by Since the launch of Nothing’s Ear (1), the brand has been competing within the budget gain end of the true wireless earbuds market, where hundreds of competitors are struggling for second place behind Apple’s ubiquitous AirPods. But, before the Ear (2) came out, the London startup had already had to ditch the £99 price tag on its flagship, with the Ear (2) launching at £129.
With the brand’s Community Update and newly announced refinement of the Nothing earphone range, it now finally has a true successor to the original Ear (1) in a pair of sub-£100 buds. The IS No Ear (a) which is tiny and compact with a stylish transparent design and great sound. Read on for more of my initial thoughts after a week of using them paired with the Minimal Nothing Phone (2).
Nothing Ear (a): First impressions
In many ways, this is the major overhaul of the Nothing earbud lineup in 2024, replacing the Ear (Stick) as the “fun and affordable” model in the range. The Nothing Ear (a) has a new charging case for a super compact design, advanced audio support, and adaptive noise cancellation – all for the great price of £99.
Like anyone, I’d wonder if there’s a catch, but it doesn’t feel like there’s much missing here after testing them for a week – although I do miss wireless charging and some of the smart app-based things you need. get with the new Nothing Ear flagship, these are top performers for the price, delivering sound quality, noise cancellation and comfort to rival the top brands.
Nil Cluas (a): Design and comfort
The Nothing Ear (a) comes in white, black and a new shade of yellow that reminds us of Thunderbird 4. Unsurprisingly, they’re as transparent as any product from the brand, with a see-through cover on the pocket case and clear plastic on the stems to reveal the inner workings.
It might seem like a big deal that this is the brand’s first product to come in a color that isn’t some variation of black or white, but we don’t think it’s too much, particularly since there were many. of red in the design of the Nothing Ear (Stick). I’m testing the new yellow color, as you can tell, but if you go with the white or black, you’re unlikely to be able to tell the difference between them and other buds just by looking at the headset . own unit.
The case has a different form factor but still has a strong metal hinge and a satisfying snap to close it – there’s no wireless charging, as mentioned, but it’s easy to recharge from the USB-C port on the back. There are a few parts of the case that feel a bit “first generation” and lack any particular attention to detail – the magnetic clasp at the front is off center (shown in the image below), for example, and this feels more plastic. prone to fingerprint marks. Not dealbreakers, but worth noting.
When it comes to the buds themselves and comfort, it’s safe to say that these follow the existing Nothing design playbook which looks and feels a lot like the class-leading AirPods Pro in size and weight, just with that extra industrial flair. They are extremely comfortable to wear for hours, with a tiny design that you won’t notice in your ears. You also get all three earring sizes. It’s enough for most people but competitors now offer a fourth extra-small size, which excludes these and the Nothing Ear. Almost full marks for comfort – great for me, but may not be for everyone.
Nothing Ear (a): Audio and noise-cancellation
I have to say, the sound quality these deliver is impressive. Unlike most £99 in-ear headphones, they offer a flat, attractive signature that appeals to most listeners. As with the Ear from Nothing, I find them to be the most convincing after turning off the “bass enhancement” feature that is turned on by default with these – it’s too strong a bass boost for my taste, and there is enough fullness for the low end without needing that on. Everyone is different though, and if you appreciate the ability to add loads of thumbs up to your playlists, go for it.
The dynamic driver material on the Ear (a) is made of PMI and TPU (so…plastic?) and isn’t as premium as the ceramic one in the refurbished Ear, but I think it’s good enough to reproduce tunes without any distortion. , and these support the LDAC CODEC if you’re concerned about which is technically better for high-end music from Tidal or Qobuz.
Codecs don’t matter as much as the marketing would have you believe, though – whether you’re listening to the highest bitrate supported on Android phones or AAC on iPhones, you probably won’t hear the difference. But these buds are well-built and well-tuned, which makes them far superior to most of the budget-friendly competition in this category. To our ears, they sound very similar to last year’s Nothing Ear (2), which we still consider top performers for dynamic sound, detail and clarity.
What about active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency? These have the same ANC strength as the Ear model, and I can hear no difference between the two when using them on the busy London Underground and to silence the din of the office. They’re great performers, but if you want truly game-changing noise cancellation, you’ll need to consider options from Apple, Bose or Sony instead. The transparency is more of the same, it’s a solid method for ambient awareness, but I wouldn’t use it when having a conversation, which you can do with AirPods Pro.
Nothing Ear (a): App controls and features
When it comes to on-bud control, there’s nothing wrong with the pinch system from the Ear (2) and Ear (stick). This simple and intuitive approach is not far from the way the AirPods Pro work, which enables you to press the stems of the buds to control playback and switch between the ANC and transparency modes. Within the app, you can enable an additional gesture for “double pinch and hold”, which we decided to control volume (to lower the volume with the left, and raise it with the right) – although n -this works, I find it requires faster squeezes than I use on the AirPods, Nothing Ear (2) and Ear. It’s a touch fiddlier than I’d like, but could be fixed with a firmware update.
These days, app control is essential for earbuds. Even if you just load it to change the sound and work the controls as you want, it’s a big help. All of the pinch controls mentioned above can be customized in the Nothing X app, which has a clean and logical interface for personalizing your buds.
You can change the level of noise cancellation or set it to suit your environment, and you also get access to the low delay mode (ideal for gamers), the high-reach LDAC toggle, a headphone fit test and multi-point controls your dual links. It’s surprising how many expensive headphones still don’t have Bluetooth multipoint, which is a great cross-platform feature for maintaining simultaneous connections and auto-switching to the device playing audio. It’s surprising that class-leading noise cancelers like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra don’t have this feature.
There are some notable features missing if you compare these side by side with the Nothing Ear like I did. You won’t get a personal sound profile or listening test, and it’s just the simple equalizer and no advanced equalizer. But, and be honest with yourself, were you going to use that anyway? I was not missing the features too much. The sound capabilities of the Ear (a) are up there with those of the Ear, meaning both are competitive with the type of buds aimed at serious audio enthusiasts. They sound great, even without any fiddling and tweaking. Trust me, you will be happy with these.
Nil Ear (a): Battery life
These are small headphones compared to a lot of the competition, so I don’t think anyone should be surprised that they can’t charm a lot of extra battery life. They claim to last just a smidge longer than the Nothing Ear, delivering five and a half hours of battery life with the ANC on. Add in the extra battery available from the charging case, and you’re looking at just over 24 hours of playtime. Since most of us don’t leave headphones in for a full day, this is enough battery to keep you going. It is also worth knowing that it gets even better with the ANC, going up to nine and a half hours from the buds alone, and 42.5 hours with the case included.
I think it is quite, and it is competitive with the AirPods Pro which has a similar compact form factor. Will it beat other competitors in this price range? No, probably not. If you are willing to trade the compact design for more battery, you can get much more life from opponents like the Soundcore Liberty 4 NC or JBL Live Pro 2, but we get the combination of the audio features, ANC and app, as well. and the tiny size and cute bubble case are attractive enough that we’d choose these over most competitors.
Nothing Ear (a) verdict
If it wasn’t already clear, I think these are great buds, and I’m surprised they’re going for £99 at launch. The features here put them toe-to-toe with the Nothing Ear and we don’t think most users will miss the audiophile-focused app-based features or wireless charging. Aside from those non-functional features, the Ear (a) is remarkably similar to the new Ear model and offers the same level of upgraded noise cancellation, comfort and much better battery life than the Ear or Ear (2).
Overall, the sound quality of these pumps is much better than you’d expect from most models at this price point from other brands, and the reliable app delivers connectivity and features that, in some cases certain, still waiting. on from some flagship earbuds that go for well over £200. The Nothing Ear (a) is fun, compact and affordable, at a sensible price that you’ll feel like everyone else is charging at the big brands.
You might like too
