Bowers & Wilkins FP45810

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 are premium true wireless earbuds with aptX Lossless support and a $499 price tag. Sound quality is decent but below average for the price, and ANC, comfort, and connectivity all fall short of cheaper competitors. Unless you specifically need 24-bit wireless audio, the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra are better buys.

The Pi8's headline feature is that true 24-bit aptX Lossless connection, and it does deliver on the spec sheet. The 12mm carbon cone drivers are the same tech found in the Px8 over-ears, which is a nice trick for earbuds this size. High-frequency detail is genuinely good, and distortion stays low even when you push the volume. But here's the thing: our sound score puts these at the 29th percentile. That's not a typo. For a $499 pair of earbuds, that's a weak spot, not a flex.

Battery life is middle of the pack at the 45th percentile. You get up to 8 hours from the buds, and the 15-minute quick charge giving you 2 hours is handy. The charging case retransmission feature is actually clever, letting you plug the case into a laptop, in-flight system, or TV and beam audio to the buds. That's a genuinely useful trick for travelers. But the connectivity score is a real letdown at the 13th percentile. For earbuds that cost this much, dropouts and pairing quirks shouldn't be part of the experience.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6, the Pi8 loses on almost every front. Sony's ANC is class-leading, their connectivity is rock solid, and the sound signature is more engaging for most listeners. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra also beats the Pi8 on comfort and noise cancellation, which are the two things most people actually care about in daily use. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is the sleeper pick here, delivering excellent sound and solid ANC at a lower price.

Where the Pi8 has an edge is the aptX Lossless support and that case retransmission trick. If you have a phone with a Snapdragon chip that supports aptX Lossless and you want the purest wireless signal possible, the Pi8 makes a case for itself. But for everyone else, the Sony or Bose are simply better daily drivers. And the Soundcore P31i proves you can get decent sound for a fraction of the price, though it's not in the same league on build materials.

At $499 USD, the Pi8 is one of the most expensive true wireless earbuds you can buy. The Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra both undercut it while delivering better ANC, better connectivity, and better overall scores in our database. The Technics EAH-AZ100 is another strong alternative that costs less. You're paying a premium for the B&W name and the aptX Lossless spec, but the actual performance doesn't back it up. Unless you specifically need that 24-bit wireless connection, this is a hard sell.

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 sits at the top of the true wireless earbud market, at least on price. At $499 USD, these are competing with the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra for your ears and your wallet. B&W is leaning hard on the aptX Lossless support and those 12mm carbon cone drivers borrowed from their Px8 headphones. The pitch is simple: this is audiophile sound in a pocketable package.

But our database tells a different story. The Pi8 lands in the 29th percentile for sound, which is rough for a pair of earbuds whose entire identity is audio quality. Build quality sits at the 34th percentile, comfort at 28th, and ANC at 31st. For $499, you'd expect top-tier performance across the board. Instead, you're getting a mixed bag with a premium logo on the case.

So is the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8 worth it? If you're deep in the Qualcomm aptX Lossless ecosystem and want that 24-bit connection, maybe. For everyone else, there are better options at lower prices. Let's dig into the details.

Skip the Pi8 if you take a lot of calls, since the mic quality is one of the worst we've seen at this price. Also skip if you want top-tier noise cancellation, the ANC here is mediocre and the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra do it much better. If you're on a budget, the Soundcore P31i gets you decent sound for a fraction of the cost. And if you don't have a phone that supports aptX Lossless, you're paying for a feature you can't even use.

Should you buy the Bowers & Wilkins Pi8? For most people, no. The sound is good but not great, the ANC is mediocre, and the connectivity issues are frustrating at this price. The $499 price tag is hard to justify when the Sony WF-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra deliver better overall experiences for less money.

But if you're an audiophile with a Snapdragon phone that supports aptX Lossless, and you want that 24-bit wireless connection plus the case retransmission feature for travel, the Pi8 has a niche appeal. Just know you're paying a premium for the B&W badge and a spec that most people won't notice in daily listening.