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Tech company Nothing’s latest low-cost Bluetooth earphones offer great sound and noise cancellation at an even more competitive price, while still standing out from the crowd with their cool design.
The London-based company has launched the affordable £99 (€99/$99) Ear (a), which retains almost everything great about its previous Nothing earphones. That’s £30 cheaper than its predecessor and the new £129 (€149/$149) Ear, which lets you customize the sound and adds a few more features.
Ear (a) maintains the same shape as its predecessor, but with an infusion of color to make it more vibrant. The fit and finish remain excellent, and the company’s transparent design showcases some of the internal workings.
The Nothing earphones manage to stand out from the crowd despite their AirPod-like shape. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Stalks features the same playback, noise canceling, and volume squeeze controls as its predecessor. These are customizable and work really well by pinching once, twice, or thrice, or by squeezing and holding the stem. However, the double squeeze and hold gesture required some practice to master consistently.
The earbuds’ bodies and silicone tips provide a comfortable and secure fit for long listening sessions. The battery offers 5-6 hours of playtime and can be recharged an additional 3 times with the case.
The Ear (a)’s case is also compact, similar in size to industry leaders like Apple’s AirPods, and fits snugly into the watch pocket of jeans. It features USB-C charging, foregoing Qi wireless charging for a smaller form factor.
The flip-top case has a clear lid that makes it easy to slip into your pocket, but the glossy plastic base is prone to scratches. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
specification
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water resistance: IP54 (splash proof)
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Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 (SBC, AAC, LDAC)
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Battery life: 5.5 hours with ANC (24.5 hours with case)
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Earphone dimensions: 30.9×21.7×24.3mm
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Earphone weight: 4.8g each
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Driver size: 11mm
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Charging case dimensions: 47.6×63.3×22.7mm
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Charging case weight: 39.6g
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Case charging: USB-C
Great sound for the price
The Nothing X app for Android and iPhone shows battery life, updates, controls, and customize sounds. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 and have multi-point capability, allowing you to connect two devices simultaneously for easy switching. They support SBC and AAC Bluetooth audio formats as well as the high-quality LDAC, common on Android devices.
Nothing continues to deliver superior sound quality compared to its competitors at this price point. The Ear (a) is well-rounded in its sound profile and closely resembles its pricier Ear counterpart. It handles complex tracks effortlessly and offers a wide and expansive soundstage. While it delivers deep bass, there is also ample treble detail.
With the new bass enhancement feature, you can immediately experience more bass. This feature has 5 levels and can be adjusted in the Nothing X app along with the basic equalizer settings.
The noise cancellation is effective, particularly at maximum setting, in dampening out commute noises and office chatter. It performs well with high-pitched sounds and offers improved handling of keyboard clicks and voices compared to its predecessor. The ambient sound mode is one of the best available, and call quality in various environments is decent, albeit slightly artificial-sounding.
sustainability
Various internal parts are visible through the transparent shell, but cannot be accessed or repaired. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
The earbuds and case batteries are designed to retain at least 80% of their original capacity after 500 full charge cycles. Out-of-warranty replacement cases or earbuds cost £39.99 each, but the earbuds are not repairable and ultimately disposable.
Despite containing recycled tin, Nothing does not offer trade-in programs for its audio products or publish environmental impact assessments. The earbuds have an estimated carbon footprint of 2.72kg.
price
Nothing Ear (a) is priced at £99 (€99/$99), available in three colors, and shipping from April 22nd.
For comparison, the Ear costs £129, the Fairphone Fairbuds costs £129, OnePlus Buds Pro 2 is priced at £179, Google Pixel Buds Pro at £199, and Apple AirPods Pro 2 at £229.
verdict
The Ear (a) has set a new standard for quality in the low-end market. At just £99, it offers better sound and noise cancellation than most rivals, and has an interesting-looking transparent design.
The earbuds perform well, provide a comfortable fit, have good controls, support multipoint Bluetooth, and offer solid battery life. The new, smaller, more pocket-friendly case is a clear improvement over previous Nothing earphones. While it may lack advanced features like a full equalizer or spatial audio support, for top-notch audio quality and noise cancellation, it’s a great value. However, to enhance everyday user experience further, a larger investment may be necessary.
The major drawback is the non-replaceable batteries in the earbuds and cases, making them disposable in the long run. Fairbud has shown it’s possible to have replaceable components, prompting others to follow suit.
Strong Points: Great value, interesting design, great sound and noise cancellation for the price, comfortable fit, great call quality, stable controls, multipoint, Bluetooth 5.3 with cross-platform apps.
Cons: Disposable, case easily scratched, no head-tracking spatial audio support, no future-proof LC3 or Auracast support.
The Ear (a) is a great set of affordable earbuds that beat the competition in sound and noise cancellation and have a standout design. Photo: Samuel Gibbs/The Guardian
Source: www.theguardian.com
