After launching its first smartphone in July, Nothing is gearing up to launch another pair of wireless earbuds this month. The company has shared various teasers of the earbuds over the last few weeks, and it has confirmed that it will officially unveil the new Nothing Ear (stick) on October 26. While we're waiting to get our hands on the upcoming TWS earbuds, Nothing has announced a significant price hike for the company's original earbuds -- the Nothing Ear 1.

Nothing's CEO Carl Pei announced the updated price in a recent tweet, revealing that the Ear 1 will be bumped up to $149 starting October 26 due to increased costs. Pei justified the price hike in a follow-up tweet, stating, "When we started developing it, we only had 3 engineers. A year later, we have 185. During this time, the Ear (1) has received 15 firmware and tuning updates, and is a completely different product to when we launched it."

The price hike will likely turn away buyers to other options, like the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 or Pixel Buds A-series, in the sub-$100 price range. These options are arguably better than the Nothing Ear 1, both in terms of audio quality and (now) price. The upcoming Ear (stick) will likely be more affordable than the Ear 1, as it might not offer ANC support, so buyers who want earbuds with Nothing's iconic transparent design might get another option in this price bracket later this month.

Note that the price hike does not affect Nothing's first smartphone -- the Nothing Phone 1. The device is still available at a starting price of £399 in various markets.

Are you in the market for a new pair of TWS earbuds? Will you pick the Nothing Ear 1 at its updated price? Let us know in the comments section below.