Nothing Ear (1) TWS Earbuds Review

It’s hard to stand out in a market that’s just full of options. The TWS earbud market is full of different brands having different looks, designs, and gimmicks for their products across the board, from the cheapest earbuds to the most expensive ones, it’s really hard to stand out. Here comes Carl Pei, formerly of OnePlus fame, with his new Nothing brand. Here he tries to wow us with his first attempt at earbuds, the Nothing Ear (1).

The Nothing Ear (1) heading into its launch had a lot of hype, maybe too much hype. Whether that is good or bad is very subjective and is up to you, but for us, we take a look at the bottom line, does it deliver on the hype? Is it a good product overall? Let’s find out.

Table of Contents

Design

The design of the Nothing Ear (1) is probably the one thing you’ll say that makes it stand out from the crowd. Let’s start with the case. The beautiful transparent design of the case really makes it look premium and modern. The square design of the case allows you to slip it into your pocket easily or lay it down flat on a surface. In my use of the device, I easily was able to fit it into different pockets and bags easily.

The one con I could say about a transparent plastic case like this would be that it’s going to be a scratch magnet for sure. In my time with the device, I’ve been so careful to use it because the plastic definitely is not something that gives me confidence as scratches can be easily seen on it.

Checking out the earbuds themselves, the Nothing Ear (1) looks pretty. The transparent design of the stem makes it look like something from the future. It is shaped similarly to the Apple Airpods Pro, which isn’t a bad thing. It basically looks like a futuristic version of it. I prefer the matte black colorway I tried out as I’ve learned that white products tend to turn yellow over time. You also get the usual 3 sets of silicone ear tips, this is sufficient enough for any type of ear out there. The earbuds are light, weighing in at only 4.7g each and I sometimes even forget that I am wearing a pair of earbuds at all.

Sound

The Nothing Ear (1) doesn’t revolutionize the TWS earbuds segment like what all the pre-launch hype would have you believe but it does get the sound right at least. The earbuds sound great for the price you are paying for, it doesn’t punch above nor does it disappoint, it’s just solid.

Playing different genres of music on the earbuds, what stood out to me is that vocals and guitar riffs came out clear on this device. Playing Movie by Tom Misch emphasizes the intro guitar riff and the vocals are also very balanced on the earbuds. When the bass kicks in it’s neither too strong or lacking, which I personally like. These earbuds aren’t for bass-heads so if that’s what you’re looking for then try something else.

The earbuds definitely emphasize vocal clarity and songs like Easy On Me by Adele pop out, though not enough to drown out everything else which I appreciate. Overall the sound quality of music on this device is solid in all aspects but nothing outstanding. Volume levels are also controlled, it can get too loud, but isn’t the loudest device I’ve tried.

If you want to manipulate how the earbuds sound, you can change the settings in the app. You can add more bass, treble, or voice, it’s a very basic app honestly. If you’re looking for all-out customization then this isn’t for you, but for everyday use, it is again, solid.

Speaking of sound, the microphone quality of the Nothing Ear (1) is good. The stem design allows the company to put the three microphones on the bottom of the stem, so it sits closer to your mouth. Voice clarity is good on the device, but beware, when there’s a lot of noise in the background, people talking to you may also hear the background noise.

Noise Cancellation

The ANC on the Nothing Ear (1) should be good enough for the daily average user. I’m a guy who’s tested a lot of earbuds out there and different levels of ANC, the one you get on the Nothing Ear (1) should suffice for daily use but it is nowhere near the best. Though you’d also need to spend an arm and a leg to buy the best devices that have ANC, around three times the price in my estimate.

Blocking out a noisy aircon, or a busy cafe will be satisfactory, you’d really have no problem using it. If you’re in a flight I’d say it’d block most of the sound of airplane engines but not completely. Make sure to also have a good fit and pick your ear tips well as the fit can also give you passive noise cancellation that adds to the overall effectiveness of the product.

Battery Life

The company claims that on a single charge, the device can last up to 4:30 to 5 hours with ANC turned on, and 6 hours with it off. In my testing, the device lasted around that area, 4 hours and 22 minutes with ANC turned on and high volume settings.

You get up to more than 30 hours with the charging case and it also features fast charging. A 10-minute charge gives you an hour of music playback, perfect for emergency situations. It also features wireless charging so that’s something useful as well. Again, good battery life, but not the best, and definitely not a standout against the competition.

Conclusion

The Nothing Ear (1) is, for lack of a better term, solid. It does all the things you would want from a TWS earbud at this price point but doesn’t give you anything more. It sounds good, but not the best, the design is unique but nothing really groundbreaking, the noise cancellation is there but it could be better, and the battery life is average at best.

So does it live up to the hype? I guess? You do get a lot of features for PHP 5,990USD 102INR 8,653EUR 97CNY 743 but it doesn’t stand out in any of those features as well. So if you guys are looking for earbuds that do a lot and mostly get it right as far as having them, then go for it. It is another solid, not great, option at this price point that the one feature that makes it unique is its design. The Nothing Ear (1) is a good start for Carl Pei and his company but hopefully next time the product would exceed all the hype.