In brief: Nothing, the tech firm founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, has revealed two new wireless earbuds that can now be pre-ordered. The Nothing Ear and Ear (a) offer the same unique design language as the company's other products while building on their excellent predecessor. Nothing says it is also integrating ChatGPT into its buds for those who use Nothing phones.
The budget-focused Ear (a) buds, priced at $99, and $149 Ear buds both come with up to 45db of active noise cancellation, almost twice that of the older Ear (2)'s 40db. Their algorithm automatically applies the level of noise cancellation required based on the environment. It can also check for noise leakage between the earbuds and ear canal and adjust the noise cancellation accordingly.
Battery life has also been given a boost, up from around 4 hours of constant playback in the previous model to 5.2 hours in the Ear and 5.5 hours in the Ear (a) with ANC on. Turning off ANC pushes the times up to 8.5 hours and 9.5 hours, respectively. The charging case is also smaller but offers more battery life: 24.5 hours of music playback with ANC for the Ear (a) and 42.5 hours with it turned off.
Both new earbuds feature 11mm drivers, while the more expensive Ear has a new mic and support for LHDC 5.0 for high-res audio streaming over Bluetooth. Both buds support LDAC.
The buds are available in black or white with transparent stems, while the Ear (a) also comes with a bright yellow color option. Choosing the cheaper pair means no wireless charging or fully custom EQ. Reviewers say it's very difficult to notice the difference in audio quality between the two, though.
Both pairs of earbuds are IP54 dust and water-resistant, though the Ear's case has an a IP55 rating while the Ear (a) case is IPX2.
Another interesting element of the buds is Nothing's plans for ChatGPT integration. The company says users with Nothing OS and ChatGPT installed on their phones will be able to pinch-to-speak to the chatbot directly from Nothing's earbuds.
There are several reviews of the Nothing's new earbuds already online, which vary from good to excellent. The cheaper Ear (a) buds have been especially well-received. Wired highlights the buds' affordability, good sound and call quality, great controls, good design, quick pairing with Android phones, easy-to-use app, and good battery life.
You can pre-order the Ear and Ear (a) from Nothing's website now. They will be available to buy from April 22.