Electronics › Headphones
Pi8
Wireless noise-cancelling in-ear earbuds
More about it ↓Quick take
In short: what each side says
AI panel · Buyers · The press — each opened up in full further down ↓
Best on Perplexity (avg #11.5), weakest on Claude (#25.0)
Owners rave about exceptional sound quality and design, but divide sharply on fit reliability, call quality, and whether the premium price justifies the experience.
5 of 7 outlets recommend it — a clear editorial consensus.
Every side lands high — Holds up.
About
What it is.
Pi8 is Bowers & Wilkins' true wireless in-ear model, built around 12mm carbon cone drivers derived from the Px8 over-ear headphones. A Qualcomm chipset with aptX Lossless support carries a 24-bit signal path, pairing high-resolution playback with adaptive noise cancellation that responds to the surrounding environment.
The set targets listeners who want wired-headphone fidelity in an earbud format, spanning music, film, and gaming use. Three microphones per earbud support call clarity, while TrueWireless Mirroring and single-button control handle everyday operation. A companion smart charging case extends runtime beyond the earbuds' own battery, rounding out the package for all-day, on-the-go listening.
The verdict
The Pi8 delivers standout sound and design but asks a premium price for earbuds that divide owners on fit stability and call performance, with strong audio credentials offset by reliability concerns that don't suit everyone.
Act one
What the machines think.
Several AI models read the category and place this product — model by model, list by list, over time.
Model by model?
How each AI sees it.
Best on Perplexity (avg #11.5), weakest on Claude (#25.0) Averaging across the AI panel, Pi8 sits around #17.1 this snapshot.
Perplexity
#11.5
2 appearances · best #6
Gemini
#16.0
3 appearances · best #9
AI Mode
Didn’t rank Pi8 this snapshot.
Footprint?
Every intent it shows up in.
sorted by current rank · weakest: Best Headphones for Working Out (#28 of 30)
Rank trajectory?
Weeks of movement.
Act two · ★ new
What the people say.
The same product, judged by the owners who bought and filmed it — what they praise, what they knock, who it's for.
Feature by feature
What critics and buyers say, by feature.
“The Pi8 still offers excellent noise cancellation, but it's more focused on preserving audio quality than achieving complete”— HomeTechnologyReview - HomeTechnologyReview
“They also support multipoint connectivity for staying connected to two devices at once -- I set this up with my iPhone and”— Good Housekeeping
From 6 published reviews + buyer ratings · last 18 months?
What buyers say?
What Google knows about it.
Beyond the video critics, Google pools 2,295 buyer ratings of the Pi8 from across retailers — a far wider, if blunter, jury. Here’s the shape of that opinion.
2,295 ratings · 7 written
across 4 retailers
What owners single out
Buyers' weakest aspect—call quality & microphone—directly echoes critics' note that "not the best call quality" undermines the otherwise premium experience.
In their words
“As a big fan of Bowers & Wilkins headphones I was excited to try out their new Pi8 True Wireless Earbuds. The Pi8’s sound quality is truly impressive, with its use of a true 24-bit connection that gives that CD quality lossless audio you can really hear the rich, detailed sound signature along with the well-balanced across lows, mids, and highs, making them ideal for all types of music genres.”
Ian L · verified purchase · bestbuy.com
“Pi8 is effectively another overpriced made in china garbage that does not perform as advertised and does not fit/sit in the ear properly. I made a mistake of buying it based on the celebrity advertisement. In short, while riding my bike I noticed the bluetooth connecting significantly degraded and the earbuds despite multiple adjustments eventually fell out of my ears and were ran over by a car.”
P T · verified purchase · Google
as of July 27 · 2295 buyer ratings?
What the press says?
Where the established press lands.
The press agrees
5 of 7 outlets recommend it — a clear editorial consensus.
Tie-breakerThe AI models split on Pi8. The press tally below breaks the tie.
Across 7 independent outlets · published expert reviews · last 18 months
Act three · ★ new
Do they agree?
Put the machine's rank and the owners' score in one frame, settle it with a verdict, and answer the only question that matters: should you buy it?
The disagreement
Where the juries actually split.
Perplexity
#12avg rank
ranks it highest of the panel
Claude
#25avg rank
the most sceptical model
owners 4.6★ and press 5/7 sit outside the models' split.
owners 4.6★press 5/7Per-model average ranks from this week's panel?
Frequent rivals?
What it competes against.
- Fit Pro 2BeatsBowers & Wilkins leads 3–1 · 4 sharedRead
- Ear (a)NothingEven 2–2 · 4 sharedRead
- Ear (3)NothingEven 2–2 · 4 sharedRead
- Elite 10JabraJabra leads 3–1 · 4 shared$57.05–$64.6Read
- Galaxy Buds3 ProSamsungSamsung leads 3–1 · 4 shared$145–$249Read
- WF-1000XM6SonySony leads 4–0 · 4 shared$298–$328Read
- Momentum True Wireless 4SennheiserSennheiser leads 4–0 · 4 shared$200–$300Read
Alternatives by price · Same field?
Same field, less money.
The recap
Where it stands today.
- PositionBest rank #6 across 4 intents tracked (no change vs last snapshot).
- FootprintStrongest in Best Wireless Earbuds (#6). Weakest in Best Headphones for Working Out (#28).
- TraitsMost often described as “design” (4 mentions).
- Closest rivalFit Pro 2 (3–1 across 4 shared intents).
- MakerBy Bowers & Wilkins — see how it ranks across other intents on its brand profile.
browse Pi8 in these categories