Welcome!

With the grand unveiling of Ear and Ear (a) complete, I’m excited to open not one, but two fresh threads dedicated to gathering all your insightful reviews and feedback on our latest audio products!

Browsing community looking for the perfect spot to share your thoughts on Nothing Ear? You’ve landed in the right place!

This thread is for in-depth Nothing Ear discussion, exploring its specs, features, Chat GPT integration and price-to-performance ratio! Your perspectives are the driving force behind our product evolution, and we eagerly await your thoughts and reviews.

With the embargo now lifted, I welcome any (insiders), Mods or members who took part in our Community Reacts video to share their early impressions!

🔍 Looking to leave a review on Nothing Ear (a) instead? - click here.

⬇️ Let’s get into it!

    Related discussions

    Review of Nothing Ear - the return of the winning formula

    After 2 iterations, we’re getting a third iteration simply called ‘Nothing Ear’. While the first step from Ear (1) to Ear (2) was major, this time it’s all about improving a product that was already pretty perfect thanks to a few welcome additions and improvements.

    As an (insider), I was able to get my hands on a prototype 2 months ago and after a few updates based on our feedback it’s time to deliver my opinion on this product.

    Sound quality:

    On this side, not much to say, you get a very similar sound to what you were getting with Ear (2) with a welcome improvement in bass, particularly thanks to a new feature called ‘Bass Enhance’ which really helps in the overall listening quality.

    While the default equalizer option was good to me, you can still make a choice between a few presets like on previous iteration and use Custom or Advanced EQ for a more personal sound based on your own preference.

    On the codec side, Ear now supports LDAC which is available on a lot more phones than LHDC which is also available on these new buds, more choice for Hi-Res music enthusiast!

    ANC:

    This is probably the most noticeable improvement on this pair, as transparency is much better, which was a big problem on the ear (2), and the reduction is also much more efficient and effective in everyday scenarios such as in windy conditions or near a road, although you’ll need to choose your eartip size carefully to get the best experience.

    Battery life:

    One of the issue with Ear (2) was battery life, this is also a significant point of improvement here, on a test scenario of continued play on Spotify with Dual Connection/ ANC on High settings/LDAC connection and Bass Boost enabled at a volume of 50-70%, battery kept going for 3h40 from 100% to 0%, charge in the case is quite fast and you’ll get back for another long music session in no-time!

    Features:

    Dual connection was introduced on Ear (2) and while it was a nice new feature, there was some sort of lag on the switch between 2 devices, in this new pair, that lag is gone in most scenario, pause your music on your phone and you can directly play that video on your PC, this is a significant quality of life improvement and a nice one!

    Another small change is that you now only need a single bud in the case to get the battery level of it when it needed to drop the 2 buds in the case previously, all on small improvement to build a better product!

    Conclusion:

    Over this testing period, I was able to get my hands on a product which was already familiar but improved in many ways, while it’s really similar to Ear (2), it’s a welcome upgrade for everyone, especially Ear (1) users who still haven’t made the jump to a new pair yet.

    My honest review of the Nothing Ear - the trustworthy successor to ear (2)

    I’m still a bit confused about why we lost the number (3) there. But hey, we are here for a audio review, so let’s dive into it !

    I had the pleasure to test Ear as an insider. I made it my primary ear buds for the past 2 months, and oh boy I listened to hours and hours a music / content.

    Sound :

    Sound wise, there is nothing “exciting” to say if you keep the default profile. Sound is a bit clearer in some frequencies, but nothing incredible compared to ear (2).
    “Bass enhance” however is just INCREDIBLE. I never thought you could get this much bass out of an ear buds. For me that listen a lot of House music. It has been such a great feature, I simply love it !!

    EQ is still the same experience as every other Nothing audio product, the Nothing X app makes it so easy to tune everything, always a joy to use.

    ANC:

    The noise reduction is much more powerful than ear (2) !! For me that use transportation every day, it is something that really matter ! Kudos to the team by the way that listened my feedbacks on ANC and tuned it perfectly along with the other insiders.

    Battery life:

    I didn’t do a proper measurement of the new ear but damn battery life is great !! I sometimes even forget to charge it. Battery is king on those earbuds, I feel like it nearly doubled the battery life compared to ear (2).

    Other :

    Dual connection is still there, which is just perfect for people working on the computer like me. Always having the earbuds connected to my phone 2 and to my computer is so great !

    Conclusion:

    I already have ear (2) but I think I’ll have to upgrade to ear… Bass boost and ANC are juste SOOO GOOD on this device.
    At this price point, it’s a no-brainer for me.

    Thanks again Nothing team to trust your community and test out product with us before the launch, it was a wonderful opportunity!

    Nothing Ear is a true example of how Nothing has matured 🤩

    I’ve been lucky enough to have had my hands on a testing unit of Nothing Ear, which I’ve been using as my daily ear buds for over 2 months now. Previous to that, I was using Ear (2) solidly so I will be comparing against those quite a lot with my thoughts.

    For the TLDR version: Imagine Ear (2) but better in every way. In fact, Nothing Ear makes Ear (2) sound bad 😮

    Sound Quality & ANC

    Compared to Ear (2), Nothing Ear features a welcome improvement in the high, mids and notably the deeper tones, thanks to a new Bass Enhance feature which combined with More Bass on the equaliser, creates an experience any bass head will thoroughly enjoy. Bass Enhance won’t be for everyone, but there are 5 settings when you have it on so you can also personalise this to your own listening standards. Taking advantage of the EQ settings, you can still adjust the sound to your liking and much like other Nothing X features, you have a lot of personalisation to play with. Those who are focussed on codecs will also notice Nothing Ear now supports LDAC, for those with Hi-Res requirements which is also a welcome bonus.

    You’ll notice that ANC has dramatically improved also, which was one of the first things I realised when I was listening to Nothing Ear whilst on my many daily commutes. For those that travel on the London Underground, you’ll appreciate how loud that can be. However, with Nothing Ear I found that almost all train sounds and people chatter were eliminated, whereas using my Ear (2) I would still be able to hear some of this. In my time testing Nothing Ear, I mainly had ANC switched to the High setting, as I prefer a fully immersive audio experience. The few times I did try it on Adaptive I found it also performed well.

    Battery Life

    I don’t think I’m alone in saying that Ear (2) battery seemingly dropped and with my own music usage, I could barely get 2 hours use before needing to charge them. I’m really happy to say that Nothing Ear was giving me around 3.5 hours of continuous use, with the scenario of 100% volume/ANC on High/More Bass/Bass Enhance/Personalised EQ. Charging in the case is definitely as fast as Nothing claims it is, so when you need a top up you’re sorted. The case also has a slightly bigger batter than the Ear (2) case, and in my time testing the Nothing Ear I found that I only charged the case a good handful of times.

    Summary

    The product is familiar in form factor as on the surface level, it’s Ear (2), but that’s not a bad thing.

    If you look at what Apple has done with it’s Airpods range, they are practically all the same in design and appearance. With Nothing Ear and Ear (a) acting as a relaunch of Nothing’s audio product line, it makes complete sense to keep the design similar. Where Nothing Ear elevates itself is under the skin, the subtle hardware/software changes the team has been working on improving and specifically, Nothing Ear, really demonstrates how far the team has come in it’s 3 years. If this is a sign of how Nothing’s audio line is evolving, then we’re really in for an amazing ride.

    I swore by my Ear (2) before testing Nothing Ear, now I wouldn’t even touch my Ear (2) and that’s testament to how great Nothing has made their new Ear products. If you have Ear (1) or even if you are an Ear (2) user and are looking for an upgrade, Nothing Ear is for you 🔥

    Hi Guys, this time we have some kind of discount? Nothing Black Dots

    what about the tuning is it same as before ? i would like to see nothing ear higher up crinacle ranking list.

    Nothing Ear - My Go-To

    Ear marks a fresh start for Nothing, with this being the third instalment in the Ear Series, it is also a return to the beginning, with new learnings and fresh revision. As an (insider) I’ve had my hands on a pair of Ear since late February and it’s been an awesome experience. This was a pre-release build with several firmware updates during this window.

    TLDR: Ear is a firm next step for the Nothing Audio experience. New features on a proven platform make for a complete package that is really awesome.

    First impressions were strong, a familiar form factor to Ear(2), it’s noticeable that Ear develops upon the foundations laid so far. The build quality of the Ear is awesome, with each element having been iterated and refined. This may prove to be subjective, but the clear elements have maintained their transparency, being far less prone to scratches that have impacted other transparent devices in the past.

    Pinch controls are here as a mainstay on the Ear series, the continued responsiveness and elegance of this movement is a delight. While this does limit the inputs on the device slightly, the trade for this solution compared to trying to get fiddly buttons or pressing buds into the ear is so worthwhile.

    Most of my time was spent using Adaptive ANC, letting the device choose the best-fitting ANC profile for my surroundings. From commuting noises to a lawnmower, the ANC has held up to the outside world, delivering strong audio quality in challenging conditions. I experienced hardly any “cabin-pressure” moments, and when I did, that was early days and firmware updates have improved the experience every time.

    As for the battery, in the time that I’ve had Ear, I’ve only had to charge them a handful of times, Nothing has got this aspect nailed, with these being my go-to pair, I’ve been so happy with the experience and not had moments where the battery has failed me.

    Along with this, Bass Boost is a new feature for Ear, offering an extra “oomph” with 5 levels of options. This is a nice choice to have and while I find it excessive at times, it can be toned down and/or switched off depending on the mood. I find it fantastic for drowning out the world and really engaging with my music, but often I have this feature switched to low, this is just my preference.

    Nothing X continues to serve as a strong platform for all of the Ear series and I’m glad this platform is growing, as the central platform for controlling Ear, firmware updates, ear tip fits and personal sound profiles can all be found here along with EQ settings to fine-tune your experience.

    From the Community Update, I’m so glad to see new and innovative features, like the integration with ChatGPT (which I haven’t had a chance to experience yet). But this shows that Nothing continues to experiment and deliver on something new, even while refining products.

    Summary - I’ve really enjoyed using Ear, this fresh start is completely justified in how Ear delivers. A rich feature set supports a great sounding bud that I’m really excited to spend more time with and see what other people’s experiences are like!

      Nothing

      At least they should make voice responses for Google assistant through ear buds which are very helpful and Circle to search as samsung does they make tech fun I mean Clowns, I thought they will add FMDN (Find My Device Network) option completely disappointed 😞

      Battery life during use with ANC was my biggest problem with Ear(2). With such better battery life even with ANC on it’s almost a no-brainer to upgrade to Ear. The improved driver won’t really matter much to me as I have bad tinnitus (and old ears) but kudos to Nothing for making such a big improvement, many others will appreciate this I’m sure.

      Thanks for the reviews, great to hear that the new Ear is a solid step up.

      One thing I’m noticing that is lacking in all the community reviews is feedback on call quality and mic quality.

      I use my earbuds for taking calls quite a bit. Do you have anything to note about call quality? How clear is the mic for the other side of the call?

      Thanks!

      Nothing (Ear) - Familiar Design…Revolutionary Performance

      I, like the vast majority of my cohort from Nothing’s (insiders) programme have been testing the Nothing (Ear) - Codename “*****” for about two months now! I went from my Ear (2)s to this and WOW, the differences were there immediately.

      Alright, not from a design standpoint…which was actually a bonus! I love the refinements from Ear (1) to Ear (2), the smaller, more squared case, the rugged-ness of the whole package too! Plus, the similar design meant I could do my testing across a variety of areas in my life…so, how did they do?

      As I mention in the title, the Nothing (Ear)s sounded GREAT, as soon as the pairing process was done! I left the “Bass Boost” on for most of my testing, at around a level three, out of five. I enjoy the hit of a good bass!
      One of the first things I noticed, was that the sound of a busy street in Soho was immediately shushed…the ANC improvements are amazing. The small noise bleed I had experienced with Ear (2) was a none issue with these new buds.

      When I picked up my buds, they were tested immediately from busy street, to London Underground, to commuter train. The ANC did then and still does now, blow me away. Top marks for the improvements!

      I found that Transparency was similar to what I have experienced from my Ear (2)s, but I have never had any issues with the Transparency on that device, so I couldn’t discern any notable improvements.

      Audio that can BOOM, with or without the Bass Boost!

      The sound quality from these buds are a huge step up, coupled with the better ANC, the buds made your headspace its own sound stage. Every range from the lows, mids and highs are crisp, punchy and balanced.
      I have a select few songs that I knew I wanted to test and I found new details from each song that I played.

      Plus, the ANC and audio balancing helps out Podcasts, massively. No more do I have to replay certain clips of a podcast when on the tube, I can hear everything and I hear it in clarity!

      The Nothing (Ear) is true to its word. No numbers, no iterations now, these Ear buds are top, and it is hard to see where the improvements may come.
      With the price of £129, same as Ear (2) were at retail…it is super hard not to splash the cash on these AMAZING buds! Bravo to the team.

      One final note, huge cheer for all colours being available from launch! I always preferred my black Ear (1)s and Ear (2)s, so I am super pleased for these to be available at the start.

      As a Ear 2 user, support for the poor battery life was just lacking. How much are the improvements are hardware and how much is software. Are we (ear2 users) getting some of the improvements or are we just out of luck and in need to upgrade if we want to get a decent use time?

      I received my Ear earlier today and genuinely, what a difference from ear (2) the bass and sound quality is so much better 🔥.

      ANC is really good. There was a helicopter flying quite low nearby and could barely hear it playing no music too!

      There is little to no noise leakage which is perfect for when you want to listen to music that little extra louder 🕺🏻

      The chatgpt feature is great (once I figured it out 😆) which is an amazing move by Nothing towards the AI area of the tech industry

      Might be not much change in design but the main thing is what has been changed on the inside of them to make them sound great.

      Just need to make sure I don’t accidentally pick up ear (2) instead when going somewhere now 😂

      They sound and feel a lot more expensive than they actually are £129! Sound better than the other brands in my opinion 🤷🏻

      PS:

      Only thing missing was some free stickers 😏

      Finally got the Nothing Ear and so far pretty solid but there is a huge flaw.

      The ANC and Transparency mode is not right :-(

      Steps to reproduce issue

      • Put 1 bud on
      • Turn on ANC
      • Start talking and the occlusion effect is minimal - it feels more like transparency mode
      • Now whilst you still have 1 bud on, turn on transparency mode
      • The occlusion is worse than if you have ANC on. Your voice sounds super muffled

      This feels like a software fault.

      In fact the overall ANC/Transparency functionality of these buds is pretty weak in my opinion.

      It does cancel out some noise but at the expense of alot of white noise compared to the competition.

      I hope someone from Nothing reads this post and can looking this issue, and it puts a major dent into an otherwise solid product.

      Charan_DSCR If it is not there on Premium, it will come. As we saw with TrueLens® Engine, they delay an update for the spectacle of it. So maybe have some patience.

          I honestly thought they would prioritize Transparency mode over ANC mode, because ANC was already mediocre and Transparency is way below average, so transparency being the same is a deal breaker. Safety issues too tbh cus you barely hear the person talking in front of you even with transparency mode on, I’ll wait for the real Nothing Ear (3), or perhaps they would push an update