Ear open tho’ a year late here is now available to buy for 10k, which for a open year product is quite good But is it worth spending that much even after being a year late?
A quick nonaudiophile review.
1. Unboxing:
Device, a small charging cable which is Type - C to Type - C & lil paperwork and that’s about it what we get in the package.
Pretty standard.
2. Design:
Typical Nothing product, So the design here is a clear plastic shell shaped like a soap? (Close to) & A white opaque shell at the bottom part. The inside portion tho’ is matte.
It’s only available in this white colour.
Flaws
1. The transparent shell tho has a screen protector (pre-applied) but scratches are easy
2. When plugged in (charging) the case doesn’t open fully.
3. Sound:
As a nonaudiophile here’s my breakdown ~ I was quite hesitant with the sound as these don’t go inside your ear like the ‘Silicone ones’ instead they sit right outside.
But, The sound was actually very good in the balanced preset for me.
The bass was on the lower side (if it wasn’t expected) but I like it that way, the drums were the same story. They were there but the thump was missing.
Vocals, were good but I faced some unusual things i.e. ~ When I increase the volume above 75% it boosts the sound in sound kinda way that makes the whole feel of the audio a little ‘Robotic’? Yea.
Podcasts, calls, YT explanatories were all good, no issues there.
4. Comfort:
I expected this to be a little bit uncomfortable & they were for a few days of my use (getting familiar time) but after some time I adjusted to it & even after 5+ hrs of continuous use I never felt any uneasyness except two.
So, It doesn’t fit quite the same in my ‘Right ear’ as it did with the ‘left one’ (it’s still the same) 2nd one is this metallic cylinder that sits behind your ear, after a while it makes that area of contact sore (Fits are subjective so you may have a completely different experience with comfort as well as sound)
5. Mic & Battery:
2 mics on each bud so total 4 mics & they are very good, I’ve used them a lot outside (Traffic, while walking, working out & even jogging) but when driving it doesn’t cut that wind blast which is understandable.
Battery life is good, I used to charge it every 5 days with an average usage of 5hrs on low lag mode (if that makes any difference)
6. Charging & connectivity:
It takes around 2 hrs to charge this from dead to 100% But for quick charge it’s ~ 10mins for 2hrs (buds) but with case it can go upto 6hrs.
Connectivity has been good, It’s Bluetooth 5.3 Codecs are - AAC & SBC.
Bonus :
1. No ANC mode here cuz of obvious reasons
2. The fit will play a huge role in how these sound to you
3. Sound leakage only happens after 85% volume
4. It cancels ambient noise by ENC (Environmental noise cancellation)
5. No LDAC, LHDC just SBC & AAC codecs
6. Does have Dual device pairing So, These were my thoughts/experience with Nothing Ear Open which I was using from the past 30 days.
If you are the target customer, then you may look into this as it’s a good product but before buying do read/watch content related to audio (deep dive) so that the sound by Default/EQ doesn’t disappoint you.
Thanks & wish you all a very Happy Diwali
- Anshu
