Bowers & Wilkins PI5 S2 Storm Grey True Wireless Earbuds

Bowers & Wilkins PI5 S2 Storm Grey True Wireless Earbuds

The Bowers & Wilkins Pi5 S2 is a true wireless in-ear headphone with active noise cancellation, built around a 9.2 mm dynamic drive unit and Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX. Each earbud carries two microphones, one for calls and one for noise cancelling, and weighs 6 g. The charging case adds 19 hours to the earbuds’ 5 hours, supports wireless and USB-C charging, and a 15-minute charge returns 2 hours of playback. This listing is the Storm Grey finish, set up and adjusted through the Bowers & Wilkins Music app.

Key features

• 9.2 mm dynamic drive unit in each earbud
• Active noise cancellation with ambient pass-through mode
• Bluetooth 5.0 with aptX, AAC and SBC codecs
• Up to 5 hours per charge with ANC off, plus 19 hours from the charging case
• Fast charge: 15 minutes gives 2 hours of playback; wireless and USB-C case charging
• Two microphones per earbud for calls and ANC, IP54 rated earbuds

Sound first, then silence

Bowers & Wilkins approaches earbuds as a loudspeaker company: a single 9.2 mm dynamic driver per side, tuned for a full, detailed presentation rather than an exaggerated one. aptX support keeps Bluetooth transmission quality high from compatible Android and other aptX sources, with AAC for Apple devices and SBC as the universal fallback. The noise cancelling is designed to reduce the surrounding wash of a train, an aircraft cabin or a busy street without pressing on the music itself, and ambient pass-through reverses the process when you need to hear an announcement, traffic or a colleague, passing outside sound in without removing an earbud.

Calls, controls and wearing sensing

Two microphones per earbud split the work between your voice and the cancellation system, so calls stay intelligible in places where a single-microphone earbud would fill the call with background noise. Touch controls on the earbuds handle playback, calls and noise cancelling, and wearing detection pauses music when you take an earbud out and resumes when you put it back. The Music app manages the ANC and pass-through behaviour, shows battery state and delivers firmware updates,.

Battery and case

The earbuds are rated at up to 5 hours with noise cancelling off; expect less with ANC running continuously, and plan around the case accordingly. The case holds a further 19 hours, giving up to 24 hours of total use between charges of the case itself. It charges over USB-C with the supplied 80 cm cable and also works on Qi wireless charging pads. The fast-charge figure is the practical one for daily use: 15 minutes in the case returns about 2 hours of listening.

Fit and finish

Three sizes of ear tips, small, medium and large, are included, and the seal they make decides both comfort and bass response, so trying all three is worth the minute it takes. The earbuds are IP54 rated against dust and splashes, suitable for travel and light exercise, though not for swimming or showering. The case measures 61 x 28 x 56 mm and weighs 47 g, small enough for a jacket pocket. In Storm Grey, the Pi5 S2 suits listeners who want Bowers & Wilkins sound and effective cancellation in a compact earbud, without the larger case and retransmission features of the Pi7 S2 above it.