Video Data sheet Design Use and application Noise reduction Audio Microphone Autonomy Price and release date ConclusionCommentsSee the product sheetAvailable at €99
For its very first product, Nothing has entered the ultra-competitive market of noise-canceling wireless headphones with its Nothing ear (1). But what are these headphones worth? This is what we will see in this complete test.
If the Nothing brand means nothing to you, it's probably because it's still only a start-up and the ears (1) are its very first marketed product. However, this is quite simply the new adventure of Carl Pei, one of the two co-founders of OnePlus in 2013. After leaving the Chinese smartphone manufacturer, the Sino-Swedish entrepreneur launched, at the end of 2020, a new business. The Nothing ear headphones (1) are the first born of this new adventure, but the firm does not intend to stop at audio products alone.
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| Model | Nothing Ear 1 |
|---|
< tr>Format | in-ear headphones | | Removable battery | No |
< tr>Microphone | Yes | | OS compatibility | Android,iOS |
| Active noise reduction | Yes |
| Reported battery life | 34 hours |
< tr>Bluetooth Version | 5.2 | | Weight | 9.4 grams |
| Price | €99 |
| Product Sheet |
< /table>This test was performed with listeners provided to us by Nothing.
Nothing Ear 1Design
For its ear headphones (1), Nothing put the emphasis on design. It must be said that in a market as saturated as that of wireless headphones, it is not easy for the different models to distinguish themselves from each other. Certainly, we will find in-ear or other open models, headphones with or without stem, but the inspiration often stops there.
The Nothing ears (1) play the card of transparency… literally. The manufacturer has indeed decided to use a transparent plastic on both its headphones and its charging box. A choice that has the merit of being original in a market where most manufacturers offer white, black or shiny headphones for the most radical. Please note that the entire surface of the headphones – or the case – is not transparent. On the headphones themselves, this is only the case with the stem. On the case, if the cover is completely transparent, the battery is hidden by a white block.
Nothing ear headphones (1) are partially transparent // Source: Frandroid
Still, the transparency effect is successful, especially with the risk of making the headphones ugly by making visible elements often placed with forceps with glue or stickers in the headphones. Nothing has taken care of things, without integrating false elements as was the case with Xiaomi on its Mi 8 Explorer in 2018.
Concerning the earphones themselves, we are entitled here to ears (1) with an in-ear format and a rather short stem, like the AirPods Pro. Despite the almost rectangular shape of the rods, the headphones are quite pleasant to wear on a daily basis and you can use them for 3 to 4 consecutive hours without feeling embarrassed. Still, the in-ear format necessarily inserts silicone tips into the ear canal. This is useful for passive isolation and sound quality, but it may bother some people. Three pairs of tips (S, L and M) are also offered with the headphones.
Nothing ear headphones (1) are in-ear headphones // Source: Frandroid
The headphones do not have touch buttons, but the stems will act as touch sensors for touch controls as we will see later.
A final point about the earpieces themselves concerns their identification. To distinguish the left earphone from the right earphone, Nothing refused to place the usual letters L (left) and R (right), preferring a red color code for the right and white for the left.
While this color code may appeal to hi-fi enthusiasts, it is however less intuitive for the general public and it is easy to get lost in the first days of use to know which earphone corresponds to which ear. Fortunately, the case uses the same color codes to easily store the earphone in its dedicated slot.
Waterproofing and sports use
The Nothing ears (1) are also IPX4 certified. Rain and sweat resistant, so they can be used during sports sessions. Especially since, thanks to the rods, the headphones are well maintained in the ears and remain fixed with each stride. Even chewing - a difficult exercise for many headphones - the ear (1) stay in place.
The case of the Nothing ear (1)
Concerning the charging case, the ears (1) are supplied with a square case measuring 58.6 x 58.6 x 23.7 mm. If it is a little too large for slim jeans, it can however easily fit in a handbag or in the front pocket of classic pants. As we have said, transparency is a must on the Nothing ear (1), including on the charging case which reveals not only the magnet to keep the lid closed, but also the hinge.
The Nothing ear case (1) // Source: Frandroid
To open the case, on the other hand, it is better to use both hands because of the absence of a notch and the strength of the magnet. On the other hand, as if to compensate, Nothing added a small hollow on the lid. This is a place to not only hold the headphones in place, but also to make the case playful and use it as a hand spinner.
Nothing ear headphones (1) in their case // Source: Frandroid
On the outside of the case, we will find a USB-C socket, on the right side, backed by the pairing button. It is inside – an interior that can be seen from the outside, transparency requires – that Nothing has integrated a status LED. This will light up in different colors depending on the state of charge, recharging or pairing.
Nothing Ear 1Use and application
For Bluetooth pairing with an Android smartphone, nothing could be simpler. The ear (1) of Nothing are indeed compatible with the Google Fast Pair protocol. Therefore, the first time you open the case near an Android phone, a message will appear on the screen asking you if you want to connect the earphones to your smartphone.
The Nothing ear pairing button (1) // Source: Frandroid
Afterwards, if the message does not appear, you connect them to another phone or you want to use them with a laptop or an iPhone, you can also press the pairing button for a few seconds present on the right edge of the case. The LED will then flash white to indicate that the ears (1) are now identifiable by the Bluetooth menu of your devices.
Touch controls
Once the Nothing ears (1) are connected to a smartphone, computer, tablet or any other Bluetooth source, all you have to do is put them on your ears to control them. As we saw earlier, Nothing has integrated touch surfaces on each of the headphones in order to manage playback.
Nothing ear headphones (1) are controlled using touch surfaces // Source: Frandroid
By default, three gestures are supported. The double press, on the left as on the right, will allow you to pause the music. The triple support on both sides will allow him to move on to the next song. Finally, pressing and holding the right or left earpiece will allow you to switch between the different noise reduction modes. Finally, sliding the finger along the rod will allow you to modify the sound volume.
Be careful though, it is not the volume of the source device — for example your Android smartphone — that will increase or decrease, but that of the headphones. So this is a separate volume from your phone and you will not see this volume change visually on your phone screen. In addition, the headphones do not indicate, with an audible signal, when you reach the minimum or maximum volume. Damage.
These touch controls can, however, be partially customized within Nothing's "ear (1)" application, which we will come back to a little later. The Touch menu will thus make it possible to modify the controls by ear, on the left or on the right. Nevertheless, we would have liked the proposed interactions to be more numerous.
Here, you can only modify the triple tap – left or right – so that it allows you to go to the next title or go back, as well as the maintained tap. However, for the long press, you only have the choice between the noise reduction toggle and… nothing at all.
In short, we have seen applications allowing much more control over single, double, triple or long presses. Nevertheless, we appreciate the very comprehensive controls that the Nothing listeners already offer by default. After a quick manipulation, you can easily configure the ears (1) so that they manage both playback (double tap), the next track (triple tap on the right), rewind (triple tap on the left), management of noise reduction (long press) and sound volume (finger slide). Only the voice assistant is missing, but it's much more – and much more useful – than many competing wireless headphones.
The ear application (1)
As we have seen, Nothing's earphones can be controlled more precisely using the dedicated application developed by the manufacturer: ear (1) .
This application will allow you to further personalize the experience of your headphones. As we have already indicated just above, this is where you can adjust the touch controls of the ears (1), thanks to the " Touch " menu. A "Hear" menu will allow you to manage the sound, whether it's noise reduction or the equalizer.
In the application settings, you can also manage the detection of headphones in the ear, so that they pause automatically when you remove them for example. This is also where you can activate the "find my earbuds" option which will ring the headphones so that you can find them easily if one of them has slipped into a sofa cushion for example. In short, we essentially have classic options here for wireless headphones.
Nevertheless, Nothing takes customization one step further by allowing users to change the colors of the case's LED. So if you want to turn the light on red when the case or earbuds are fully charged – rather than green – that's up to you. It doesn't change anything, but it doesn't cost anything either and it's an option that may be useful for some people.
Finally, if there is a criticism to be made of the Nothing ear (1) application, it is that it is only offered, at the time of this test, in English. Admittedly, the headphones are not yet available to the general public, but we would have liked to make sure that a French version of the application was already ready. Instead, we can only hope that a French update will arrive soon, without certainty.
The Bluetooth connection
To connect the wireless headphones to a smartphone, computer or tablet, Nothing uses Bluetooth 5.2 here. During my test, I did not experience any major connection problems. Whether with the smartphone strapped to my arm in an armband while running or stowed in my front trouser pocket, with my hand over it, while walking, the earphones did not experience a loss of connection.
We can however regret that the Nothing ear (1) are not compatible with multipoint Bluetooth. It is therefore impossible to connect them to two devices at the same time, for example to take a call on your phone when listening to music on your PC. You will necessarily need to disconnect from the first device in order to connect to the second.
Nothing ear headphones (1) offer good Bluetooth connection stability // Source: Frandroid
Concerning Bluetooth management, the ears (1) can be used independently of each other. For example, if you store the right earphone in its case while listening to music on the left earphone, it will continue to work, and vice versa. Even better, the earphone remaining in your ear will then recover both sound channels, transforming the stereo signal into a mono signal to take full advantage of the entire musical track.
On the other hand, we can deplore a latency to say the least. It takes between 0.5 and 1 second for the audio transmission to take place from an Android smartphone to Nothing's headphones. A particularly large time frame, especially for mobile games. Video applications like Netlfix or YouTube cache the video to match the audio delay. Unfortunately, that's impossible for games, and you'll often feel like an enemy is approaching in a shooter while the footsteps you hear are your own.
Nothing Ear 1Noise reduction
The Nothing ear (1) are wireless headphones, yes, with an in-ear format, okay, but also equipped with a noise reduction function active noise. Here, it is a hybrid noise reduction system that the manufacturer has integrated. Thanks to three microphones per earpiece, including one positioned on the side of the loudspeaker to correct the audio processing on the fly, the ears (1) are capable, according to Nothing, of reducing external noise by up to 40 dB.
As we have seen, the ear application (1) allows you to manage the noise reduction, but it is also possible to switch from one mode to another simply with a long press on the left or on the right . Only, the application will make it possible to manage this function a little more finely, since it gives the choice between two levels of noise reduction: light or maximum. The other two modes offered are more classic, since they are the passive mode, " off", and the ambient mode, " transparency".
Nothing ear headphones (1) are equipped with active noise reduction // Source: Frandroid
Activated to its maximum, the noise reduction of the Nothing ears (1) does a very good job of attenuating ambient noise. Even without music, the voices around you – yet particularly difficult to filter – are muffled and you will have to concentrate to understand what your interlocutors may be saying. More constant sounds such as the noise of a fan, a water tap or traffic are also well reduced.
Nevertheless, we could have expected an even more pronounced reduction in these elements given the noise reduction of the voices. We are not at the level of benchmark headphones in this area, such as Sony's WF-1000XM4 or Bose's QuietComfort Earbuds, but Nothing's headphones still manage to surpass certain benchmarks in this price segment such as Huawei FreeBuds 4i or the Beats Studio Buds.
The "light" mode slightly reduces the noise reduction, especially in the midrange. Handy if you want to keep hearing what your colleagues can tell you if you work in open space.
Transparency mode
As with most headphones with an active noise reduction function, the microphones can also be used to pick up the sounds around you and reproduce them thanks to the seamless mode. In theory, this mode will reduce the passive isolation due to the silicone tips of the headphones.
In practice, on the ears (1), the transparent mode allows you to hear even more of the noises around you. The processing is neat, but it can hardly be described as natural as it tends to accentuate certain sounds such as friction. It's a bit like your hearing has been increased tenfold.
Nothing Ear 1Audio
The audio reproduction of the Nothing ear (1) is ensured by dynamic transducers 11.6 mm in diameter. In addition, the manufacturer has taken on the expertise of the Swedish studio Teenage Engineering, which specializes in electronic audio products.
When it comes to Bluetooth audio codecs, Nothing stuck to the bare minimum. No compatibility with aptX, aptX HD or LDAC, the ears (1) only work with the two most basic codecs on the market, AAC and SBC.
Nothing ear loudspeaker grilles (1) // Source: Frandroid
To test the headphones, I connected them to an Oppo Find X2 Pro with the AAC codec. I listened to several titles hosted on Spotify in "very high" quality, that is to say in ogg vorbis at 320 kbps.
For a first audio product, it's hard to know what to expect from Nothing. It must be said that its founder, Carl Pei, is an audio enthusiast, but that the brand has so far no liabilities. This is all the more surprising since the sound signature of the ears (1) is rather amazing.
While many manufacturers want above all to impress with headphones that rely heavily on bass and low mids, Nothing takes a more conservative approach here. The ears (1) are indeed not flashy earphones and in fact offer a rather subtle and well-balanced experience.
The bass, midrange and treble are reproduced at the same sound level, without one frequency range taking over the other. We are not dealing here with bassy or tiring headphones with excessively high treble. The sound of the ear (1) is ultimately very balanced.
This does not mean that the sound produced is average, far from it. Even if Nothing did not wish to emphasize this or that sound range, we are dealing here with well-rounded, dynamic bass that does not bleed. The mids are very neat, especially on the high mids and the low mids are not forgotten with good voice reproduction.
The main difficulty with headphones actually lies on tracks that are particularly rich in instruments. The Nothing ears (1) will then have more difficulty distinguishing between the different voices and produce a slightly messier sound. On the treble, we may also regret a slight sibilance, that is to say an extension of the sounds in "s" more than reason, as well as a slight tendency to saturation at high volume.
Nothing ear headphones (1) offer very balanced sound // Source: Frandroid
The stereo spatialization of the headphones is also exemplary. They manage to process both channels extremely well in order to produce a feeling of being in the middle of the recording studio. An impression necessarily reinforced when listening to titles encoded in spatial audio.
The dynamics of the headphones are also effective. Without being excellent, it still makes it possible to make the difference between sounds played at low and high volume. We are not at the level of what Samsung can offer on its Galaxy Buds Pro, but given the price of the ears (1), it is difficult to blame them.
Overall, for a first try, it's still a success for Nothing. The audio quality of its ear(1) headphones is up to par, especially considering their price segment. We have headphones with a very balanced signature that takes care of the bass and midrange and offers a very convincing spatialization. Only the treble and the dynamics would benefit from being improved for the next models.
Note also that the ear (1) application allows you to modify the signature of the headphones if you wish. An "equalizer" allows you to choose between balanced mode (balanced), more treble (more treble), more bass (more bass) or voice (voice). Unfortunately, these are the only settings offered, Nothing does not offer a true band EQ. We will therefore simply increase the treble, bass or voice depending on the title listened to.
Nothing Ear 1Micro
For voice calls, Nothing's ear (1) offers environmental noise reduction. Concretely, the person at the end of the film will also benefit, at least in theory, from a reduction in ambient noise thanks to the various microphones. In fact, if this noise reduction works well indoors for constant noises - like a running water tap for example - with a little adaptation time, it is much less the case outdoors where the variety of noise and wind nuisances affect voice pick-up.
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Even in quiet, the headphones tend to pick up a muffled voice with a tendency to overinterpret the treble. But outside or with noise, the audio processing becomes such that your interlocutor may have difficulty understanding what you can say because of the digital processing that occurs at the same time.
Nothing Ear 1Autonomy
The ear headphones (1) each have a 31 mAh battery. The case benefits from a 570 mAh battery.
According to Nothing, this would allow the headphones to enjoy a battery life of 4 hours with active noise reduction and 5.7 hours in passive mode. Autonomy that can be extended to 24 or 34 hours depending on the mode using the charging case.
Nothing ear headphones (1) recharge in their case // Source: Frandroid
For my part, however, I was able to measure a much greater autonomy. By activating the noise reduction with the maximum level and with a volume at 90%, I was indeed able to use the Nothing ears (1) for 5 hours and 5 minutes before the two headphones ran out of battery. On paper, this is much better than Nothing's guidance. In fact, however, many competing headphones now offer even better battery life, with some models reaching 6 to 8 hours of battery life with active noise reduction.
For charging the headphones in the case, Nothing indicates that 10 minutes recovers 1.2 hours of listening without active noise reduction and 50 minutes with it. For my part, I placed the earphones completely drained of their battery in the case. After 30 minutes, they had recovered 80% of their battery. Nevertheless, it will take a total of 1h25 for both headphones to be fully charged. A rather long time given the competition. The Beats Studio Buds, for example, are recharged after 42 minutes in their case.
Nothing ear headphones (1) are compatible with wireless charging // Source: Frandroid
For charging, Nothing provides a USB-A to USB-C cable. Rather short (33 cm), it is also not supplied with a mains unit. You will therefore need to use that of your smartphone or a free USB-A port on your PC to recharge the Nothing ear (1). A good point should be emphasized, however, especially in this price segment. Nothing's headphones are indeed compatible with Qi wireless charging. You can therefore place the case on an induction charging base to recharge your battery, a function that is still rare for headphones under 100 euros.
Nothing Ear 1Price and release date
Nothing ear (1) headphones will be available from July 31st. Offered only in white – and transparent – they will be on sale at a price of 99 euros.
Where to buy the Nothing Ear 1 at the best price?
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