What matters is what you don’t see
With the Nothing Ear (2), the tech startup Nothing from London is bringing its first second-generation headphones to the German market. We took a closer look at the in-ears and tested them extensively.
Contents
Nothing Ear (2): The scope of delivery
The Nothing Ear (2) come in a smaller box than their predecessors. In addition to a short USB-A to USB-C cable for charging the charging cradle, there are also smaller and larger eartips. For the RRP I have already seen a more extensive scope of delivery from other manufacturers such as the Soundcore from Anker.
design and processing
The Nothing Ear (2) differ only slightly from the Nothing Ear (1). Typical for Nothing, the manufacturer relies on a robot-like black/white design with transparent elements.
However, the case and the headphones have become lighter. This also ensures better wearing comfort. In addition, the case is now much more robust. However, scratches are still very clearly visible.
The Nothing Ear (2) come in the usual transparent design (Image: BASIC thinking)
There is a small hollow in the case, through which the headphones are easy to reach in the trouser pocket. The headphones themselves appear well made. The silver strip for music control is easy to press.
wearing comfort
The Nothing Ear (2) fit very well compared to the Ear (Stick), at least for me. The headphones are pushed into the ears, which already provides good noise cancellation. Nothing supplies three different sizes of ear tips in case the pre-installed ones don’t fit. There is also a fit test in the app that can be used to check which of the eartips fit best.
The Nothing Ear (2) fit well in the ear due to their design. (Image: BASIC thinking)
Nothing Ear (2): battery life
For many, one of the most important purchase arguments for or against in-ear headphones is the battery life. Nothing says six hours without noise cancellation – 36 total with the charging cradle. The case can then be charged via USB-C or wirelessly. The headphones themselves should be able to deliver eight hours of listening time after ten minutes.
The Nothing Ear (2) only have an average battery life. (Image: BASIC thinking)
Nothing promises more battery life than its predecessor, but the headphones were empty after a trip from Hamburg to Berlin. So more than four hours with noise cancellation are not possible.
That’s worse battery life compared to the Google Pixel Buds Pro or OnePlus’ Buds Pro 2. Because these are in the same price range in the current comparison and offer more in this area.
Sound quality and ANC
The sound quality has improved significantly compared to the Ear (1). Voices sound natural, smooth and rich in detail, while the bass emphasizes the sound in a powerful and controlled manner. This might not please rap and techno fans enough, as the bass doesn’t “beat” the note.
The quality of the sound also depends on the smartphone, because the Ear (2) support the latest LHDC 5.0 standard. This is currently only supported by a few smartphones, but of course by the phone (1).
However, I did not notice a major difference to the SBC codec, which is supported by most smartphones. If you use Spotify or other services without “high-resolution audio”, you won’t feel any difference in quality anyway.
The headphones have good sound quality. (Image: BASIC thinking)
The ANC is available in three different modes and has also improved a lot compared to its predecessor. Either activated, deactivated or reversed into a transparency mode, you can adjust different levels or use an adaptive mode. There’s also an “individual ANC”(2) that didn’t make much of a difference, at least to my ears.
The Ear (2) with the ANC don’t quite come close to the Pixel Buds Pro, but dull and static noises are filtered out cleanly. This means that sudden and bright noises such as the gong on the subway or typing on a keyboard can still be heard. In everyday life, however, I was very satisfied with the ANC and the sound of the Nothing Ear (2).
Nothing ear (2): App and smart features
Thanks to Google’s fast-pair mode, the Nothing Ear (2) are now automatically recognized by every Android smartphone and the app for download is suggested directly. This is of course not the case with an iOS device/iPhone, but here the connection works easily via Bluetooth. On the phone (1), the app is integrated into the software, which is convenient.
Then in the application there are settings such as an equalizer, the ability to change the commands for controlling the music on the headphones or turn on the multipoint. The headphones can be connected to a computer and a smartphone at the same time through this function. So if you’re listening to music on your computer and your smartphone starts ringing, you can switch very quickly.
The control of the music also works intuitively. There is a silver stripe for input on each of the two headphones. There the music can be stopped with the push of a button, skipped with two and rewound with three. The clicking also gives a clear haptic response, making it easier to control.
Nothing Ear (2) Conclusion: price and availability
The Nothing Ear (2) is only available in white so far and is now available in stores for 149 euros. The headphones can convince in almost all disciplines. Especially the fashion aspect or the sound could be a reason to buy for many. In terms of battery life or noise cancellation, there are better models like the Pixel Buds Pro from Google or the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. All in all, it’s worth buying for the price of 149 euros.
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