After weeks of hype, Carl Pei's Nothing finally unveiled its first product -- the Nothing Ear 1 -- today. As seen in previous teasers, the TWS earphones feature a transparent design, and they offer premium features like Active Noise Cancellation. Read on to learn more about the brand new TWS earbuds.
The Nothing Ear 1 features a unique design that is unlike any other TWS earphones available in the market today. It comes in a transparent square carrying case that has a golf ball-like dimpled finish on the inside. The earbuds themselves look a little like the Apple AirPods Pro, but the flat stem and dual-tone color scheme help set them apart.
Nothing claims that each element of the Ear 1's design is purpose-driven, right from the red and white dots on the earbuds (which indicate right and left) to the fisheye dip in the case that keeps the buds secure. Each earbud weighs 4.7 grams and comes with three customizable liquid silicon tips to ensure an ergonomic fit and comfortable listening experience. The stem design is also quite functional, giving users a flat surface for touch controls.
The Nothing Ear 1 packs an 11.6mm driver in each earbud, coupled with three high-definition mics for Active Noise Cancellation and noise suppression during calls. Nothing has partnered with the folks over at Teenage Engineering to tune the audio and provides four preset options in the companion app (available on iOS and Android) to help you customize the sound to your preference. The Active Noise Cancellation feature on the earbuds features three modes -- On, Off, and transparency. Furthermore, the companion app includes additional options to change the ANC level.
As mentioned earlier, the Nothing Ear 1 features touch controls. You can double-tap on the flat stem to play/pause, triple-tap to switch tracks, tap-and-hold to switch between ANC modes, and swipe up/down to control volume. You also get the option to customize the triple-tap and tap-and-hold gestures using the companion app.
As far as the battery life is concerned, Nothing claims that the Ear 1 can last up to 4 hours on a single charge with ANC turned on and up to 6 hours without ANC. The case provides an additional 24 hours of battery life (34 hours without ANC). The case also features wireless charging and fast charging support, providing 8 hours of playback with a 10-minute charge. Nothing also claims that you can wirelessly charge the 570mAh battery in the case in 2.5 hours, while wired charging takes just 52 minutes.
Additional features include an IPX4 rating for sweat and splash resistance, Google Fast Pair support, in-ear detection, and a Find My Earbuds feature in the companion app. Sadly, the Nothing Ear 1 doesn't offer multi-point connection support or voice assistant integration. The earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.2 for connectivity and support AAC and SBC codecs.
Pricing & Availability
The Nothing Ear 1 is priced at $99, €99, and £99 in the US, Europe and the UK, respectively. It will initially be available for purchase through a limited drop on July 31st at 14:00 BST on Nothing's website. The open sale will begin on August 17th, and the earbuds will be available for purchase in 45 countries via Nothing's website and select retailers. In India, the earbuds will be available for ₹5,999 on Flipkart starting August 17th.