Summary
- Nothing expands its earbuds lineup with the new flagship Ear and affordable Ear (a) models, both offering solid ANC and improved battery life.
- The Nothing Ear boasts improvements like longer battery life, Enhanced Bass mode, and LDAC and LHDC support for high-quality audio streaming.
- For a budget-friendly option, the Nothing Ear (a) provides similar features to the flagship model but sacrifices some extras like wireless charging and custom EQs.
Nothing made a name for itself with its wireless earbuds, the Nothing ear (1), in 2021 before jumping onto the smartphone bandwagon. In 2023 year, it launched the Nothing Ear 2, packing some much-needed improvements and audio upgrades for $149. For 2024, the company is launching not one but two earbuds: the Nothing Ear, its new flagship earphones, and the Ear (a).
Every Nothing product so far: Phones, earbuds, and much more
A quick look at everything Nothing has launched, from beer to phones
Nothing Ear
With its new earphones, Nothing has abandoned its numerical naming scheme. So, you only get the Nothing Ear instead of the Nothing Ear 3. While they look the same and retain their IP54 dust and water-resistant, the earbuds pack some meaningful improvements over their predecessors. Nothing says it has used ceramic for the Ear’s diaphragms.
The young company’s latest flagship earbuds sport more effective Active Noise Cancelation (ANC) and a longer battery life. Nothing claims the noise cancelation can now effectively cancel up to 45dB of noise, up by 5dB from its previous earbuds.
Nothing Ear
The Nothing Ear packs some key upgrades over its predecessor, including more personalization options, improved ANC, and longer battery life. It also supports LDAC and LHDC codecs for Hi-Res audio streaming.
- Wired/Wireless
- Wireless
- Battery Life
- Up 5.2 hours (ANC on); Up to 24 hours with case
- Noise Cancellation
- Adaptive Noise Cancellation
- Bluetooth
- 5.3
- Microphones
- 3
- IP Rating
- IP54
- Supported codecs
- AAC, SBC, LDAC, LHDC
- Charging type
- USB-C, Wireless
- Driver Size
- 11mm
- Dimensions and weight (earbuds)
- 1.2 x 0.85 x 0.87 inches
- Dimensions and weight (case)
- 2.2 x 2.2 x 0.86 inches, 1.8 ounces
- Price
- $150
Battery life also gets a considerable boost, with the Nothing Ear rated to last up to 5.2 hours with ANC enabled, an increase of 1.2 hours from the Nothing Ear 2. You can further extend the runtime to 8.5 hours by turning off ANC. The IP55-certified charging case also gets a bigger battery, so it can provide more juice to the earphones.
Don’t expect radical improvements to sound quality, especially since the Nothing Ear’s driver has shrunk to 11mm from 11.2mm. However, Nothing claims to have tweaked the sound profile, added new personalization options (available through the Nothing X app), and a Bass Enhance mode for bass lovers.
Another notable upgrade is support for LDAC and LHDC codes for higher-quality streaming on compatible phones. For easy pairing, the Nothing Ear supports Google’s Fast Pair and Microsoft’s Swift Pair.
The Nothing Ear is already available for pre-order for $149, €149, or £129, and sales will start on April 22.
Nothing Ear (a)
The Nothing Ear (a) packs almost the same features as Nothing’s new flagship earbuds but with some compromises to achieve a lower price tag. They offer the same 45dB level of ANC, 11mm drivers, and LDAC support. Surprisingly, Nothing says the Ear (a) lasts longer than the Ear with a runtime of 5.5 hours.
All of Nothing products are typically available in white or black. With the Ear (a) though, the company is introducing a new bumblebee-like yellow shade.
The earbuds have a much smaller carrying case and lack wireless charging. They also miss out on custom EQs like their more expensive sibling.
The Nothing Ear (a) costs $99 and is available for pre-order today. It replaces the Nothing Ear (Stick) in the company’s lineup.
