The Nothing Ears (1) not only rely on a fancy, transparent design, but also offer functions such as active noise suppression, wireless charging and wear detection for 99 euros. Smaller weaknesses cloud the overall picture, but the ear (1) are still a good choice for everyday use.
Table of contents
- 1 The eye of the tech enthusiast hears with
- Technical data and functions of the Nothing Ear (1)
- Control via the handle with auto-play/auto-pause
< li> Very good single use
- App for Android and iOS
- Comfortable fit with good seal
- Good sound emphasizes the bass
- ANC of the Nothing Ear (1)
- ANC and transparency still with malfunction
- Slight Interfering noises during telephony
- Normal latency over SBC and AAC
- Conclusion
The ear (1) from Nothing make many technology enthusiasts sit up and take notice. Not because they offer technical innovations that cannot be found anywhere else, but because they serve a niche in which the technology itself is on display. The startup Nothing, backed by well-known people like Tony Fadell, who is considered the inventor of the iPod, Kevin Lin (co-founder of Twitch), Steve Huffman (co-founder and CEO of Reddit) and Casey Neistat (co-founder of Beme), has the wireless In -Ear headphones (1) not only kept in pixel style for the font and app, but also allow an unusually large amount of insight into the technology inside both the earphones and the charging case thanks to transparent elements. This is paired with what at first glance appears to be an excellent price-performance ratio. Because for a price of only 99 euros, buyers receive ANC in-ears with an optional app connection. The price is therefore significantly lower than that of the Apple AirPods Pro, which Nothing itself sees as direct competition. It is sold directly on the manufacturer's website.
In addition to the charging case and the earphones, the Nothing Ear (1) comes with a short USB-A-to-USB-C charging cable, which is not only covered with braided fabric, but also covered with transparent plastic on the outside, as well as three oval silicone attachments of different sizes and a quick guide.
Technical data and functions of the Nothing ear (1)
Transparent design
As Nothing explained to ComputerBase before the performance, the plan to allow a view of the inner workings was not something that could easily be agreed with production. Even with components such as magnets, it was difficult to find suppliers because they had to be polished. The housing of the earphones had to be joined with an adhesive that is not visible afterwards. Nothing succeeded in the optical implementation, the ear (1) stand out from the mass of wireless in-ear headphones and make the heart of a tech enthusiast beat faster. It is to be hoped that the service life of this transparent design will exceed that of the earphones and that there will be no unsightly discoloration – an aspect that cannot be taken into account in the test.
Externally, Nothing also deviates from the usual labeling of the earphones with an “R” and “L” for right and left and relies on a red and white label, as is known from the hi-fi sector – the first manufacturer to do this uses, however, is nothing with it.
-
Nothing ear (1)
Image 1 of 3
< figure class = "thumbs thumbs - 3" role = "group">
Nothing ear (1) 
Nothing ear (1) 
Nothing ear (1) With the charging case, Nothing has hidden the coil for wireless charging and all components of the USB-C connection in a white housing inside the transparent charging case. The transparent components extend here on the lid and the socket of the earphones. A little more attention is required when the earphones are placed in the charging case, as they are not placed or plugged into the generous recesses as is usually the case, but the stem needs to be properly positioned by the user.
Bluetooth 5.2, Fast Pair and AAC without multipoint
The Nothing Ears (1) rely on 11.6 mm large, dynamic drivers and a larger sound chamber compared to the AirPods Pro. Bluetooth 5.2 ensures a greater radio range and lower power consumption, provided that the other side cooperates. However, Nothing does not use multipoint (“Bluetooth Multi-Connect”) to connect several end devices to the earphones at the same time and to be able to switch seamlessly between them – according to their own statements, since the battery life suffers too much when several devices are connected in parallel. When it comes to audio codecs, the ear (1) rely on AAC and SBC, so they lack an HD codec. With new Android smartphones, Fast Pair can also be used to couple the earphones more easily with the smartphone by offering them for connection on an unlocked smartphone when the charging case is opened.
-
Nothing ear (1)
Image 1 of 3
Nothing ear (1) 
Nothing ear (1)  </figure>
</figure>
<h3 class = )
Only around 4 hours of battery life
The battery with a capacity of 31 mAh in the earphones ensures uninterrupted music playback for 5.7 hours without ANC and 4 hours with ANC, according to Nothing. The battery life can be extended to 34 hours without ANC or 24 hours with ANC via the charging case. The capacity of the battery in the charging case is 570 mAh. Fast charging ensures that after 10 minutes of charging, music can be played for another 90 minutes without ANC or 50 minutes with ANC. The ear (1) can be charged either via USB-C or via wireless charging according to the Qi standard.
In the test, the ear (1) achieved a battery life of 4:10 hours with the ANC set to maximum intensity. A value that has now been clearly surpassed by a large number of competitors and is not convincing. Depending on your personal usage profile, the runtime is still sufficient.
Small, but angular charging case
The ear (1) charging case, called the ear (case), measures 58.6 × 58.6 × 23.7 mm and weighs 57.4 g. Due to the comparatively angular design, it is less comfortable to carry in your pocket than the AirPods Pro charging case, which measures 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm. In addition, the transparent design is prone to scratches. The USB-C connection is led away to the side, the button next to it is used to start the pairing process of the in-ears. With a weight of 4.7 g each earphone is pleasantly light.
-
Nothing ear (1)
Image 1 of 3
Nothing ear (1) 
Nothing ear (1)  </figure>
</figure>
<h3 class = )
IPX4 certification for the earphones
The earphones are protected against splash water in accordance with IPX4, so they can also be worn in the rain and during sweaty sports.
Nothing ear (1) Apple AirPods Pro OnePlus Buds Pro Bluetooth standard: 5.2 5.0 5.2 Audio codecs: SBC, AAC SBC, AAC, LHDC Operation: touch buttons Battery life of the earphones: 5.7/4.0 (ANC) h 5 , 0/4.5 (ANC) h 7.0/5.0 (ANC) h Battery life with charging case: 34.0 h 24.0 h 38.0 h Wireless charging: Yes ANC: Yes Single use: Yes IP Certification: IPX4 IP55 Weight per earphone/only charging case: 4.7/57.4 g 5.5/46.0 g 4.4/52.0 g USB charging connection: USB-C Lightning USB-C Dimensions charging case: 23 , 7 × 58.6 × 58.6 mm 45.2 × 60.6 × 21.7 mm 24.9 × 60.1 × 49.0 mm Price: € 99 from € 182 € 149
ANC, transparency mode and neutral sound
The active noise cancellation (ANC) of the ear (1) is supposed to attenuate the environment by up to 40 dB, which promises above-average performance. To achieve this, Nothing relies on three microphones per earphone, which are directed both inwards and outwards (feed-forward and feedback processing). In addition, the ANC can be adapted via the app, which is available for Android and iOS. In order to prevent the “suction cup effect” that often occurs with in-ear headphones when ANC is activated, the ear (1) have air channels for pressure equalization, just like the AirPods Pro have. The effectiveness of the ANC and the air ducts is discussed in more detail below.
The ear (1) also offer a transparency mode, the intensity of which, however, cannot be adjusted.
When it comes to the sound, Nothing promises a neutral vote, as they don't want to change the artists' music. If you want to adjust the sound, you can use the equalizer in the app, which however does not allow you to adjust it freely, but allows you to choose from the four profiles “Balanced” (standard), “More Treble”, “More Bass” and “Voice” .
Control over the stem with auto-play/auto-pause
The stem of the earphones houses the touch controls. To prevent incorrect entries, simply touching the button is not assigned a function. Only double tapping starts or pauses playback. Triple tapping skips forward one track. Tapping and holding toggles through the three modes “ANC”, “Transparency” and “Off”. The volume can be increased or decreased by swiping up and down. The controls on both earphones are identical ex works.
Nothing ear (1)
Operation hardly customizable
It can only be adjusted to a limited extent via the ear (1) app. Triple tapping can also be assigned to jumping to the previous track or no function. With the sound modes, you can only deactivate the function, but not select any other. In practice, it makes sense to assign the triple tap on one of the earphones with jumping back in order to assign another function to the earphones. The voice assistant cannot be called up via the earphones, just as it is possible to adapt the double tap or, if desired, to assign a single tap.
Fast auto-play, slow auto-pause
In addition, sensors ensure that playback pauses when the earphones are removed (auto-pause) and continues when they are inserted (auto-play). In practice, this detection does not always work immediately, but sometimes only reacts with a delay, namely when the removed earphone is no longer moved. On the other hand, playback resumes very quickly. If desired, this function can be completely deactivated in the app.
Very good single use
The ear (1) allow problem-free single use, which enables uninterrupted switching between mono and stereo. If the automatic pause is activated, the playback is consequently paused when switching from stereo to mono. However, there are no annoying announcements or sounds that affect the music. The change has no effect on the selected mode – “ANC”, “Transparency” or “Off”.
App for Android and iOS
In addition to the above-mentioned equalizer with only four profiles and the limited adjustment of the control, the ANC modes and the intensity of the ANC can be set and firmware updates can be carried out via the app. In addition, it is possible to search for the earbuds via the app by playing a beep on them if they are still within Bluetooth range.
-
ear- (1) -App from Nothing
Image 1 of 23
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing < figure>
ear- (1) -App from Nothing
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing < figure> 
ear- (1) -App from Nothing
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) -App from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing < figure>
ear- (1) -App by Nothing
 app from Nothing </figure>
<figure> <img src = )
ear- (1) app from Nothing < figure> 
ear- (1) -App from Nothing
ear- (1) -App from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing 
ear- (1) app from Nothing < figure> 
ear- (1) -App from Nothing
ear- (1) -App from Nothing The app does not offer a fit test that helps the user to choose the correct size of the silicone attachments, or a hearing test. Its range of functions is therefore small, but the most important functions are represented.
Comfortable fit with good sealing
The Nothing Ears (1) sit very comfortably with little pressure in the ear, as they are not pressed deep into the ear canal, but rather seal it off with the silicone tips, which could also come from the AirPods Pro. The tester's earphones seal as well as the AirPods Pro, but they feel a little looser in the ear. The ear (1) with the integrated air channels counteract the so-called “suction bell effect” when activating ANC, but it is not completely eliminated. The AirPods Pro are still in the lead here.
Nothing ear ( 1) In the test, the ear (1) sit so tight that they do not fall out of the ear in everyday life and during light sporting activities. However, this is very much dependent on the individual fit of the earphones – especially if you do not rely on ear wings or a deep seat in the ear canal.
On the next page: Sound , ANC, Telephony, Latency and Conclusion