Bowers & Wilkins Px7 S2e vs Px7 S3

The drivers didn’t change. Both Px7 models use two 40 mm bio-cellulose drivers, the material Bowers & Wilkins uses to set the Px7 apart from the carbon-cone Px8, and both are rated for 30 hours. Between the S2e, on sale from 19 September 2023, and the S3, announced on 24 April 2025, it’s the codec, the microphones and the case that moved.

aptX Lossless is the headline

The S3’s codec list runs aptX Lossless, aptX Adaptive, aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC and SBC, over Bluetooth 5.3. The S2e’s stops at aptX Adaptive, with aptX HD, aptX Classic, AAC and SBC, over Bluetooth 5.2 with A2DP, AVRCP, HFP, HSP and BLE GATT profiles. So unless your phone can send aptX Lossless, the codecs you’ll actually use are the same on both. Google Fast Pair works on both, and Bowers & Wilkins lists Apple MFi for the S3.

Wired listening

USB-C doubles as an audio input on both, and the S3 is the one Bowers & Wilkins specifies, at up to 24-bit and 96 kHz. Both boxes include a 1.2-meter USB-C to 3.5 mm cable and a 1.2-meter USB-C cable, plus the carry case.

Only the S2e comes with published audio figures: an input impedance of 33 ohms and distortion under 0.1 percent at 1 kHz and 10 mW. Bowers & Wilkins publishes no impedance, sensitivity, distortion or frequency-response figures for the S3.

Eight microphones against six

The S3 cancels noise with 8 microphones, 4 on each earcup, and Bowers & Wilkins says it adapts to your surroundings. The S2e uses a hybrid system with 6: 4 for noise cancelling and 2 for calls. Both have Ambient Pass-Through for hearing what’s around you, and both pause when you lift an earcup and resume when you put it back.

The Bowers & Wilkins Music app runs both, covering the equalizer, noise cancelling, Ambient Pass-Through, wear sensing and firmware. For the S3, Bowers & Wilkins names a five-band equalizer and TrueSound, which it describes as a bypass back to the factory voicing.

Price: keep, buy discounted, or move up

The S2e launched at $399. On 19 September 2026, Bowers & Wilkins’ US store listed it at $229 against that $399 MSRP, less than half the S3’s list price. The S3 launched at £399 in the UK and €429 in Europe. In the US, Bowers & Wilkins gives an MSRP of $479, its store showed a $429 sale in the same September 2026 listing, and coverage at the announcement also quoted $429.

If you own an S2e, the S3 buys aptX Lossless, two more microphones and a slightly smaller case, not new drivers or more battery. Buying new, the S2e near $229 is the better deal unless aptX Lossless is the reason you’re shopping. Prices move, so check Bowers & Wilkins before you buy.