And today marks the entry of its first product in the market, called the Nothing ear (1). Coming in as a pair of wireless earbuds, the ear (1) are a collaborative effort between Nothing and the Swedish consumer electronics brand Teenage Engineering, with an aggressive price tag. Let’s dive in to take a closer look at what Nothing has to offer with these earphones.
Design
Starting with the design, the Nothing Ear (1) feature a traditional earbud-like design—in-ear style with a stem. However, where they do get a touch of distinction is with regards to their appearance: the earbuds come with transparent veneers to highlight the design and craftsmanship underneath. Plus, the earbuds are also said to be ergonomic and lightweight: each earbud weighs in at 4.7 grams. Nothing calls the ear (1) cloud-like and suggests that its ergonomic and lightweight design, combined with pressure-relieving vents and liquid silicone tips, should offer users a comfortable wearing experience. Furthermore, the composite mesh design on the ear (1) earbuds also gives it an IPX4 rating, which makes it sweat- and- water-resistant.
Sound
Moving to the sound, the Nothing ear (1) feature an 11.6mm dynamic driver, which, according to Nothing, promises to deliver a “power rich and immersive sound” experience. As we’ve mentioned earlier, Notion has gotten the team at Teenage Engineering to collaborate on the ear (1) to tune its hardware and software for an “extraordinary bass, mid, and treble performance”. In terms of calling, the company says it uses the Clear Voice Technology that employs algorithms to analyze your voice (via its high-definition microphones) to isolate and amplify it for a loud and clear calling experience.
Features
One of Nothing ear (1)’s highlight is ANC, which the earphones use to capture and cancel the background noise. To do this, though, they offer two modes: Light and Maximum, which are pretty self-explanatory. In addition, there’s also have a Transparency mode that lets you hear outside voices while keeping your earphones on and can be triggered using a gesture. Similarly, another attractive feature on the ear (1) is the inclusion of the Find My Earbud feature, which allow you to locate your lost/misplaced earbuds easily. As for other features, the ear (1) are Qi-certified and support all Qi-compatible chargers. They also come with ear-detection, which automatically pauses/resumes playback when you remove an earbud from your ear or pop it back in. When used with certain Android models, the Nothing ear (1) also offers instant pairing functionality, wherein you just open the case and hit the pair option to connect the earphones. Moreover, Nothing has also launched a companion app, called the ear (1) app, which lets you access earphones features and customize the settings for equalizer and control gestures. For connectivity, the ear (1) use Bluetooth 5.2 and come with support for AAC and SBC audio codec.
Battery
Talking about the battery, the Nothing ear (1) pack a 570mAh battery in the case and a 31mAh battery inside each earbud. Nothing promises a battery life of up to 4/24 hours on ANC and up to 5/7/34 hours with ANC turned off with the earbuds and the case, respectively.
Nothing ear (1) Pricing and Availability
The Nothing ear (1) are priced at $99 and €99 in the US and Europe, respectively, and Rs 5999 in India. In India, the earphones will be available starting August 17 on Flipkart. Ever since its announcement, Nothing has managed to generate enough buzz to garner the attention of many people. And with the release of the ear (1), it will be interesting to see if the company can live up to people’s expectations.
