In India, Nothing Ear was introduced alongside the less expensive Nothing Ear (a). The latter has already been put to the test; if you haven’t read the review yet, do read the Nothing Ear (a) review here to know how the two TWS differ. With a slightly higher price point, the Nothing Ear is more akin to a premium category TWS. The gadget has a transparent design that has become a trademark for the company. Good Bluetooth connectivity and active noise cancellation (ANC) are supported by Nothing’s new true wireless earphones. With that, up to 40.5 hours of battery life are promised for the Nothing Ear. Additionally, it supports in-ear detection features and dual connectivity, and unlike the Ear (a), these have wireless charging support.
In This Article
Nothing Ear Review: Design
The Nothing Ear 1’s distinctive and original style still looks great on the Nothing Ear, even though it isn’t as untried as it was on the Nothing Ear 2 (Review).
It appears that Nothing is also aware of how easily plastic may scratch, therefore it’s a nice thing that they provide a protective film on top of the case. However, the plastic will eventually turn yellow and dull, and the one we used has already developed numerous scratches. A similar film is provided on the Nothing Ear (a) as well. Thus, to prevent scratches, it will be ideal if you leave this clear film on.
Also, we got the black colour variant for the review, though the device is available in white as well. The black one is slightly darker and more translucent, complementing the tone of the black earphones, than the clear, transparent case of the white ones. Though entirely made of polycarbonate, the construction seems quite high-end. With a black tone, the top plate is also darker. It takes some getting used to, but you can open the lid with just one hand.
On the side are a pairing/reset button and a USB Type-C port.
This new TWS looks a lot like the previous one at first sight, with the name “NOTHING ear” inscribed on each earpiece stem being the sole feature that sets them apart. Indeed, this year the corporation decided to adopt the new naming scheme and embrace the moniker Ear rather than Ear 3. The earphones feature a bud design with a short, translucent stem that makes a big impression. The microphones for phone calls and noise cancellation are also visible inside.
Also Read: Nothing Ear (a) Review: Good Bang for Your Buck?
The charging case has an IP55 rating, while the Nothing Ear earbuds have an IP54 rating for dust and splash resistance. Therefore, a few splashes and sweat should be okay; saying that, avoid immersing them entirely in water.
Most of the passive sound is blocked by the Nothing Ear buds. Additionally, it is quite light and comfy, and wearing it for extended periods won’t cause any issues. We tried to shake our heads, and we assure you they won’t come off either. Just be sure you have the appropriate silicone tip size, as it can drastically impact fit and sound quality.
Nothing Ear Review: Performance
Nothing Ear has Bluetooth 5.3, which offers more reliable connectivity. These can pair with two devices simultaneously because they have multipoint connectivity. Additionally, these earbuds support Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair and have an in-ear detection feature.
Also Read: CMF Buds Review: Amazing value for the price
All you have to do is lift the lid, and your device will initiate pairing. To begin using it right away, click to pair. The pairing procedure, which takes only a few seconds to complete, requires you to download the Nothing X app.
There are 11 mm dynamic drivers on Nothing Ear. To compare, the Ear (a) has PMI and TPU diaphragms, whilst the Nothing Ear uses ceramic ones. The Ear earphones are also compatible with LDHC 5.0, AAC, SBC, and LDAC codecs.
They too support up to 45 dB ANC and include a transparency mode.
With the Nothing X application users can personalise the sound, see how much battery life each bud and case has left, and select equalisers to tweak the sounds.
There are four presets available on the equaliser: Voice, More Bass, More Treble, and Balanced are available. Now there are two more options added: Simple and Advanced.
Using the Advanced option, you can adjust the sound frequency et al by moving the band sliders up and down. Moreover, you can also tap to manually enter a specific value to adjust the sound.
Unlike Nothing Ear (a), there is also an option for sound personalisation to fine-tune your hearing pattern to achieve the ideal sound quality. Wear these earphones to set it up. It will then perform a few sound checks to adjust the audio to your liking. At first, this might not seem like a big deal, but when a personal sound profile is enabled, the audio quality is significantly improved. It’s truly next level.
You can use the app to install any firmware updates that you Nothing pushes. Please take note that we have limited our discussion to the app’s primary features for the Nothing Ear. Everything else about the settings and features is the same as Nothing Ear (A).
The earphones come with ANC, which helps eliminate background noise. We haven’t noticed much difference between the Nothing Ear and Ear (a) ANC. The ANC turns on automatically when you wear these earbuds. You also have a noise control option with ANC, which allows you to disable the feature. To ensure that you don’t miss any important announcements or conversations, there is also a Transparency Mode that lets background sound seep in. It’s really easy to hear the background noise when this mode is turned on.
Using it while in flight is not advised at all since it will just amplify engine noise and buzz. It is, however, ideal for usage when you are outside and want to be aware of the traffic around you or at a busy airport. For example, if you are out for a run or a walk, this is the ideal time to utilise it.
Also Read: CMF Neckband Pro Review: Packs a solid punch
The Noise Cancellation option provides you with presets: Adaptive, High, Mid or Low. The Adaptive option modifies itself automatically according to the surroundings. Depending on the noise levels outside, this changes the amount of noise cancellation. It significantly increases battery life.
Additionally, these earbuds have in-ear detection which means that when you get them out, the music stops, and when you put them back in, it resumes again. You can also turn off the feature in the Nothing app settings.
Dual pairing is another useful function; having this capability is indeed a blessing. The ability to pair two devices simultaneously is incredibly useful, especially when you are viewing a movie on your laptop and your phone rings. It works so effectively that you can resume watching your movie on the laptop once the call ends and the connection switches back to the laptop.
With that, for gaming or watching movies, there is a Low Lag mode that can be toggled from the app. There are no delays at all, and the audio synchronises well.
Regarding the earbuds’ sound quality, they are incredibly loud and distortion-free, even when played at maximum volume. You receive a richer, more expansive sound with 11mm dynamic drivers that use ceramic diaphragms. You receive excellent clarity when it comes to vocals and instrument separation. The bass is tuned pretty well. All in all, the audio experience was quite well-balanced. Something you can spend hours wearing and listening to.
We also made calls with them, and there was no lag or echo in the audio, which was crisp and clear. It completely blocks out a lot of background noise and is incredibly clear both indoors and outside.
In addition, these earbuds provide pinch control for playing and pausing music, switching between tracks, accepting and rejecting calls, toggling noise cancellation, and transparency mode. Double-pinch and hold to adjust the volume. We think the swipe gesture was a much better way to adjust the volume, and it doesn’t feel very cumbersome.
The charging case has 500mAh battery, while the Nothing Ear earbuds have 46mAh batteries each. When ANC is turned off, the device is said to have a maximum battery life of 40.5 hours when used with the charging case and 8.5 hours while using the buds alone. When activated, ANC has a maximum delivery time of 24 hours with the case and 5.2 hours for just buds. What’s more, it has wireless charging capabilities.
Verdict
The Nothing Ear casing and buds remain mostly unchanged compared to the Nothing Ear 2. The Nothing Ear is packed with all the premium features that you can think of. There is ANC onboard, app compatibility, dual device connectivity, equaliser control, low latency mode, wireless charging, and much more. Everything you’re looking for in premium wireless earphones is included in Nothing Ear. With superb audio accuracy, these are one of the best earbuds to recommend for less than Rs 12,000.
Nothing Ear Price in India: Rs 11,999
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Nothing Ear Pros
- Premium Design
- Best audio experience
- Comfortable
- App support
- Well Balanced sound
- ANC
Nothing Ear Cons
- Pinch Control for volume adjustment
