I will be honest with you. Wireless earbuds like the Nothing Ear (3a) actually made me question why anyone should pay more for a pair of TWS earbuds. I may not have tested hundreds of headphones, but I certainly have enough experience to say that, unless they are wired or a pair of AirPods Pro, most wireless earbuds are going to sound like Nothing’s budget earbuds. And yes, we have the honor of testing them, and unlike other tests I have done, I tested them extensively. My verdict? Well, I have said it, didn’t I?
Before we get into the details, let’s have a look at the basics:
- Drivers: 12 mm dynamic drivers
- Audio: Hi-Res Audio Wireless, LDAC, AAC, SBC
- Noise Control: Adaptive ANC up to 45 dB, Transparency mode
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0, dual-device connection
- Battery: Up to 10 hours; 42 hours with charging case
- Protection: IP54 dust and water resistance
- Special Features: Audio Snapshot and call recording
Build quality
Clearly, it passed this aspect. I mean, it is this tiny, right? Well, there are always exceptions. The earbuds themselves are brilliant. But the charging case… well, it touches my nerves. The clamshell closure has some free play, and it irks me a lot. You will not feel it when opening and closing it, but man, at times when I hold it, I can feel the cover shift. But that’s just me. I am OCD when it comes to this kind of detail. Otherwise, the cover closes fairly tightly, so there’s no accidental opening. And even if it does, the earbuds are magnetically held within, so they are unlikely to just fall out on their own.
The design
Well, what can I say? It looks great despite my dislike of stem-design earbuds. After my time with Samsung Galaxy Buds2 Pro and Beats Studio Buds +, I have come to appreciate stem design. The risk of them leaving my fingers is lower. But the case, aside from the tiny QC issue, has another problem. It is compact, but not in the AirPods sense. It does not have the flip-top design. It resembles more of a powder case.
It is low-profile, and my gorilla-sized hands struggle to open it. The bottom is thicker than the cover, but still, it presents little space for my gigantic fingers to grip while the other hand is opening the cover. Otherwise, it is a cool-looking box that lets you admire the buds when they are in it. I have been using the earbuds for a few months now, and the case has been in my pockets and my bags. I have not actually cared for it, but I find it durable enough. No visible scratches or anything so far. Of course, I don’t let it reside with dangerous criminals like keys and whatnot.
Features or the lack thereof
On-ear Audio Snapshot and call recording let you instantly record calls or retroactively clip the last 30 seconds of audio via a double-pinch gesture, syncing straight to the Nothing X app. I think it is a cool feature that is similar to the new feature on the new AirPods. It can come in handy, but I don’t find myself using it often. So, to me, it is kind of gimmicky. It does not have wireless charging, which I am cool with. I am not a fan of wireless charging anyway.
Audio quality
The generously sized, upgraded 12 mm drivers deliver. I am not kidding. I immediately noticed that the bass is punchy but not overbearing, and it most certainly will not drown out the mids and highs. The mids and highs perform great. The separation is comparable to more expensive earbuds, IMHO. The vocals on tracks like Adele’s Someone Like You are crisp and clear, while the piano remains detailed. It will make you fall in love with your favorite tracks again.
The ANC surprises me. I don’t care about the numbers. It perfectly silences most of the metro noise, allowing the music to stand out. I know. I am really surprised. I don’t hear my Beats doing that, and I paid a ridiculous amount for them. The support for Hi-Res Audio and LDAC is a plus, which you can set in the app. You can also choose low-lag mode.
Calls… well, as before, I hardly make them. But for the few times I did, they were pretty decent. I cannot be a fair judge because I don’t call often, nor do I get calls often. A loner I am! Lol. One thing is for sure: indoors, no problemo, but outdoors, performance varies with the environmental noise.
One thing to note is that, somehow, the maximum volume isn’t quite as loud. Just an observation. Then again, we shouldn’t be listening at such a loud volume for prolonged periods. It’s bad for our hearing.
The functions
The physical stem control works. But it takes some practice. It is well thought out. You can customize it. The only challenge you have is remembering the gestures. Out of the box, they do not let you control the volume, but you can customize it. I suggest using double-pinch and hold, which was originally assigned to Audio Snapshot—which is also assigned to pinching both buds, btw—as the volume control. It will take a bit of getting used to, especially if you have gorilla hands like me.
Another boon of these earbuds is that, despite being a budget pair of earbuds, they are not lacking in EQ. You have a fully adjustable EQ in the Nothing X app, which I am always happy to explore. You can also download presets from the Playground, too. They support Spatial Audio, but it is basic. Nothing spectacular. I don’t feel much of the spatialness, if you know what I mean. But hey, if you want it, it has it. It has no dynamic head-tracking, though.
In-ear detection comes standard, which you can turn off, and there is an ear-tip fit test and, of course, Find My Earbuds—all available from the companion app. The earbuds support dual connection, but by default, it is turned off. You can activate it in the app as well.
Battery life is good
You can get about 10 hours or more from the earbuds in theory, but in reality, very few people will be using them for that many hours in one sitting. I mean, we use them for a few hours, maybe, and then they are back in the case and charging. So it is really hard to give a real-life estimate of the mileage. They provide about 42 hours with the charging case, so it felt like I never needed to charge (but I did a few times over the few months). I am on AAC, btw, so there is no battery-sucking streaming over LDAC with ANC on. Though I do always have ANC on. So, yeah, battery is good.
The Verdict
The Nothing Ear (3a) is not perfect. The case’s build quality could be improved; Spatial Audio is nothing spectacular, IMHO, and the maximum volume may leave some wanting more. But where it matters—sound quality, ANC, EQ, comfort, and battery life—it performs far beyond what I expected from budget earbuds. It has genuinely made me question why most people should pay more for a pair of TWS earbuds.
For:
- Punchy, well-balanced sound
- Clear mids and highs
- Impressive ANC performance
- Fully adjustable EQ
- Good battery life
- Excellent value for money
Against:
- Charging case could feel sturdier
- Maximum volume is slightly limited
- No dynamic head-tracking for Spatial Audio
- No wireless charging
Where to buy?
If you are keen, you may pick up the new Nothing Ear (3a) from Nothing.tech for £99/US$99.
Images: Mike for Mikeshouts.