Nothing ear (1) review, a story of small details

Nothing ear (1) review

We were lucky enough to be able to test a test sample of the new TWS Nothing ear headphones (1) before the official launch event to be able to tell you our impressions about it before the opening of sales.

The new brand led by Carl Pei presented its first product to the public only a few days ago and the first models will be in the hands of users very soon thanks to the limited edition sales from the official website.

It is worth taking in consider Nothing ear (1) as your next earphones? Find out in our full review!

An unmistakable design

One of the main aspects that differentiates Nothing ear (1) from the competition is the design. The company has opted for the use of transparent plastic materials that give both the earphones and the case an image that is impossible to confuse with the many other models on the market.

This is one of the aspects on which the brand has aimed more, with a result that I personally find very pleasant and original.

The carrying and charging case has a square design with rounded corners which, although relatively thin, has dimensions not too contained even if not so exaggerated. The many empty areas, through which you can see thanks to the translucent materials, reveal how perhaps by giving up this idea of ​​transparency it would have been possible to compress all the components closest to each other, saving some volume.

Le measurements are therefore slightly larger than those of AirPods or Pixel Buds 2, but there are also many other models of true wireless earphones that have decidedly bulkier houses.

The cover of the Nothing ear (1) case features a hemispherical recess which I found very convenient to grip when putting in or taking out the earphones from your pocket. The magnet that holds this lid closed is strong enough to make it difficult to accidentally open but, consequently, even one-handed opening.

The hinge connecting the two halves of the case doesn't seem too strong , although I haven't noticed any suspicious movement for the time being. Like the rest of the case it may not survive falls or mistreatment. The transparent material of which the case is made is very reminiscent of those surprise spheres that you can buy with a coin from some mechanical distributors, it is not a premium feeling at all.

Aesthetically the ears (1) are beautiful but the materials are not first-rate.

Opening the lid there are two small protrusions equipped with magnets and charging pins for the earphones. Two other magnets are positioned in plain sight on the bottom of the cavities and help to hook the ears (1) to their case in a sufficiently firm way. I wouldn't get too close to hard drives containing important data with these ear (1) if I were you.

The positioning with the stems both facing inwards is a bit strange but you can do it there. habit, however, makes it quite easy to extract the earphones to put them on. A red dot and a white dot distinguish the right earphone from the left one and the indicator is placed both on the earphones themselves and in their respective housing in the case.

An RGB LED indicates the status of the earphones: red (in charge), green (on or off) and white (pairing). On the right side there is a charging port and the button for Bluetooth pairing.

The convenience of always having them charged

In addition to being able to recharge the Nothing ear (1) via the USB port Type-C, you can take advantage of the coil hidden on the bottom of the care for wireless charging according to the Qi standard. If you have a smartphone enabled for reverse wireless charging you will never have low battery problems.

Fast charging via USB port allows you to recover up to 8 hours of battery life out of a total of 34 hours in just 10 minutes (24 hours with ANC) declared by Nothing. The earphones are able to recover 1.2 hours of battery life out of a total of 5.7 (4 hours with ANC) in 10 minutes once placed in the case.

Listening to music, videos and podcasts at medium-high volume with ANC active, these days I have almost always managed to reach over 5 hours with a single charge, not bad.

The speed of charging via cable, the possibility of taking advantage of the thousands of USB Type-C chargers we have around the home and office, the presence of wireless charging compatible with the sharing of energy from the smartphone potentially allows you to never have to worry about the battery level of the Nothing ear (1), a big point in their favor.

Lightness is a real strength

The real in-ear headphones have a very pleasant design. The stem including the touch-sensitive area for gesture control is transparent and reveals its internal components. The uppermost part, shaped like a small bean, is glossy white.

One of the real strengths of these ears (1) is their lightness, with only 4.7g per cap and the their ergonomic shape can be safely worn for very long periods of time without fatigue. You get to the point where you just forget you are wearing them.

The IPX4 certification against splashing water allows you to use them safely even for exercise, however if you do not choose suitable sized rubber pads that anchor firmly the ear (1) to the ear it is possible that with too sudden movements they slip from the ear and fall to the ground. Exactly for the case I think it is something to be avoided as the aesthetic damage, and in the worst case structural, is inevitable.

The size and shape of the nozzle is not standard and as for other models of true wireless headphones finding suitable replacements to hook in the best way while not exceeding the size of the housing in the case is not obvious. In addition to the medium size rubber tips mounted on the headphones, Nothing includes two other different sizes in the sales package.

I did not appreciate the choice of using white rubber tips, bitter enemies of in-ear headphones.

The application has a lot of potential

To make the most of the Nothing earphones you need to download the official application on your smartphone, unfortunately only available in English for both Android and iOS and called ear ( 1).

The wizard will guide you in the initial configuration of the earphones asking you first if you wish to participate in the data collection program for the improvement of the brand's products and if you want to grant access to location services, useful for faster pairing.

At the end of the pairing a screen summarizes the gestures that are preset on the earphones for control via the capacitive sensors placed on the side and terno.

The app allows you to check the battery status of the ear (1) when connected (in steps of 10%) and of the charging case.

The menu button at the top on the right allows access to the OTA firmware update system, the Find my earbud function (available only in the Bluetooth range) and the switch dedicated to the proximity sensor.

Another panel on the left side will give you access to an area reserved for your personal profile, not very useful at the moment, to a list of devices connected to the application, to the light / dark / automatic theme selector and to further information regarding the company and the app itself.

The most useful functions are however easily accessible from the main screen, just below the image of the ear (1). The Hear button will give you access to the settings regarding the ANC and the equalizer, the latter currently adjustable to only 4 presets.

We expected at least a six-band equalizer, also because apart from the basic profile the others are not at all pleasant. The Voice profile is the only one that can really be used, as it improves the clarity of the medium frequencies, particularly suitable for phone calls and video calls.

The second button, Touch, allows you to change the behavior of the gestures. Also in this case the choice is very limited and we sincerely hope that with a subsequent update more freedom of action can be left.

How do they sound?

Finally coming to the practical part, how do they sound the Nothing ear (1)?

The volume is loud, louder at maximum volume than my Pixel Buds 2, and the sound produced by the 11.6mm dynamic drivers is fairly well balanced. Nothing claimed to have aimed at a neutral audio profile for these earphones and we can say they succeeded.

Unfortunately the soundstage is very small and it is not always clear to distinguish the direction of the sounds, which is what AirPods Pros for example excel. Bass isn't overly deep while higher frequencies tend to strain your hearing in the long run. products of higher quality than normal, you will not notice these small subtleties in any way. Sound neutrality would have been ideal accompanied by a true equalizer as it would have allowed individual users to manage the headphones in their preferred way. The presets included in the application, as mentioned previously, spoil the experience and personally I recommend you stay away from them.

Active noise cancellation of 40dB is good, but it works best with constant background noise ( e.g. the chatter of the crowd, the traffic and the neighbor's lawn mower). The high frequencies, such as the click of the keys of a mechanical keyboard that you have in front of you when you are at the computer, still manage to be recognized at a minimum when the music is off. While the headphones are playing, however, even that kind of noise is easily covered.

The ANC is adjustable to two different levels, it can be turned off or the Nothing ears (1) can amplify external noises in transparency mode.

The three microphones are also used to isolate your voice by reducing the ambient noise that surrounds you, this allows your interlocutors during calls to hear you more clearly.

Conclusions

Nothing Ears (1) want to shake up the market for true wireless headphones and intend to achieve their goal by focusing on three main elements: aggressive marketing (which can be there since it is a new brand that must make itself known ), a unique design and a competitive price.

For 99 euros to which they are proposed they are definitely to be recommended. Nothing has positioned itself intelligently in a very specific market segment: they have more features, including ANC, and better audio quality than most TWSs of the same or lower cost, while at the same time competing with a price tag that can interest a large number of users when compared to the premium competition with active noise cancellation and very similar audio quality.

They are not audiophile earphones, they do not have the best noise cancellation or battery life on the market, they are not made from the best materials you can find. Despite this, the Nothing ears (1) represent a complete package offered at an attractive price and we are sure they will be able to convince many people to buy. And these folks won't be disappointed.

The right compromises have been made to offer the public a product that is absolutely worth every single penny invested. The small details that Nothing thought of during the design phase, especially in terms of practicality and design, are what makes the difference and makes the ear (1) unique.

If you are looking for excellent all-round earphones , with good autonomy but at the same time light and that can be comfortably worn for long sessions look no further!