Remember when Nothing had Ear (1) and Ear (2)? Then it dropped the numbers and gave us simply Ear, only to bring them back later with Ear (3). Now comes Ear (3a). Confused? We don’t blame you. Anyhoo, despite the naming gymnastics, the new Nothing Ear (3a) looks like a worthy successor to the popular Ear (a).
Think of the Ear (3a) as the bridge between the old Ear (a) and the new Ear (3).
The biggest new trick is Audio Snapshot, which lets you pinch both earbuds to capture what you have just heard. Whether it’s part of a podcast, an online lecture, or a voice note, the earbuds save the audio before and after the trigger, then sync it to the Nothing X app for playback, editing, sharing, and even transcription. It can also record phone calls and meetings directly from the earbuds for up to two hours, complete with automatic transcripts and a notification to let everyone know recording is in progress.
Sound-wise, the Ear (3a) gets a new 12 mm dynamic driver, Hi-Res Audio Wireless certification, LDAC support, Static Spatial Audio, and 45 dB Wideband Active Noise Cancellation, which Nothing says now covers 17.1 percent more noise than before. Battery life is equally impressive at up to 42 hours with the charging case, while a five-minute top-up nets around an hour of listening.
The Nothing Ear (3a) is available now in Black, White, Yellow, and a new Pink finish for US$99. Whatever you think of the name, getting this much tech for under a hundred bucks is pretty easy to understand.
Images: Nothing.