It’s been four years since Nothing launched its Ear (1) and the London-based brand is now an established player in the TWS market. Enter the Nothing Ear (3) – its latest flagship wireless earbuds with the now recognizable transparent look and some key improvements.
While Nothing’s naming scheme hasn’t always been the most consistent, its earbuds have offered impressive hardware paired with a polished software experience. Ear (3) comes in with a more premium build, a dedicated microphone in the case and claims of improved sound output and superior noise cancellation.
Did Nothing deliver a winner with the Ear (3), or is this just a generational update? The short answer is yes, these are arguably the best earbuds from the brand to date, but we’d also take some of the maker’s claims with caution. Read on for our full breakdown.
Table of Contents:
Design
The design of Nothing products is pretty much its key selling point. The Ear (1) were unlike any other pair of TWS buds back in 2021 and the Ear (3) aren’t going for a major redesign but rather a different choice of materials.
That’s mostly visible in the case, which now incorporates a recycled aluminum base layer, which is cool to the touch and adds a more premium feeling than the all-plastic cases of the past.
That premium feel comes at the expense of some heft as the Ear (3) case and buds now weigh 71 grams – 10 more than their predecessor. The top and bottom portions of the case and the buds are still made from plastic with the same see-through look as on previous Nothing Ear models.
In terms of fit, the Ear (3) is identical to previous entries from the brand. Provided that you go for the correct silicone tip size for your ears, the buds will stay snug and we had no irritations even after multiple hours of continuous use.
The other noticeable design change on the Ear (3)’s case is the addition of a Talk button, which, combined with the dual microphones and speaker, brings Nothing’s Super Mic feature.
Nothing Ear (3) Talk button and microphone
The idea is that you can use the case a portable microphone for calls, voice recordings or talk to your voice assistant.
As for the retail package, Nothing is offering its usual box which houses the buds and case, three sets of replacement silicone ear-tips and a short USB-C cable for charging. The buds and their case are IP54-rated for dust and water resistance.
Features
Nothing’s flagship earbuds offer a healthy dose of features that are expected in the premium TWS market. These include 12 mm dynamic drivers with a 20 Hz – 40 kHz frequency response range and adaptive noise cancellation up to 45dB, just like their predecessor. The new bit with the ANC system is that it now adjusts according to your surroundings at a 600 ms pace.
Ear (3) pair over Bluetooth 5.4 with multi-point pairing and support for Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. These also come with spatial audio, though it does not support head tracking. You get support for the AAC, SBC, and LDAC codecs, as well as in-ear detection for automatic play and pause, and a low-latency mode for gaming and video.
Nothing came with its signature pinch controls on the earbuds’ stems. You get single, double and triple pinch gestures as well as single and double pinch and hold, which are programmable. Nothing also added 3x directional MEMS microphones in each earbud, alongside a bone-conduction voice pickup unit (VPU) per side.
Nothing Phone users running Nothing OS 3.5 or later have voice recordings automatically uploaded to the Essential Space app. Those recordings are also auto-transcribed, which is neat if you plan to use the buds and their case as a voice recorder.
Nothing Ear (3) are managed via the Nothing X app, which is arguably the best and most feature-rich companion app on the market. It works equally well on Android and iOS and offers a great selection of controls and toggles to help you personalize the earbuds to your liking.
Super Mic
And then we get to the key new addition – Nothing’s Super Mic system, which integrates two microphones on the case in the area next to the USB-C charging port. The feature only works if one of the earbuds is inserted in your ear and lets you use the new microphone setup once you press the Talk button located on the corner.
Nothing claims that the dual microphones on its case are powerful enough to isolate and pick up your voice in the noisiest of environments at up to 95dB. The premise is that you can use the case for calls in noisier venues, opt to capture voice notes or talk to your phone’s virtual assistant. Sadly, the Super Mic system is limited to phone calls, your native voice assistant and native voice recording app.
In our experience, Super Mic delivered noticeably better voice pickup than the microphones on the earbuds. Positioning the microphone close to your mouth works wonders for call quality.
While testing the Ear (3)’s Super Mic feature during calls, I routinely had people on the other end reporting that my voice sounds just as good as when talking via my phone’s built-in microphone. So, if your current earbuds are always letting you down during calls, then the Ear (3)’s case proves to be a powerful way to stay on top of your calls as long as you don’t mind taking it out of your pocket.
Sound quality and ANC
Nothing has a long-standing history with over-pronounced bass in its earbuds and the Ear (3) are no expectation. Bass is definitely overpowering, but in a fun and enjoyable way. There’s an instant oomph when you play music, especially noticeable in rap or EDM tracks.
The updated 12mm drivers come with a redesigned diaphragm, which it claims translates to better bass and treble reproduction compared to last year’s model. They also feature a 20% larger radiating area, which further exaggerates the strong bass feeling.
Overall, the Ear (3) delivers a wider sound stage than its predecessor, and there’s less noticeable distortion going on. The new model feels livelier and more energetic than last year’s Nothing Ear while also offering enhanced clarity in the mids and highs. Instrument separation is also improved.
Nothing’s signature Advanced Equalizer tuning is present inside the Nothing X app with a fully customizable 8-band EQ. Ear (3) also gets some additional tweaks with the ability to select specific frequency values for each band and a Q factor, which offers controls for the shape of the equalizer curve and the bandwidth for more granular adjustments.
You can save your custom profile and share it with others, or import ones from the Nothing community, which has plenty of options for different tastes. With the right EQ, the Ear (3) can deliver a more balanced sound stage, though that does take some tweaking, and we’d appreciate it if Nothing is able to deliver that experience directly out of the box.
ANC
The adaptive noise cancellation on the Ear (3) is quite good, provided you have the right set of ear tips, though it’s not as potent as something like the Sony WF-1000XM5, for example. In my testing, the Ear (3) held their own in the office, drowning out the AC, the water cooler, and keyboard clicks. With music playing in the background and ANC set to high, the Ear (3) helps drown out unwanted noises and makes for a great companion to your daily commute.
Battery life
Nothing claims up to 5.5 hours from the buds themselves with ANC on and an additional 22 hours from the charging case. These numbers extend to 10 hours and 38 hours, respectively, with ANC off. There’s a 500 mAh battery inside the case, just like on last year’s Nothing Ear, and 55 mAh in each earbud, which is a small upgrade.
In our real-world usage, we got 6.5 hours out of the buds with ANC on and audio playback primarily via the AAC codec. While not class-leading, this endurance is respectable. Listening to audio via the LDAC codec limits playback to 3.5 hours with ANC on and 5.5 hours with ANC off.
The case and buds take about 70 minutes to charge from 0 to 100% and you can also take the wireless route (at 2.5W speeds), though that will take even longer at 120 minutes.
Verdict
Nothing didn’t re-invent the wheel with its Ear (3) but it did bring a better sounding pair of buds with improved build quality and a rich feature set befitting a premium product. The seemingly gimmicky Super Mic feature actually led to noticeably better-sounding calls, even if positioning the case near your mouth is not the best solution out there.
If we have to categorize audio coming from the Nothing Ear (3) it’s punchy and loud, which will likely appeal to the general audience. If you’re not a fan of the default V-shaped tuning, Nothing is offering granular adjustments with its Advanced Equalizer inside the Nothing X companion app.
While ANC is decent, competitors like Sony and Apple give you better sound isolation. Battery life is just okay but you can get more if you look elsewhere. At their core, Ear (3) are a great pair of earbuds, and Nothing’s flashy looks and software polish are proving to be a differentiating factor in the crowded TWS market.
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