Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 Review: Are These India's Best True Wireless Earbuds?

If you've spent any time comparing premium true wireless earbuds, you already know the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 name keeps coming up. It's the flagship in-ear model from a brand that has spent decades building some of the finest loudspeakers in the world, and that heritage shows the moment you put a pair on. Instead of chasing gimmicks, B&W has focused on getting the fundamentals — driver quality, wireless transmission, comfort and noise cancelling — right. In this guide, we break down what makes the Pi8 worth its price tag, and why it has quickly become one of the most requested earbuds at our Raipur showroom.

Design and Comfort

The Pi8 is noticeably smaller and lighter than its predecessor, the Pi7 S2, which makes a real difference over long listening sessions. Each earbud weighs about 7 grams and comes with four sizes of ear tips (XS, S, M, L) so you can dial in a proper seal. The matte-finish shell is available in Anthracite Black, Dove White, Midnight Blue and Jade Green, with a metallic ring around the driver housing that gives it a distinctly premium look on the ear. The buds also carry an IP54 rating, so sweat, splashes and light rain aren't a concern on your commute or your next run.

Sound Quality: Where the Pi8 Truly Stands Apart

This is where the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 true wireless in-ear headphones earn their price. Each earbud houses a custom-tuned dynamic driver derived from B&W's home speaker research, delivering the kind of detail, timing and tonal balance that most wireless earbuds simply can't match. Codec support runs the full range — SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless over Bluetooth 5.4 — so Android users in particular get true hi-res streaming rather than a compressed approximation. Go a step further and plug a wired source into the included 3.5mm-to-USB-C cable, and the Smartcase itself acts as a wireless transmitter, sending audio to the earbuds at up to 24-bit/96kHz. It's a clever bit of engineering that effectively future-proofs the earbuds against almost any source you own.

Active Noise Cancellation and Call Quality

The Pi8 uses a proprietary ANC algorithm developed in-house by Bowers & Wilkins, with three adjustable levels you can switch between from the earbuds or the companion app. It does a genuinely good job of taming traffic noise, air-conditioning hum and office chatter without introducing the hollow, pressurised feeling some ANC earbuds are guilty of. For calls, carefully placed microphones work to isolate your voice from background noise — solid for day-to-day use, even if it isn't quite the standout feature of the package.

Battery Life and the Smartcase

With ANC switched on, the earbuds run for roughly 6.5 hours on a single charge, and the Smartcase carries a further 13.5 hours of top-ups, for close to 20 hours of total use. The case itself charges over USB-C and doubles as that wireless transmitter mentioned above, so it's doing more work than a typical charging case. For anyone who travels or has long working days away from a socket, this is more than enough runway.

Pi8 vs Pi7 S2: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

If you already own the Pi7 S2, the Pi8 is a meaningful step up rather than a minor refresh. B&W redesigned the earbuds from the ground up for a smaller, more secure fit, eliminated the connectivity niggles some Pi7 S2 owners reported, extended battery life, and upgraded the internal DAC for a cleaner signal path. If you're buying your first pair of true wireless earbuds in this bracket, the Pi8 is simply the newer, more refined choice, and it's what we recommend stocking and demoing over the outgoing model.

Why Buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 from 8mm

As an authorized Bowers & Wilkins dealer, 8mm brings the Pi8 to Raipur with genuine warranty support, honest demo listening sessions, and after-sales help that online marketplaces simply can't offer. You can audition the Pi8 alongside other B&W headphones at our experience centre in Shankar Nagar, Raipur, compare it against the rest of our audio lineup, and walk out with a pair that's actually right for your ears and your source devices.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 worth the price?

Yes, for listeners who prioritise sound quality above all else. The Pi8 uses a custom driver, supports aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless, and includes a Smartcase that can upscale wired audio to 24-bit/96kHz — features you won't find on mainstream earbuds at this price.

What is the battery life of the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8?

With ANC on, the earbuds last about 6.5 hours per charge, and the Smartcase adds a further 13.5 hours, for close to 20 hours of total listening time.

Does the Pi8 support aptX Lossless?

Yes. The Pi8 supports SBC, AAC, aptX, aptX Adaptive and aptX Lossless over Bluetooth 5.4, giving Android and compatible source devices access to true hi-res, CD-quality streaming.

Are the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 earbuds waterproof?

The earbuds carry an IP54 rating, which protects against dust, sweat and splashes of water — suitable for workouts and everyday commuting, though not for swimming or full submersion.

Where can I buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 in India?

You can buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 online at 8mm.in with COD and EMI options, or visit the 8mm experience centre in Shankar Nagar, Raipur, to audition them in person before buying.

What colours does the Pi8 come in?

The Pi8 is available in Anthracite Black, Dove White, Midnight Blue and Jade Green.

 

Written by Yug Gupta | Audio Specialist at 8mm.in