Nothing Ear 1 earbuds evaluation: nearly one thing

There’s lots using on the Ear 1 wi-fi earbuds, that are the primary product to return from Nothing — a brand new firm created by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei. Backed with funding from GV, Tony Fadell, and influential creators like Casey Neistat, Nothing is aiming to construct out a whole household of merchandise that observe the design ethos debuting with the Ear 1. Transparency is on the coronary heart of that: the Ear 1s have a transparent “stem” that permits you to peer at their inside elements, and the unconventional charging case has a clear lid to maintain the buds in view always.

Pei has mentioned his motivation for beginning Nothing was a shopper tech business that felt stale, unimaginative, and awash in devices that every one really feel very same-y. I don’t actually purchase into that viewpoint; positive, AirPods clones are in every single place, however one of the best earbuds from Samsung, Sony, Google, Amazon, and different massive gamers are all visually distinct. Regardless, Nothing doesn’t see itself as “an audio firm,” in response to Pei, however the booming true wi-fi earbuds market appeared like an advantageous place to start out. He’s additionally aiming to seize the identical price-to-performance magic that was related to OnePlus in its early days.

At $99, the Ear 1s embody energetic noise cancellation, wi-fi charging, IPX4 water resistance, and smaller conveniences like in-ear detection — options that price wherever from $150 to $300 from Nothing’s massive model opponents. Their sound has been tuned by Teenage Engineering, an organization nicely versed in audio electronics. They’ll go on sale broadly beginning August seventeenth, however you possibly can seize a pair early from Nothing’s website on July 31st.

Like all clear tech, the Ear 1s are enjoyable to look at up shut. On the outward-facing a part of the stem, you possibly can see the voice / ANC microphones, contact sensors, and a dot — crimson (proper) or white (left) — to point which ear that bud is for. On the aspect going through your ear, there’s some circuitry, magnets, and the pins the place the earbuds hook up with the charging case.

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Nothing says it was so obsessive over small particulars (like sprucing the magnets) that some manufacturing crops turned the startup away. Discovering the proper glue to bond the 2 sides of clear casing collectively with out leaving any ugly remnants behind was additionally apparently fairly a problem.

The Ear 1s positively look cool, however do they arrive off as radically totally different? I’m not seeing it. If the clear stem had been opaque white as a substitute, these earbuds would look similar to Apple’s AirPods Professional or any variety of opponents. Nothing’s early idea pictures showed a more unorthodox design, however the remaining product seems principally regular with a splash of distinctive model — and possibly that’ll be sufficient to promote some individuals on them. Not reinventing the wheel makes for good consolation, a minimum of. Three sizes of silicone suggestions come within the field, and I discovered that the Ear 1s have an identical in-ear really feel to the AirPods Professional. They match snugly, really feel ethereal gentle (every earbud is 4.7 grams), and didn’t come unfastened throughout runs or whereas I used to be consuming, that are two situations the place true wi-fi buds generally get dislodged.

The charging case is the place Nothing positively will get extra on the market with design. It’s a squished-down sq. with rounded corners that opens and closes with satisfying spring stress. There’s a USB-C port for wired charging, and also you additionally get Qi wi-fi charging; that’s at all times good to see at this value. However for all of the visible aptitude, it looks like I’m doing extra work to seat the Ear 1s again of their case in contrast with different earbuds I’ve obtained round. The magnetic maintain isn’t notably robust, and laying the earbuds flat as a substitute of plopping them into deep charging cradles takes extra direct consideration. The large dimple within the high of the case helps preserve the earbuds in place, with a aspect impact of turning the case right into a enjoyable factor to fidget with and twirl round in your fingers. Nonetheless, I feel Nothing might’ve provide you with one thing extra environment friendly and compact. This case is kind over operate and clearly meant to showcase Nothing’s clear aesthetic. Simply don’t count on it to remain pristine: my evaluation unit has already collected scratches on the case’s backside, and it’s solely a matter of time earlier than the highest picks up some, too.

When it comes to sound, the Ear 1s and their 11.6-millimeter drivers don’t pull off any large upsets in opposition to extra premium competitors. However in addition they don’t sound unhealthy or “finances.” They’ve simply obtained some weaknesses that earbud fanatics will decide up on. The treble and excessive finish — notably on acoustic-driven tracks — can often come off as excessively sparkly. I listened by John Mayer’s Eighties-influenced Sob Rock and whereas Nothing’s earbuds punched barely above what I’d count on for $99 and had good readability and a pleasant thump-y bass using beneath all the pieces, their heat and element don’t measure as much as earbuds within the $200-300 vary. However they’re nonetheless an pleasing pay attention in lots of {cases}, which got here by after I converted to “Cease Making This Harm” by Bleachers. The Ear 1s introduced nicely with good stereo separation and nothing sounding muddled.

Nothing’s companion cell app is out there for each Android and iOS and has easy EQ changes for “extra treble,” “extra bass,” and “voice,” however you possibly can’t take full management over the sliders your self. You may end up turning to that bass increase every now and then. Nothing has mentioned it and Teenage Engineering aimed for a pure, balanced sound signature, however don’t confuse that with flat or colorless. The earbuds assist AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs.

Noise cancellation is… satisfactory. On the “max” setting, it might eradicate low-frequency hums inside my native espresso store, however I by no means actually forgot about my environment. General noise isolation was stable due to the nice seal I obtained from the ear suggestions, and I’d attain for these earlier than the $99 Pixel Buds A-Collection, which require me to crank the quantity to beat close by noise. However Nothing isn’t on the identical stage because the equally priced Amazon’s Echo Buds 2 in relation to noise cancellation — not a shock since that is the corporate’s first swing at it. Transparency mode is sufficient, however doesn’t match the pure really feel of the Echo Buds or Apple’s AirPods Professional. Nothing does embody some good tips; when you take one earbud out, the opposite will swap into transparency mode till each are again in your ears. They usually’ve obtained auto-pause / resume when an earbud is eliminated, as nicely.

Regardless of having three microphones and algorithms meant to assist isolate your voice from background noise, the Ear 1s had been a disappointment for voice calls. My voice got here by muddled and warbly even in a quiet room when recording to voice memos, and folks I referred to as had problem listening to me clearly.

Nothing says the Ear 1s can final for 4 hours of steady playback with ANC on, and the case has sufficient for twenty-four extra hours. In case you go away ANC off, these numbers enhance to five.7 hours and 34 hours, respectively. The battery estimates for listening time have appeared on level in my assessments to date. The earbuds use faucet controls for many features: you faucet twice to play / pause, 3 times to skip ahead or return to the earlier track (relying on aspect), maintain to toggle NC modes, and so forth. However there’s additionally a swiping gesture up or down the stem to regulate quantity, which has labored reliably and feels intuitive.

Nothing remains to be engaged on the Ear 1s as they strategy launch. In my time testing them, I’ve definitely encountered bugs and sporadic points.

• Transparency mode has gone on the fritz every now and then. Generally it prompts unexpectedly after I’m on a name. In different, stranger situations, I’ve heard transient boosts of ambient sound when turning my head.
• I’ve observed the earbuds seemingly switching modes between NC on and off on their very own.
• Android Quick Pair isn’t but useful. Nothing says this might be working by the point the Ear 1s ship to prospects in mid-August. I’ll replace the evaluation as soon as that occurs.
• I encountered odd charging conduct with the case, the place the LED wouldn’t replicate that something was taking place. A latest firmware replace appears to have cleared this up for probably the most half.

Nothing has already pushed out a pair firmware updates throughout my evaluation interval, and I’d count on extra earlier than the Ear 1s arrive to consumers. However these are my impressions as of the corporate’s late-July evaluation embargo; I’ll replace to say any adjustments or enhancements when the earbuds ship in August.

With their full potential unrealized and efficiency nonetheless on the buggy aspect, it’s tough to conclude whether or not the Ear 1s are placing Nothing heading in the right direction as a brand new shopper tech model. These earbuds provide an bold bundle of options for $99, and so they’re inevitably going to get buzz and a focus due to their clear design (even when they resemble AirPods in different methods) and presence in swanky trend storefronts like Kith. The Ear 1s are the brand new hypebeast earbuds and have a enjoyable air of freshness. However proper now, their particular person elements — sound high quality, noise cancellation, and so forth. — fall wanting excellence and go away loads of cause for sticking with a type of “boring” established gamers.

Pictures by Chris Welch / The Verge