Just now, Nothing Tech unveiled their latest product, the Nothing Ear (2) wireless earphones, approximately 18 months after the initial release of their first-generation Bluetooth earbuds. These earphones are the third installment in the company’s wireless earbud collection, succeeding the previously launched Nothing Ear (1) in June of 2021.
While the design of the Ear (2) remains mostly unchanged, with its distinctive transparent look and finish, which has been one of the primary distinguishing features separating these earbuds from many other similar products in the market. But, the specs have been enhanced with some valuable upgrades. Although there have been some minor microphone and vent adjustments in each earbud, visually, the Ear (2) remains quite similar to its predecessor.
What’s new in Nothing Ear (2)
The Nothing Ear (2) now offers support for the LHDC 5.0 audio codec, enabling users to stream high-resolution audio up to 24 bit/192 kHz at speeds of up to 1 Mbps. Additionally, the earbuds come with a new personalized sound profile that allows you to calibrate them according to your individual hearing needs. This can be achieved through a brief test taken on the Nothing X companion app. Furthermore, the app offers the ability to customize the equalizer settings to your preference.
The Ear (2) boasts active noise cancellation (ANC) capabilities that are on par with the original Nothing Ear (1) with the ability to reduce up to 40dB of noise. There are three different modes to choose from: Light, Maximum, and Transparency, all of which provide improvements. These modes can be easily controlled through the updated Nothing X app. The app also offers the ability to customize the squeeze controls for each earbud stem to your liking.
Nothing has upgraded the 11.6 mm drivers in the Ear (2) with a new diaphragm unit that utilizes graphene and polyurethane materials, resulting in improved sound quality. The voice pickup feature has also been reworked with better wind-proofing, enabling enhanced voice isolation even in challenging environments. In addition, the Ear (2) now supports dual pairing, allowing you to connect them to two devices simultaneously.
Out of the box, a single press on either earbud of the Ear (2) will play or pause music, as well as answer or end calls. A double press will skip to the next track or reject incoming calls, while a triple press will go back to the previous track. Additionally, holding down either earbud will switch between ANC and Transparency mode.
The Ear (2) features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity, which is expected to resolve the connectivity issues that previous-gen the Ear (1) experienced. Additionally, the Ear (2) supports Google Fast Pair, enabling rapid connections with Android devices, as well as Microsoft Swift Pair for seamless pairing with Windows machines. When using Game Mode on Phone (1) smartphones, a low-latency “Low Lag Mode” will activate automatically.
While the sound profile of the original earbuds was satisfactory, Nothing has invested efforts in enhancing the audio and connection capabilities for their fourth hardware release. This is accomplished through a new “Personal Sound Profile” mode that uses an ear tip fit test to assess the audio seal and then fine-tunes the profile accordingly, resulting in an enhanced listening experience.
The Ear (2) earbuds have an IP54 rating, making them resistant to water and dust ingress, while the charging case has an IP55 rating. The transparent case is notably smaller this time around, measuring 55.5 x 55.5 x 22 mm and weighing 51.9g, while each earbud weighs just 4.5g.
Nothing Ear (2) Full Specs:
- 11.6mm dynamic driver, dual chamber design
- Bluetooth 5.3, AAC, SBC, LHDC 5.0 codecs, Hi-Res audio, compatible with Android 5.1 and later and iOS 11 and later, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, Dual Connection
- Low Lag Mode (Automatically enabled in Phone (1) can be enabled from app for others)
- Up to 40db Personalised ANC, Environment Adaptive ANC, Frequency range: 5000Hz
- Smart Adaptive Noise cancellation with 4 modes (High, Mid, Low and Adaptive), Transparency mode
- Clear Voice Technology for call noise cancellation with 3-mics, improved wind noise resistance
- Press controls for play/pause, skip forward, skip back, answer/hang up calls, reject calls, switch between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency Mode, launch assistant, control volume
- Water-resistant (IP54 for buds, IP55 for case)
- Dimensions Earbud: 29.4×21.5x 23.5mm;Charging box: 55.5×55.5×22mm
- Weight: Earbud: 4.5g; Charging box: 51.9 g
- 33mAh battery in buds offers up to 6.3 hours (without ANC) / 4 hours (with ANC) music playback, 36h (without ANC) / 22.5h (with ANC) with 485mAh charging case, Qi wireless charging up to 2.5W
- Fast charging– 10 mins for 8 hours (without ANC)
The Nothing Ear (2) can be purchased for $149 / €149 / £129 from today on the nothing.tech website. For those who want to check them out in person, they can visit the Nothing Store Soho in London or select Kith stores in the US, France, and Japan, with availability in other Kith stores worldwide starting tomorrow. The official online and offline retail partners of Nothing will offer the Ear (2) for open sale from March 28.
As we predicted earlier today, the earbuds are priced at ₹9,999 in India and will be available from Flipkart and Myntra online stores as well as select offline stores starting at noon on March 28.
If you find these earbuds appealing, it would be wise to act swiftly since such products tend to sell out fast and may not be restocked for a while. Furthermore, Nothing is offering some extra branded merchandise for free for a limited time along with your purchase.