Nothing Ear And Ear (a) they are two twin products, with one idea in mind: to propose an alternative to the more well-known brands with earphones that are stylish and at the same time, at least for the most expensive product i.e. Ear, at the level of Apple AirPods or Samsung Galaxy Buds, even with a much more affordable price. The mission was successful: design aside, Ear sounds good, has functional controls, a complete management app and very rich in options. The alternative Ear (a) gives up relatively little, lowers the sound quality a bit and offers a more jaunty and youthful yellow version. In terms of names, just to get out of the confusion, Nothing gives up continuing the Ear 1, Ear 2 series of the past and does as Apple does: simply Ear (which will later become Ear 2025 edition or Ear 2nd Gen) and Ear (a).
Nothing Ear has a new 11mm dynamic driver with ceramic diaphragm which offers songs in which the musical details do not disappear and even the mid tones are well represented (considering the product category, we are not talking about high fidelity studio headphones). If you love bass, the algorithm Bass Enhance will do for you. It is managed via the Nothing X app, which also gives you access to an advanced equalizer that will make experts happy. You can even share your favorite EQs via QR codes. Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) is also very good, with an effectiveness of up to 45 dB: we tested it on trains and planes, the impression is that it is almost on par with the AirPods Pro 2. The Smart ANC algorithm constantly checks the tightness of the headphones in the ear and adjusts consequently noise cancellation. There is also theAdaptive ANCwhich detects ambient noise and increases the power of noise cancellation when necessary.
There is no shortage of multipoint to pair up to two devices and wireless charging: two features, with ANC, which act as a bit of a divide between cheap and high-end products. Controls are easy and precise through a pressure sensor on the forearm.
Nothing Ear (a) gives up relatively little compared to Ear. The driver does not have a ceramic diaphragm, it lacks wireless charging and the advanced equalizer on the app. But there’s everything else, ANC and multipoint included. The design of the case which we could call “ravioli” (two halves joined in the middle by a protruding edge) is a bit anonymous in black but is fun in the yellow shade, a first for the brand.
The autonomy of both models is good: Nothing Ear offers up to 40.5 hours of playback, case included, while Ear (a) reaches 42.5 hours.
, earphones with ChatGpt on board and transparent design){kind=link}