This is how the Nothing Ear (1) want to beat the AirPods Pro
If you want in-ear earplugs with noise reduction, then you will quickly look at the (rather pricey) AirPods Pro from Apple with an iPhone. The new company Nothing now comes up with an alternative: the Nothing Ear (1).
Read on after the ad.
Nothing Ear (1) with retro design and noise reduction
The Nothing Ear (1) are a lot cheaper than the AirPods, offer similar specs and there are a number of fun features. This is how these Nothing earbuds want to beat the AirPods.
In terms of shape, the Nothing Ear (1) is very reminiscent of Apple’s AirPods Pro, but the design is nevertheless very unique and retro. The semi-transparent design with a pixelated font makes us feel like we are back in the eighties. Not very surprising, because the Ear (1) are designed by the Swedish Teenage Engineering. That company is known for its retro synthesizers.
For the sound, Nothing emphasizes the 11.6 mm drivers that provide good bass. That is slightly larger than the drivers of the AirPods Pro, so we are curious about the sound quality.
Of course, the Nothing Ear (1) also have active noise cancellation. There are two settings for this: a ‘Light Mode’ and a ‘Maximum Mode’. That setting determines how strong the noise reduction should be. In addition, there is a ‘Transparency Mode’, with which you can hear your surroundings well despite the in-ear headphones. We also know this from the AirPods Pro.
Longer battery life than AirPods Pro
Where you can listen to a maximum of 5 hours straight with the AirPods Pro, the Ear (1) offers a battery life of 6 hours. In combination with the charging case, you can listen to music for a total of 34 hours – 10 hours more than with the AirPods Pro. In addition, the charging case can charge quickly: 10 minutes on the power and you have another 8 hours of listening pleasure.
Finally, the Nothing Ear (1) offers gesture control, a built-in equalizer and an option to locate the earbuds if you lose them. Connect the earphones via bluetooth 5.2. However, you should not expect the same ease of connection as with the AirPods. That has to be done manually with every device you want to connect to.
Nothing Ear (1) available in August
The Nothing Ear (1) will be available from August 17, but you can already order them at various Dutch webshops. We looked up at the price for a while, because despite the equivalent specifications with the AirPods Pro, the Ear (1) only costs 99 euros. A test will show whether the Nothing Ear (1) is indeed as good as the specifications suggest.
Incidentally, the release of the AirPods 3 also seems to be near. Mass production has reportedly already started. Knowing more? Watch our video on all the expectations of the AirPods 3.
