Nothing Ear 1 review

headphones with a unique design and phenomenal sound

The first wireless headphones Nothing Ear 1, although they have several drawbacks, stand out from the mass of the same type of competitors with their unique design and phenomenal sound quality.

Who are Nothing? The founder of the Nothing brand is Carla Pei, who was also one of the founders of OnePlus. Knowing how to create great devices at reasonable prices, he released the first Ear wireless headphones, under his own new brand - Nothing. Will they be able to become truly massive?

Specifications Nothing Ear 1

Dimensions and weight

28.9 x 21.5 x 23.5 mm, 4.7 grams (headphones)

58.6×58.6×23.7 mm, 57.4 grams

Converters

11.6mm dynamic 0.34cc bass chamber

ANC

Up to -40 dB, two modes: Light and Max + transparency mode

Connection

Bluetooth 5.2, AAC, SBC

Management

touch

Battery

4 hours with ANC, 5.7 hours without (earphone) + 24 hours, 34 hours without ANC (case)

Battery

31 mAh (earphone), 570 mAh (case)

Compatibility

Android 5.1, iOS 11 and above

Water resistance

IPX4

Headphone features

If you're looking for good wireless headphones , there's no shortage of choices. Now there are a huge number of models on the market with amazing sound and advanced features.

But over the past three years, the budget segment has especially developed. Today you can find headphones with great sound, noise reduction and other features for 5-6 thousand rubles. No wonder why Carl Pei decided to release his Nothing Ear.

The Nothing headphones are very reminiscent of OnePlus at the very beginning of its development. Drink, uses the same techniques that brought results in the past. During the year, news about the new brand constantly appeared in the media. Not surprisingly, the first batch of 5,000 pairs of Ear 1s sold out in just 2 minutes via the official website.

However, the Nothing Ear 1 are truly excellent headphones. They feature a unique design with transparent housing, IPX4 water resistance, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and excellent sound quality. No less important, they will cost you a little more than 7 thousand rubles.

Design and construction

Externally, Nothing Ear 1 is unlike any other wireless headphones on the market.

The case is made of completely transparent plastic, like part of the headphone housing. Through the oblong plastic base, you will be able to see the internal components. The rest of the body is made of white plastic, with a protective coating against dust and fingerprints.

The design is minimalistic, so Ear 1 looks very elegant, which is rare in the budget segment. However, this is not surprising - the partner of Nothing is the Swedish manufacturer of musical equipment Teenage Engineering, known for stylish portable synthesizers and other equipment.

Another advantage of the Ear 1 is its low weight - each earbud weighs 4.7 g, so it sits flawlessly in your ears, without causing discomfort even with prolonged listening. The kit also includes three pairs of rubber nozzles of different sizes.

The manufacturer's logo is applied to the oblong base, and a color indicator that allows you to instantly distinguish between the right and left earphone. Red on the right, white on the left. The same marks are made inside the case. The case itself, thanks to transparency, looks cool, but here lies its main problem, the case is easy to scratch and spoil the appearance.

Communication and connection

Nothing Ear 1 connects to Android and iOS smartphones using Bluetooth 5.2, but only to one device at a time.

Switching between sources is fast, the connection itself is stable. The voice assistant is also missing, and Nothing has said they have no plans to add assistants in the future.

This is a drawback, because almost all competitors have support for assistants from Amazon or Google. However, Nothing had to drop a number of features in order to keep the price reasonable, so that's something you'll have to put up with.

Functions and features

The new Nothing Ear 1 has an IPX4 water and sweat resistance rating, making it great for sports.

To take full advantage of Ear 1, you need to install the appropriate app. In it, you can set up controls, see the charge level of each earbud, download updates and make other settings.

For example, the “Find headphones” function will make each bud make a loud sound. Added to Ear 1 and take off/proximity sensor. Because of this, the music stops as soon as you take any earpiece out of your ear and continues when you put it back in.

Management and interaction

The oblong bases of each Nothing Ear 1 are equipped with touch pads through which control is exercised.

Customization takes place using a special application, although it can only be reassigned to the gestures of the triple and long press of the touch area. By default, double-tap is used to play and pause, and swipe up or down along the body changes the volume.

Here I would like to be able to customize all gestures, and it remains to be hoped that Nothing will fix this in the next software update.

Sound quality

No matter how good the design or operation is, the main criterion for wireless headphones is the sound quality. Nothing did a great job with that.

The Ear 1 is probably the best wireless earbuds for the money in terms of sound quality. They use 11.6mm drivers, which were developed by Teenage Engineering, renowned for their audio engineering.

Nothing Ear 1 delivers bright, punchy sound that is balanced across the entire frequency range. The model easily copes with any genre: EDM or hip-hop, metal or progressive rock. At a lower cost, they are in no way inferior to the Jabra Elite 75t , Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro or Galaxy Buds Pro.

Especially Ear 1 will please if you are a fan of music with heavy bass. There is no equalizer here, but you can choose from three preset modes: Bass, Treble and Vocal. The only negative is that there is no support for high quality audio codecs: aptX or LDAC. However, when listening to music from most popular services like Spotify, they are not needed - AAC and SBC are enough.

Active noise cancellation and calls

Another important feature of Nothing Ear 1 is Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), implemented by the Light and Max modes, and a separate transparency mode.

The option works well, it manages to drown out normal noise, such as the hum of a fan or air conditioner, but the suppression technologies do less well with loud sounds. Transparency mode allows you to hear everything that is happening around you.

Three microphones are installed on the body of each earbud to help during phone calls. According to Nothing, the algorithms used attenuate wind noise up to 40 km/h, making your voice sound clear and natural.

Battery autonomy

Since the Nothing's priority when creating Ear 1 was a lightweight body and compact design, the battery is not the biggest here.

The battery capacity of each earphone is 31 mAh, and the battery capacity is 570 mAh, which is enough for six full charges. The headphones themselves offer 4 hours of listening time with active noise cancellation, which is less than many competitors. Most other models have a battery life of at least 5 hours on a single charge.

But we have fast charging - 10 minutes in the case will provide 50 minutes of listening, while 10 minutes of recharging the case via USB-C cable - up to six hours of use. It also supports 5W Qi wireless charging, which is rare in this segment.

Nothing Ear 1 Alternatives and Prices

Category of wireless headphones up to 10 thousand rubles. filled with excellent models - for example, Soundcore Liberty 2 Pro .

Their dual ACAA system delivers amazing sound when battery life reaches 8 hours. There is an equalizer, IPX4 water protection and wireless charging. But, in terms of sound, Ear 1 will be better.

A good option is Amazon Echo Buds 2nd Gen, whose ANC is able to block out almost all ambient noise. They last 5 hours on a single charge, offer pleasant sound and support for the Google Assistant with Alexa.

Many users liked the Samsung Galaxy Buds Plus , they are good in everything, including sound quality and comfort in use. Large touch panels provide convenient operation, and battery life is an incredible 10 hours.

Outcome

The Nothing Ear 1 headphones remind me of the first gadgets from OnePlus, which, in terms of basic characteristics, are significantly superior to competitors in the price segment. It's like a breath of fresh air for fans of modern devices.

Of course, not everything is perfect here, given only 4 hours of battery life and the lack of support for voice assistants. But, for wireless headphones for 7.3 thousand rubles, the disadvantages are minor. So far, Nothing is only gaining ground in the audio equipment industry, so in the future, we should expect many great products from the company, in terms of price and quality.

Is it worth buying

Nothing Ear combines excellent sound quality with a fun transparent design at an affordable price. They do an excellent job of reducing background noise, feature Qi wireless charging, and are also IPX4 rated. What else is needed?

Nothing Ear 1 Price $ 99.00