Nothing Ear (a) wireless ear buds with Active Noise Cancelling, Bass Enhance Algorithm and up to 42.5 hours of listening time - Black

Pros: App is very well designed and useful. They are stylish and look nice on, charging case is a nice size and again is a stylish design. Sound quality is great for me with options to increase or reduce bass. ANC is very good for this price point, sufficient to drown out background noise. I don’t use them for hours on end so can’t really comment on battery life but it seems fine and the case holds extra battery life. Also has wireless charging which is great! They are very comfortable for moderate use, when worn for over an hour I start to get a little bit of ear fatigue but that’s the same with all in-ear buds. You get three sizes of tips included, medium is best fit for me. They connected easily to my iPhone and AppleTV. You can actually connect to multiple devices at once through the app. Cons: I suppose they are a little pricey for a brand that is not a market leader like Apple or Bose etc. Personalised sound feature is fine for music but sounds bizarre when watching videos (tried two movies), I had to switch it off (which fixed the issue) as it was making a strange interference sound. I’m not keen on the ‘in-ear recognition’ feature as sound stops playing when just ONE earbud is removed, I’d prefer it to be activated when BOTH are removed, that said you can disable this feature in the app so I’ve done that. Also I’m not keen on the tap controls, they are a little temperamental and tricky to get the hang of (they can be amended in the app but not entirely, there are limits).

After my first-generation AirPods Pro gave up the ghost, I was torn between something more budget or sticking with the newest AirPods Pro. After some research these Nothing Ear (a) buds arrived as a welcome surprise. The standout is value for money. You're getting flagship features, excellent noise cancelling, outstanding sound quality, and great battery life at a very reasonable price. I've owned them for months and charged the case maybe five times. My only gripe is the lack of wireless charging on the case. It's a minor inconvenience, but not a dealbreaker. If you're locked into the Apple ecosystem but hesitant about abandoning AirPods, don't be. The Nothing Ear (a) is a great alternative and i'm glad I made the switch.

After 11 months of ownership and regular use these are still providing sterling service! Love the transparent styling, snug comfy fit and clear, punchy sound. Noise cancelling is excellent for those noisy underground journeys. Bass is deep but not distorted or bloated. Connects easily to my iPhone. The app is also good for tuning the sound to your preferences via EQ and personalised sound profiles (even taking into account your age). Nice case and the earbuds slot in easily for charging. Very happy with this purchase as I was carrying my bulky Bose headphones with me everywhere and these are now used when I need something more pocketable. Great VFM. Highly recommended!

Took a punt on these, never even heard of Nothing before but when searching for some new >£100 earbuds for the gym, I cam across these and the spec sounded ace for the money, and reviews suggest the Ear (a) barely falls short of the Ear model, and they're YELLOW! They're really quite impressive, I don't use EQs on headphones as I want to hear the music as the artist intended, and spent thousands getting right! But can't help using the bass enhance on these as it's really immersive. Sound stage is very good, can't really hear any frequencies it struggles with, everything sits nicely. Noise cancelling is good, plenty of low end shut out, and transparency enhances the highs enough to comfortably hear voices without taking them out. Battery does shift a bit with ANC, dual connection and LDAC/Tidal all running but that's what the case is for. I can't really find any fault in them. Perhaps i'd give it a 4.5/5 if I could as the case doesn't seem very durable and you have to use the app to check its charge, and I'd prefer it being quicker to adjust volume with them, but for the money these can't be beatable, surely?

The audio quality is excellent, the fit is excellent, battery is excellent so far and the app is great. The touch controls work great, no awkward swiping. Theyve never fallen out of my ears. The design is great. The case is excellent and charges the earphones. It feels super solid. So whats the problem? I was promised ANC of 45dB - and these DO NOT deliver. This is the reason I bought these, I could just use cheap wired headphones... Ive tried larger earbud tips (in the package) - no difference. Ive checked the fit in the app - I have a great fit apparently, and this makes no difference. I can scarcely see any difference at all when I have ANC on vs when I dont. Im also testing these on "stable" white noise - e.g. standing beside a running river - it cant handle it AT ALL (seriously), or listening to jet engine airplane noises on youtube through my laptop (noise level low or high), the ANC can barely scratch the surface and is very very weak. I almost feel like ive been missold this product, given how much of a big deal is made of the ANC capabilities - and the fact that the app tells me the headphones have a good fit. Ive attempted to put on silicone tips from other headphones from other manufacturers - but, hey presto, they dont fit the nothing ear (a) - the tips of these where the silicone tips are pulled on is oval, so needs to have a perfectly matching shape to suit. I hope the ANC can be fixed by a better algorithm in a future firmware update. Even at a relatively cheap £60 for these I feel cheated and im not pleased. I already have plenty of other wired headphones with excellent audio, I bought these for the ANC, which is rubbish.

Bit the bullet on the Nothing Ear (2024) since they were on £108. The fit is really nice -- the capsule design means they do actually sit in the ear a bit better than more tradition "airpod pro" style (Earfun AP4's). So they feel more nestled in there and less prone to shifting around. Driving them on LHDC v5 since i have that on my Xiaomi. Connection has been rock solid so far - no glitching/drops/downgrades. Which is better than the MTW4's manage even on AptX Adaptive (not lossless). The ANC is on part with MTW4's --- maybe a slight difference --- the Nothing's let a bit more "mid" through maybe which i feel is easier to ignore when listening to music. Certainly better than the Earfun AP4's bit a small amount The sound signature out of the box is pleasing. Did their version of a hearing test and set that to "Rich". Dropped the bass-boost down from 3 to 2 and nudged the treble +1 Essentially very punchy bass but feels very tight. EDM works really well. The Nothing App is nice, follows their aesthetic on mono + red dotted font. Very clean. Usual tweaks. Controls can be customised to a point (you get 3 options per action to pick from) Bass Boost is separate from EQ (kinda like DPP's Immersion) EQ has 2 modes, Simple (a set of 3 sliders for bass/mid/treble) or the full EQ which gives an 8 band parametric-esque EQ with frequency, amount & Q-factor The App allows you to import / export EQ's via a QR code. Usual other stuff like ear detection, codec select, firmware updates, find my buds, low-latency/multipoint selectors etc etc I'd say for £108 these are packing a good punch and can compete well with the usual suspects I'll say one thing for the Nothing ear too. It's the app. It's slick. It feels like someone actually cared about it For me the Denon and Sennheiser apps feel clunky. They lag a bit even on flagship phones but the nothing app feels fluid and really well connected. It flows and doesn't feel like an after thought The gestures like play pause or transparency on the buds play subtle playful tones Feels the same with nothing phones. They really get industrial design in a way that feels super modern and fresh without being intrusive. They're like apple used to be The charging case feels tactile and efficient Really like the whole aesthetic

I have many Nothing products. Mainly I have buds that I use with my Nothing phone 2. I thought I would indulge in the best Nothing have to offer with the Nothing ear (2024). I own Nothing ear (a) and Nothing ear 2 buds, both of which sound great. Unfortunately I can't recommend Nothing ear (2024). The sound itself is phenomenal. Really crisp and clear and earthy sounding. They sound like someone really has taken time who knows exactly what they are doing. The problem is the bass. The drivers are made of a new material, and it just can't handle the bass that well. With enhanced bass turned off, at 70% volume playing house, these buds just can't handle the bass. My older buds play the same music absolutely fine without any distortion on bass at all. But these new ones have that over powerful distorted bass vibration thing going on. Really spoils what is essentially a better sound of it wasn't for that. This is my 2nd pair after replacement, so it's obviously the way they are made with the new material in the drivers. My advice is that the ear (a) have a far better range, and are the ones most should buy.

Am delighted I bought these. Comfy, good sound, stay securely in your ear and even if they did fall out, nice bright colour means you’d find them easily.

Second update: After finally being able to connect with the seller, they were the definition of excellent with their customer service. I reached out to them during the holiday rush and had a replacement unit that seems to be completely new sent to me. The bus are add amazing as the first pair were. This time I will be more mindful of where I keep my favorite earbuds, and fart far away from the washing machine. Thank you Essential Tech and Nothing. In the past two years, I have used or owned just about every single pair of earbuds under $500. I use the nothing year 2024 version every day and sometimes I don’t even think to grab the other ones. Everything comes with some form of trade-off any with the nothing I would say these these are battery life and sound. Both of these trade offs are minimal. The battery life is fine and because of wireless charging they get back to useable levels quickly. In terms of sound I personally rank the Sennheiser Momentum 4 as the buds that have sounded the best to me, an arbitrary “10”. If the M4 are a 10 I’d say the nothing are an 8, unless you just love bass, if you do, these are a 9.5. Pros: Comfort- as comfortable as a stem style earbud I’ve ever used. I wear these in any sweaty environment and they DO NOT Fall out..looking at you Apple and Samsung Pro 3 Connectivity- again another place where these are as good as any bud with multiple devices except the Technics AZ80, which can pair to 3 devices (something I never used once) Controls- this is where I believe the buds start to stand out. You have many options to choose from how you want these to work, almost anyone can find a setup that works. The one thing they don't do is slide for volume control. Call/mic quality- from everyone I’ve talked there is a Night and Day difference in me talking with these buds and anything else, yes even Apple AirPod pros. Apparently they block out most of the background noise as well. This might be the biggest selling point for the buds. It’s Exceptional Durability- I mentioned before that these stay in no matter what sweaty activity I’m doing they also push through no matter what activity I’m doing whether it’s sweat rain splashes of water, falling in water the case has held up to exposure to water everything it’s one of the stronger qualities of the buds, and the case, is the durability. IP54 does don't protect against a washing machine or total submersion. Transparency mode- Again, transparency mode is one of those things that it just does really well very similar to the call quality it’s top of the line in terms of the way the transparency mode operates and functions. It’s one of the best that there are right now. App functionality- I mentioned that the controls are amazing and they are just a part of an amazing app for these buds. You can find any sound profile that you love and as I mentioned in the sound earlier if you love bass bass is a thing that you must have with earbuds. These are the best style earbuds. I’ve ever used it. It’s it’s a level that is disruptive. That’s how there’s controls you can’t even fathom EQ settings. As far as you can imagine it’s really top-notch. I would say that the app is a 10 out of 10 for all of the functionality that you can use for these buds and if you just want to use default stuff it works really well there too the app is another amazing point. Trade offs: Noise cancellation- if the Bose quiet comfort and the Sennheiser and the Sony are tens, then the nothings are probably eight or 8 1/2 the Bose could be by themselves, but the little hissing white noise that’s with them when you not running music bothers me to no end so I can’t rank them a 10. I think these are just a few marks below any of the premium top 2 to 3 times the price of these earbuds noise cancellation performance more than doable. Sound- Well, I said the app gives you great flexibility for sound and even sound quality they don’t stack up to the higher budget earbuds in this regard they notice don’t sound as good or is clear or as crisp as the Sennheiser momentum force not many earbuds. Do they are clearly not there once again. I probably put these in about an eight or 8 1/2 if the Sennheiser are number one. But the sound is good enough for me to pick these up every single time I’m leaving the house and just taking earbuds just in case or when I’m going to the guy I know that these will always be good enough customization next level that you can get really close, especially if you have a phone that supports higher and codec, you’ll notice that increase just a little bit and that makes that little bump each way up ahead of other earbuds like Bose, Samsung, and AirPods and all the other ones in that price range they sound better than jabra which are almost $300. Battery- battery is the spot that the nothings have made the biggest improvement on because previously their batteries were not very good at all and now they’re passable. They’re quite decent and get about six hours out of them using Hi-Rez Kodex and ANC about six hours maybe 5 1/2 just kind of depending on circumstances and everything else but about 5 1/2 six hours that’s about what you get out of most of them the Sony or a 10 in this area these would be, I don’t know previously they were five or four so nice improvement in terms of the battery like I said it being rechargeable via wireless charging is really helpful. It just makes it quick and easy. Throw it on the back of your phone if it supports it in 10 minutes 20 minutes you got enough charge to get going and do whatever you need so it’s not terrible like it was it makes it very doable and passable now. TL;DR These earbuds are a significant improvement over the previous generation for anything in their price range. They are right up there at the top as far as the best or close to the best in this price range I luckily got mine on sale on Amazon. I think they were 115 120 for the amount of money there’s nothing that touches these. I have the momentum 4s, I have the technic AZ80s, I’ve had several AirPod pros, I have the Samsung buds Pro three and the budsPro 2, list the earbuds under $400. I’ve had them or still own them and these earbuds check enough of the boxes that matter to me that I use these consistently more than the other ones , probably one of the biggest good sound good ANC great quality, multipoint connection and durability. These aspects make them, the go anywhere earbud, they consistently deliver what I want from them. I love this purchase and will absolutely recommend these buds to anyone who seeks these qualities from their buds, especially in the stem style.

Easy to pair. Works on dual devices. Last roughly 5 to 6 hours with anc on and extra bass going. Charges pretty guickly. 15 minutes will get you 2 hours. 30 to 40 for a full charge. Very comfortable in the ear when working or walking, but not while doing any sports. They fall off. Mic and sound are great. Loudish bass if you like this sort of thing. Anc is great. Manages to shut the guy up next desk over while doing teams call.

2 weeks in... Was very skeptical about buying these. Now I am no audiophile, but I do love music of all descriptions. I was tossing up very much between high end, high price tag headphones and the reviews were very mixed about these headphones. I am comparing these to previous buds Marshall Minor 3, Samsung Buds (original) and Sony XM3 buds. I have to say these probably exceed all of them. Very punchy bass, like surprisingly powerful for buds! It might be too much for some at standard settings but easily corrected in the EQ. I like the fact that if I want bass it's definitely an option. They look great, sounds great, App is really nice and refined and the price tag was great. The ANC is decent enough that at about 70-80% phone volume and ANC on high I can drown out my Gyms rubbish music which was important. Fit is comfortable, nice and light and have not had them pop out with vigorous runs on the treadmill. All in all I think it'd be hard to get better buds at this price

Amazing sound, app, experience! I almost want to move from iOS to Android to enjoy ChatGPT features! Only missing the sound control vs my AirPod Pro!

J'ai craqué sur ces écouteurs suite à la lecture d'un comparatif les classant comme concurrent direct des airpods et autres écouteurs haut de gamme. Et pour 85€ je ne suis clairement pas déçu. Ce sont de très très bons écouteurs. Le son est clair et précis tant dans les aigus que les médium et des basses sont ... assez magnifiques. Je les ais comparé à mes marshall major III, mes Jabra Evolve2 85 et mes Genki Waveform. Et de constater qu'ils ont la meilleure clarté de son. Je redécouvre mes musiques habituelles et me rend compte que les basses peuvent être mélodieuses !!! Le test de "Bohemian Rhapsody" est sans appel. La réduction active de bruit fonctionne relativement bien. Elle est moins efficace que mes écouteurs Jabra Evolve2 85 (écouteurs circum-aural) mais c'est normal lié à leur design supra-aural. Et on parle de Jabra, un des meilleurs au niveau réduction active de bruit. Le mode transparence est également un poil moins performant que mes Jabra (pareil due à leur design et aux 10 superbes micros de Jabra qui permettent une clarté des voix et de la réduction de bruit... ). Et ce ne sont pas des intra-aural mais bien des supra-aural. Ils sont confortables, se posent bien dans le creux de l'oreille et tiennent bien en place. J'avais un peut peur qu'ils puissent glisser pendant les mouvements et en fait non ils tiennent bien, longtemps et sans gène (même en machant des chewing gums !!!) Quand au design j'adore. Tout en transparence et en simplicité. Comme toute la gamme Nothing (je les ais pris en blanc). et la boite tient dans la poche à gousset des jeans !!! Je les ai toujours sur moi ! Que du positif : Clairement des écouteurs premium à pris moyen de gamme.