I’m honored to have been among the first to try Nothing’s new ear (open) in the past few weeks.
It was great to see how close my speculations were to the final product when I had it in my hands.
This review is the POV of a designer passionate about tech and Nothing fan, not a professional reviewer. So please take it as such.
Special thanks to the Nothing team for this opportunity.
At first impact I was struck by the “alien” look of these earphones. Their distinctly unusual shape stands out.
The way they stand out is typical of this company’s products, so doing something different that gets attention can come back to be an advantage. The circular part is vaguely reminiscent of ear (stick), a favorite of mine and among Nothing’s first earbuds designed to be comfortable.
They follow the defined design language for their products, and this also applies to the case. The case is very fun and playful, this makes sense for a company that wants to make technology fun. It features curved elements such as the last ear (a) and the finger slot in the center that we also find in the rest of the earbuds.
A small note regarding the case. I noticed how the battery part doesn’t stay stuck when placed in the case. If the case is shaken vigorously (either when open or closed) the end of the battery tends to dance a bit and does not stay still.
The key word is lightness.
Although they are not extremely intuitive to wear, their silhouette echoes that of the ear, and once on you can hardly feel them. The same goes for the case, which despite its size remains extremely light.
The sound is on par with the company’s other products but the cool thing is that you don’t have to take them off if someone is talking to you. The open audio comes in very handy in these cases. Even if you don’t expect it you can feel the bass and at the same time the noises around you so you are not completely isolated from the outside world.
I’m currently training for a marathon and I must say that they are extremely useful for those who run or play sports. I’ve tested them in different situations such as in the middle of the road where I could hear cars passing by even with music playing or while running in heavy rain and they held up perfectly. I can’t wait to use them on competition day.
I kept them on for several hours both doing physical activity and in the car as a passenger and their light weight did not give me any problems.
As I have said before, investing in new earbuds is essential for a future of hardware less dependent on screens. These headphones can be an accessory that states something to others and are also a good way to approach fashion through technology.
I recommend them to those doing outdoor sports but also those who want something lightweight that stands out
