Who here cannot get enough of transparent gadgets? If you are down for yet another transparent gadget, and you are in the market for a pair of earbuds that does not cut you off from the environment, while keeping the audio to yourself, then the Nothing Ear (open) is for you.
While the name might suggest they’ve skipped the whole “privacy” thing, don’t worry, your personal audio is still all yours. The new open-ear design is like letting your ears have their cake and eat it too: hear your music while staying blissfully aware of that bus honking at you.
Nothing’s Open Sound Technology delivers sound that blends with the world around you, so it’s like you’re in your own soundtrack without missing out on reality. But here’s the magic—thanks to their Sound Seal System, only you will get to enjoy your playlist. No accidental oversharing of your guilty pleasure tracks while you’re on the subway.
In the comfort department, they promise a new level of it. These buds are so light and well-balanced that they claim it “feels like wearing nothing at all.” That’s 8.1 grams of near-weightlessness per bud, wrapped in skin-friendly silicone with a 50-degree tilt to hit the sweet spot in your ear, glasses, or no glasses. No more constant adjusting or worrying about a rogue bud making a break for it mid-run.
As for the sound—Nothing pulled out all the stops. These buds boast custom diaphragms, titanium-coated for crisp highs, and designed to get those bass-heavy tracks thumping just right. There’s also an algorithm that enhances bass automatically, which might have you rethinking your entire playlist just to feel those deeper beats.
With 30 hours of playback and 24 hours of talk time, the Ear (open) will keep you going long after you’ve run out of things to say. And if you’re in a hurry, a 10-minute charge gives you two hours of music—perfect for that last-minute scramble before a long commute.
Aesthetically, the earbuds inherit Nothing’s transparent design language that I thought would go perfectly with the new Ray-Ban X Meta Transparent Wayfarer. Granted. That eyewear already has built-in directional speakers. Meanwhile, the case is ultra-compact at just 19 mm thin and it is, of course, see-through too. They may be transparent but you’ll never have to play hide and seek with your earbuds thanks to its “Find my earbuds” feature.
Last check, the Nothing Ear (open) is not available stateside yet but it when does become available, expect to shell out a healthy US$149 for a pair. Meanwhile, eager fans can sign up to be notified of its launch in the U.S. on the product page. It has been launched and is available in Singapore and Japan for 239 SGD and 24,800 yen, respectively.
Images: Nothing.
