+
Adequate telephone call quality

Cons

-
Missing avant-garde specs and features found on the PI7
-
Weak bombardment life and wireless range
-
Iffy controls

Office of a dual proclamation past the heritage sound make, the Bowers & Wilkins PI5 joins the critically acclaimed PI7 equally the company'south first-ever true wireless models to hit the market. It also serves equally B&W'south entry-level offering, which at $249, seems a chip steep, but is still more affordable than the $399 PI7. Pricing aside, the PI5 is a solid competitor worthy of gracing any best racket-cancelling earbuds list.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 specs

Colors: Charcoal, White

Battery life (rated): 4.five hours (ANC on), 24.5 hours (charging example)

Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.0

Processor: Qualcomm QCC5126

Size: 1 x 0.9 ten 0.7 inches (per bud), 2.iii x 1.1 x 2.ii inches (charging case)

Weight: 0.ii ounces (per bud), 1.vii ounces (charging case)

Despite missing some of the PI7's avant-garde specs, the PI5 has the sonic prowess to rival many of the category'southward top performers. Information technology also bears the same hit design, but in unlike colors. Furthermore, the buds come with longer bombardment life than the PI7, granted the playtimes, along with wireless range, fall short of industry standards. Go on forward with our Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review to see how these new ANC earbuds stack up against the field.

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Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Price and availability

$249 from various retailers
Charcoal and White finishes available

The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 tin can exist purchased directly from B&W or at major online retailers, including Amazon, B&H and Crutchfield. It is sold in 2 colors: Charcoal and White.

These buds share the aforementioned MSRP ($249) every bit their biggest competitor, the AirPods Pro, which isn't cheap. At the same fourth dimension, they are priced lower than other category powerhouses similar the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds ($279) and Primary & Dynamic MW08 ($299). If you're seeking a less expensive ANC option, we recommend the surprisingly smashing Amazon Echo Buds 2 ($119) or Sony WF-1000XM3 ($178), a Tom'southward Guide favorite that continues to see generous markdowns.

For all of the latest sales, experience costless to bookmark our best headphones deals page.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Pattern and comfort

Slick, h2o-resistant blueprint
Comfort OK at first, then wanes

Exterior of the colorways, the PI7 and PI5 are no dissimilar in design. Build quality is superb, composed of matte plastic and sturdy aluminum with robust casing to sustain scratches and scuffs. These buds come IP54-certified equally well to protect the gorgeous exterior from calorie-free splashing, sweat, and clay; the added solid ingress protection makes this is a stronger rating than the AirPods Pro'due south IPX4.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review — (Image credit: Regan Coule/Future)

Detailing is what gives the PI5 its swagger. For instance, the metallic cylinder on the front that doubles every bit the touch console looks cool. The visitor logo is discretely laser-etched underneath the cylinder, while shiny air vents rest at the top and bottom of the earbuds. Examine the silicone ear tips and yous'll notice a mesh barrier. B&West integrated this into the tips to foreclose earwax build up for optimal acoustic performance. I'm fond of the black PI5'southward boldly dark color scheme, simply the PI7 is more alluring, thanks to its gold accents.

Onto the charging case, which embodies the sleekness of the buds, even so lacks their sturdiness. It does feel nice in hand and isn't likewise big to make for an uncomfortable fit in your pockets. Unfortunately, it'south less durable than the AirPods Pro case, and that is saying a lot. The charging case also doesn't take a front push button similar the PI7 case. Information technology may non serve whatsoever purpose right now, simply B&W claims it will take on a futurity function via firmware update. Sad, PI5 owners.

Comfort and fit are decent. The sound port easily nestles onto the inner part of your ear for proper stability and the tips create a tight seal around the canal to keep the buds in place. At the aforementioned time, the port applies force per unit area to the front end of your ear and causes soreness after virtually an hr and a half of wear.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Impact controls and digital assistant

Versatile impact sensors
Smooth digital assistant integration

While you don't get a full suite of media controls, the PI5 places plenty of functionality at the tip of your finger. The bear upon sensors back up unmarried (play/pause/respond call), double (skip runway/cease or turn down telephone call), and triple taps (previous track), along with a press-and-hold gesture to fire up vocalisation assistance or ANC. On-ear detection is available besides to automatically pause music when removing the buds and resume playback when placed dorsum on your ears.

The controls are highly responsive to touch, though the outcome varies whenever employing multi-tap gestures. The sensors oft mistake double taps for single taps and triple taps for double taps. I wouldn't put too much religion in automated playback either, because there is noticeable latency whenever taking the buds off.

Even with a less powerful mic-array (the PI5 has iv mics versus the PI7's half dozen mics), these buds delivered superb mic intelligibility when using Google Assistant and Siri. Firing upward either AI bot was instant. Voice commands were registered accurately with every syllable accounted for, and results were produced quickly.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Active dissonance cancellation

Highly effective ANC, indoors and out
Doesn't have the PI7'due south Car Mode

The PI7 may have more hardware to complement its stellar ANC performance, but the PI5 is no slouch. Would I put it up confronting the category'due south best? Maybe the AirPods Pro, which should speak for how well noise neutralization works on these buds.

I was satisfied wearing the buds at abode in a noisy environment that consisted of loud churr and an even louder Television receiver running the NBA playoffs in the background. It was great to lookout the games in peace equally I zoned out to Spotify playlists. Other sounds that went unnoticed were doorbells, iPhone timers, the washing motorcar, and my baby boy's favorite rattle. I couldn't say the same for his babbling and incessant crying in betwixt naps, only at least the PI5 did a fantastic job of minimizing those distractions.

B&W's racket-cancelling technology also performed well outside. Bicyclists had to ring their bike bells several times to garner my attention. What shocked me well-nigh was air current resistance, as I didn't expect it to be as stiff on the PI5 as the PI7; the whooshing effect produced in drafty conditions was subdued. Blaring sounds like ambulance sirens and tugboat horns would enter the soundscape. However, they sounded more like background furnishings on records I had playing.

Auto Mode is a special setting designed for the PI7 that tweaks ANC past analyzing the noise effectually yous. The PI5 doesn't support information technology and that's kind of a good affair, since it diminishes noise neutralization by making voices and high-frequency sounds more than transparent. Still, it's a feature with potential that you lot might desire accessible if B&West can somehow bring it to the cheaper buds afterward.

Ambient Pass-Through likewise operates a little differently on the PI5. Instead of a slider to suit the levels of transparency, you're given ii modes – Less and More than – each is cocky-explanatory. Less is fine for eavesdropping on conversations that take place several feet abroad from you, while More lets in more dissonance to proceeds greater sensation of your environment.

I was as well thrilled to run across that B&Westward didn't shortchange PI5 owners by excluding ane of its unsung features. Similar the PI7, the PI5 can blend ANC and Ambient Pass-Through, something I idea only the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds could practise. Turning on both features simultaneously will make ambient noises sound more distinguishable and less harsh.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Audio quality

Not equally high-end as the PI7
Yet very good, and copes well with unlike genres

Underneath the hood of each bud is a 9.2mm Dynamic Drive Unit that pumps out broad sound and well-counterbalanced range. My ears were fed a proper dose of lows, mids, and highs. This was exemplary on sonic gems like Hall & Oates "I Can't Go for That (No Can Do)," where the layering of sounds at the beginning blended superbly, from the gentle bass line to the mechanical drum sample that had a nice knock to it.

I ever turn to jazz when judging reproduction and the PI5 took on the challenge like a champ, treatment circuitous arrangements improve than about models in the category. The sudden bursts of ensemble play on Charles Mingus' "Hobo Ho" tin be overwhelming to accept in, but the PI5 gave the orchestration proper representation. The densely stacked chords take distinction, letting you hear and almost experience every double bass strum and horn blow.

Ramping up the bass, I proceeded to blast Jay-Z'south "99 Problems" and was met with quaking 808 riffs that dominated the soundscape. Information technology takes some fine applied science to get the rapper'south braggadocio rhymes sounding well-baked over the monstrous production, which is what the PI5 achieves, though I felt the midrange and definition was better on the PI7.

The power to stream music in aptX when connecting the charging instance to any compatible analog audio output is a huge selling bespeak for the PI7. Anyone can come across why B&W kept the feature exclusive to its pricier offering, just, man, it stings to not take it on the PI5. Add 24-bit audio resolution, a dedicated external DSP, and total aptX codec support to the list of notable exclusions every bit well.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: App and special features

Richly-featured app
Missing some of the PI7's extras

Every bit far as the B&W app goes, the PI5 and PI7 share near the same features. You'll see bombardment level indicators for each earbud at the top of the home screen. Toggle controls for both Noise Cancellation and Ambient Pass-Through are available, though, as previously mentioned, Machine Manner and the ambient-listening slider are MIA. In that location's also a toggle control for on-ear-detection and firmware back up.

Soundscapes is the app's signature characteristic and comes with half dozen unlike profiles to mask the ambient noise around y'all with nature sounds. It'south a feature we've seen on a handful of other competitors and one that serves great purpose if you desire to try something different than a meditation app for feet relief. Nigh importantly, every profile is engineered incredibly well and reproduces sounds true to their environs.

At that place are two other app features missing that seem to be reserved for the brand's ANC headphones, the PX7. I'one thousand referring to the voice prompt setting and Standby Timer that puts the buds asleep when inactive. Regarding what could have been added, I speak for anybody when maxim a Find My Buds function and an EQ with presets would have been greatly appreciated.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Battery life and charging case

iv.v hours per charge, 24.v hours from instance
Not terrible but disappointing, given price

Bombardment life on the PI5 (four.5 hours) is rated the aforementioned as the AirPods Pro (4.5 hours) and longer than the PI7 (4 hours). How sad is that? This is below the manufacture-boilerplate fourth dimension set up by the regular AirPods: v hours. And that isn't factoring in volume, streaming, and ANC either, which bring playtime down by almost 30 to 45 minutes. I guess this is OK for moderate listening (1.five hours daily), though having to recharge the buds almost every other twenty-four hours is a irksome chore.

The charging case holds upwards to 24.5 hours, so at least you lot go 30 minutes more than than the AirPods Pro's charging case (24 hours). All the same, in that location are models that harness way more portable juice; the MW08 example generates 42 hours on a full charge. If there are two silver linings, information technology's that the PI5's instance comes with wireless charging, equally well every bit quick charging to net you 2 hours on a xv-minute charge.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Call quality and connectivity

Very good vocalism phone call performance
All the same, Bluetooth range is curt

To my surprise, the PI5 was a better calling headset than the PI7. The mics pick upward a lot of ambience sound, which you'll hear people on the opposite finish point out, but your voice will still audio fairly clear in most environments. Book is given a slight boost, plus wind is minimized to reduce cutout and interference; the PI7 had an issue with crackling when speaking in drafty weather condition. The missus could make out every word and sentence I spoke when taking the baby out on walks.

Nil is different regarding connectivity, which means y'all can expect fast pairing and nix latency when streaming music. Information technology also means dealing with poor wireless range. I don't know what it is with both the PI5 and PI7, but neither production tin can seem to keep a stable connection by the fifteen-foot mark. Going past this distance causes audio to stutter terribly. For a newer release, I would have loved to see Google Fast Pair and multipoint technology included as well.

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 review: Verdict

The Bowers & Wilkins PI5 is basically a scaled down version of the PI7, but also a high-finish performer that doesn't compromise much on overall performance. You lot're yet getting ane of the most attractive and well-built buds out there. Sound is clean and vibrant despite the smaller driver size, living up to the brand's remarkable sound pedigree. ANC is also strong and tin can neutralize virtually the same level of ambient noise every bit the AirPods Pro, plus the two-level transparency mode is first-class for environment sensation.

The PI5 shares many of the same positives as the PI7. More than negatives, likewise. Battery life is college, just non past much, and remains some of the lowest in the category. I wish at that place were answers for the extremely limited wireless range. Some of the missing sound features may persuade audiophiles to splurge on the PI7 besides.

All in all, the PI5 fits correct in with its luxury counterparts, hitting well-nigh marks and giving you top-notch craftsmanship at a more accessible price betoken.

More than: The all-time headphones with a mic for voice and video calls

A lifestyle journalist with an affinity for consumer products, Alex has over a decade of feel and has worked with pop publications such equally Complex, Thrillist, Men'due south Wellness, Gear Patrol, AskMen, and Hoop Magazine. He currently focuses on sound, reviewing the near coveted headphones in the marketplace for both Tom's Guide and Laptop Mag.