Bowers & Wilkins refreshes its true wireless earbuds range with the PI7 S2 and PI5 S2
The prices stay the same but improvements have been made to in-ear battery life and Bluetooth range
British audio manufacturer Bowers & Wilkins has released upgraded versions of its PI7 and PI5 true wireless earbuds.
Bowers launched its inaugural earbuds in April 2021 and their replacements – the PI7 S2 and PI5 S2 – offer all of the same functionality while making improvements in a few key areas.
Redesigned antennas are said to improve connection stability and increase Bluetooth range to around 25m, while both pairs of buds should now deliver up to five hours of audio playback per charge. That’s up from four hours on the flagship PI7 and four and a half hours on the cheaper PI5. The additional charge offered by the charging cases remains unchanged at 16 hours and 19 hours, respectively.
The PI7 S2 and PI5 S2 are also available in a range of new finishes. The PI7 S2 come in Satin Black, Canvas White and Midnight Blue, while the PI5 S2 are available in Cloud Grey, Storm Grey and Spring Lilac, with Sage Green joining the lineup in the spring.
Where the first-gen PI earbuds used the B&W Headphones app, the PI7 S2 and PI5 S2 are fully integrated into Bowers’ Music app. This provides the same setup, configuration and settings options while adding integrated access to supported streaming services including Qobuz, TIDAL and Deezer.
You can read all about the original iteration of B&W’s flagship earbuds in our full PI7 review. Their big advantages over the PI5 are adaptive noise cancellation (as opposed to basic ANC) and their case’s ability to function as a Bluetooth transmitter. The latter allows you to broadcast audio from any source with a USB-C or 3.5mm port, which is very handy.
The new Bowers & Wilkins PI7 S2 and PI5 S2 are available now and will set you back £349 and £249, respectively – the same price their predecessors were at launch.
