Few tech brands over the last couple of years have been hotter than Nothing. Busting out the gate in 2022 with the announcement of its flagship smartphone, which promised meaningful evolutions for the space, an intuitive and fun interface, and a sleek design. And they’ve more than held up their end of the bargain while continuing to push out more offerings as well, such as an entire budget-friendly product range, CMF, and some really attractive earbuds with transparent housing.
Speaking of the latter, Nothing has now unveiled an open-ear model, which falls into the “classic” design language of previous models. Here’s what we know so far…
Benefits of Open Earbuds
Standard in-ear monitors are the industry standard at the moment, but there are some definite benefits to wearing open earbuds. For starters, the noise level isn’t as harmful because the monitors are hovering outside of your ear holes instead. I’m honestly surprised, with all that we know about hearing loss, that regular earbuds are still as popular as they are. I can easily see how the open design could take over in a few years from now.
Another benefit is that you can hear your surroundings better. While modern earbuds and headphones can be designed with ambient noise emission or even the ability to pause listening when they sense that you’re having a conversation, these rely on additional tech to function properly. Open earbuds allow you to listen to music and the world around you simultaneously.
Nothing Ear (Open) Basics
If you’re a bit dubious about an open design because you fear you’ll be walking around with a boombox on your head, Nothing has equipped its Nothing Ear (Open) buds with a Sound Seal System and directional speakers to ensure that everyone around you won’t hear your music or podcasts. The tech works by throwing sound waves in the front and back of the unit, which work to cancel each other out (similar to how noise-canceling tech works).
Built for comfort, the Ear (Open) buds are tilted at a 50-degree angle so that the speaker is placed directly over the ear so that it “feels like wearing nothing at all,” utilizing a three-point fit and a flexible ear hook featuring a “skin-kind silicone material.” The hook also comes embedded with a flexible nickel-titanium wire that helps with stabilization and security if you’re working out or running. The units are also insanely lightweight at just 8.1g per bud. For comparison, that’s just slightly more than three pennies. Nothing says that the components are almost 30% lighter than the ones used for standard earbuds.
The sound quality is also uncompromised with a patent-pending diaphragm that reduces distortion and deepens the basses and lower tones. Meanwhile, titanium coating is put on the diaphragm to help with accuracy on the high end. Not to mention, the lightweight profile of the housing helps to boost mid and high frequencies. And if you want more of a fine-tuned listening experience, you can adjust the EQ settings in the Nothing X app on your phone.
For phone conversations, the dual microphones are paired with Nothing’s AI-enhanced Clear Voice Technology using a sample pool of over 28 million scenarios for clarity and loudness.
Spec Sheet
Driver: 14.2mm dynamic driver
Diaphragm: Titanium-coated polyethylene terephthalate with patent-pending design
Playback: 8 hours; 30 hours with case
IP Rating: IP54
Price: $149
Shipping Date: October 1
Pricing & Availability
Shipping October 1, the Ear (Open) earbuds can be purchased right now for $149 from Nothing’s website. Currently, they’re only offered in white.
Recap
Nothing Ear (Open)
Nothing unveils a new transparent earbud model with an open design and some AI-enhanced tech.
