Nothing Ear (1) review

Up to date 18 October 2022 with information of an impending worth hike within the US.

There aren’t many pairs of headphones that might generate as a lot pre-launch hype because the Nothing Ear (1) managed – and positively no others from fresh-faced start-ups launching their first ever product.

However the pleasure right here is about greater than Nothing. For one factor, there’s the truth that a number of the design and audio engineering has really come from Sweden’s Teenage Engineering – veterans of the music tech business.

Greater than that although, followers have been excited to see what’s subsequent for Nothing founder Carl Pei, launching his first enterprise since departing cellphone firm OnePlus final yr.

Taken as headphones in their very own proper, the
Ear (1) earbuds symbolize wonderful worth for cash, with a powerful characteristic set together with ANC and wi-fi charging, and a hanging (however little question divisive) design.

As an indication of issues to come back from Nothing, they’re rather less clear than you may need thought, with parts of the design and the practicalities of the {hardware} often working towards the corporate’s pitch to have tech recede into nothingness.

So no, Nothing hasn’t nailed its imaginative and prescient with its first product – however it was by no means prone to. What it has carried out is put out some nice headphones first time round – with just a few flaws, to make certain, however nothing that ought to cease you from contemplating selecting up a pair.

Design and construct

• White & clear plastic
• Scuffs and will get soiled simply
• Cumbersome charging case

In a single sense, Nothing has performed it secure and adopted business traits with the design of the Ear (1) – whereas in one other, it’s bucked these traits fully.

In broad strokes, these look lots like many different pairs of
true wi-fi earbuds. The form of the buds might be instantly acquainted, with a rounded head, silicon ear suggestions, and a brief stem. Think about them in strong white and also you’d in all probability battle to inform them aside from the
AirPods Professional.

The most important distinction to the form of the Ear (1) comes within the stem, which is definitely barely squared off, moderately than spherical. It’s a delicate contact, however an necessary one – it makes it a lot simpler to seize the earbuds with out by chance hitting the touch-sensitive floor, whether or not that’s to take them out or regulate them within the ear.

The larger adjustments are simply in how these look. Nothing has constructed the buds out of a mixture of clear and opaque plastic, to help you see a number of the internals – a welcome throwback to the heyday of clear ‘90s tech that additionally occurs to swimsuit the corporate’s mission assertion properly.

Sadly, the design works higher in precept than in apply. For one, the principle physique of the buds is definitely in opaque plastic – so that you gained’t see the drivers or different transferring elements in any respect.

Within the default end the guidelines are additionally white – which seems to be nice up till extended contact with the within of your ears. This was extra of an issue at launch, when white was the one choice, although luckily Nothing has
introduced a black model of the buds, and I’d suggest this end should you’re nervous about retaining the white ones pristine.

It’s largely the stem that’s really clear, however on the outer facet it actually solely reveals a few microphones, the crimson and white dots used that will help you recognise the left and proper buds (crimson for proper), and a surprisingly distinguished brand.

You’ll see extra fascinating circuitry and magnets on the opposite facet of the stem, however after all that is the bit that’s up towards the facet of your head, so in all honesty it doesn’t add all that a lot to the expertise.

There’s extra clear plastic on the case, which has just a few design quirks of its personal. For one, it’s huge – presumably to assist ship longer battery life, however it does imply that these aren’t very pocket-friendly.

There’s additionally a wierd divot on the highest, the place the plastic indents into the case. This helps preserve the buds in place inside, however does look moderately unusual.

The magnetic hinge is a minimum of among the many sturdiest I’ve felt, which means that the case feels powerful. The plastic itself is much less so although – inside hours of use the clear materials picks up lots of of micro-scratches, so you need to count on this to look scuffed up fairly shortly.

The distinctiveness of the Ear (1)’s design is definitely welcome, however I do nonetheless have my reservations about it. Between the clear plastic, colored dots, white bits, black bits, indents, and extra, there’s lots occurring right here.

Adore it or hate it, it is a design that pulls consideration, which is itself a curious alternative for an organization that claims to wish to make tech invisible.

Sound high quality

• Common audio high quality for the value
• Respectable bass

If the design has its ups and downs, issues are luckily a little bit clearer with regards to how the Ear (1)s sound: fairly nice, a minimum of for the value.

No, these aren’t the best-sounding earbuds I’ve ever used. However at £99/$99, with the additional options that these boast, they don’t must be.

On the balanced EQ there’s sufficient bass energy to drive the thumping bassline on Dave and Stormzy’s ‘Conflict’, with out overpowering the remainder of the observe. It’s not fairly to head-thumping ranges, and at factors the decrease frequencies sound a contact wooly, however at this worth I’m nitpicking.

The balanced combine does extra to prioritise vocals within the higher mid-range, to the advantage of poppier tracks like Zella Day’s ‘Golden’ or Caroline Polachek’s ‘Bunny Is A Rider’, although songs with extra complicated manufacturing might sound a little bit compressed.

The lengthy and in need of it’s that these sound good, and about nearly as good as every other earbuds on the £100/$100 mark – and positively higher than any others I do know of that additionally embody ANC and wi-fi charging at that worth.

ANC and sensible options

• Lively noise-cancellation
• Restricted customisation of controls & EQ within the app
• A little bit buggy

Talking of – the lively noise cancellation is prone to be a giant draw right here. There are different low-cost wi-fi earbuds that characteristic ANC, however few with the status of the Nothing Ear (1).

The noise cancellation right here is just common in high quality – however once more, that makes it good for the value. Even cranked as much as most (the upper of the one two out there settings, apart from ‘off’) it gained’t block out every part round you, however it can dim most droning or repetitive noises. You gained’t neglect that you simply’re on a loud metro prepare, and it gained’t block out that loud couple on the subsequent desk, however it can muffle all of this.

For while you do want to listen to your environment, there’s additionally a transparency mode, which you’ll be able to swap to with a protracted press on both earbud within the default controls. In a sensible contact, this may even activate routinely should you take away one earbud however go away the opposite in – very best for fast conversations when you’re on the go.

You may management the ANC and transparency, and customise controls, within the accompanying app. Don’t count on plenty of choices although, with a transparent emphasis on ease of use over complete controls.

Along with the 2 ANC choices there are 4 pre-set EQs to select from (and no potential to create a customized soundscape). As for controls, you may tweak what a triple faucet or lengthy press do (skipping observe or swapping ANC/transparency by default), however a double faucet is fastened to play/pause, and a single faucet does nothing.

The opposite out there management is a swipe up and down on both bud’s stem to boost or decrease the amount. That is the one contact management that’s a little bit, properly, sensitive. It adjusts quantity in such small increments that at occasions it’s arduous to inform if it’s working or not. Extra frustratingly, the one time I’ve worn these within the rain (which needs to be secure, with an IPX4 ranking) the buds recognised the dripping raindrops as a downward swipe, and consequently repeatedly lowered my quantity to nothing.

Sadly this isn’t the one glitch I skilled over just a few weeks testing out Ear (1)s. The primary pair the corporate despatched me really bricked itself – refusing to disconnect from Bluetooth and thus working down its battery, then in flip refusing to cost again up – earlier than mysteriously starting to work once more a few days later.

Temporary Bluetooth disconnects – lasting a second – have been pretty frequent for me, and I’ve sporadically had an even bigger connection drawback, the place each buds disconnect, however just one reboots, leaving me with one lifeless earbud that sometimes takes ten minutes or so to re-connect.

The excellent news is that between firmware updates and the swap to the ultimate retail {hardware}, Nothing does appear to have ironed out most of those kinks besides the occasional Bluetooth drops – although I’d nonetheless hesitate earlier than working with these within the rain once more.

Battery and charging

• As much as 5.7 hours on the buds (with out ANC)
• As much as 34 hours whole (with out ANC)
• Wi-fi charging

Nothing guarantees a little bit below six hours of battery life on the earbuds, with a complete of 34 hours together with the case. That’s with out ANC although, and the full battery life drops to 24 hours should you swap on noise cancelling.

In business phrases, it is a good-but-not-great battery life – you will discover rival earbuds that last more, particularly with ANC factored in, however most individuals will discover that this will get them by way of just a few days of regular use. Do not forget that should you use ANC the buds themselves will solely final just a few hours although, so gained’t cowl a protracted flight or comparable utilization with no cost in-between.

The excellent news is that the case expenses fairly shortly over USB-C, and extra impressively it helps wi-fi charging too. That makes it tremendous handy to simply drop the case on any Qi-compatible wi-fi charger while you get house and save your self from having to suppose an excessive amount of about retaining the headphones topped up.

Worth and availability

The Nothing Ear (1) price $99/£99/€99/₹5,999, and can be found direct from Nothing or on Amazon, together with choose different retailers relying on the place you reside.

Nevertheless, within the US that is about to vary, with CEO Carl Pei saying that on 26 October the value will enhance to $149 – a whopping 50% rise. Fortunately there’s nonetheless time to choose up a pair earlier than they get dearer.

What’s not but clear is whether or not the value may even enhance outdoors the US, however it appears probably. A Nothing firm rep for the UK instructed us that the buds “might properly go up in worth earlier than the tip of 2022,” however wouldn’t be drawn on specifics.

For the second, the value places them proper on the higher finish of what we contemplate price range true wi-fi headphones. They’re not fairly an impulse purchase for most individuals, however price far lower than flagship audio gear – or any pair of Apple AirPods.

The value is very spectacular contemplating the inclusion of each ANC and wi-fi charging – two luxurious headphone options which are often seen individually at this finish of the value spectrum, however not often each collectively for thus little.

For rivals across the similar worth, contemplate the
Google Pixel Buds A, the marginally dearer
Cambridge Audio Melomania Contact, or an older pair of Samsung buds just like the
Galaxy Buds+ or
Buds Stay – each now usually out there at this type of worth.

Verdict

The value is in the end what makes one thing out of the Nothing Ear (1). On paper, the Ear (1) overpower nearly all of the competitors on the worth level just by advantage of together with premium options like ANC and wi-fi charging.

The great-but-not-great audio and battery life nonetheless maintain their very own towards different mid-range buds, so actually the principle considerations listed here are my barely buggy early expertise and the divisive design, which is simply as probably to attract you in as it’s to place you off.