Let’s be honest – mainstream tech is mostly pretty boring these days when you think about it. I mean, the tech itself is impressive and whizbang, but everything looks a bit samey. It’s why Nothing is perhaps the most exciting brand in the space, with its eye-catching transparent designs standing out while looking familiar at the same time. But the company is also backing it up with some quality products, such as the recent Nothing Phone (3) that we rated highly and the Nothing Headphone (1) that partnered with audio company KEF. Recently, I got to test out the company’s latest audio offering – the Nothing Ear (3) buds, and while the active noise cancelling (ANC) isn’t the best on the market, the sound quality and comfort is up there with the best my ears have experienced, to the point that they’ve become my primary earbuds for now.
It should come as no surprise that I really dig the design of the Nothing Ear (3), which features the company’s signature semi-translucent look that allows you to see the electrical insides a little. There’s also Ear (3) branding on the outside, red and white dots to identify left and right ear buds, and white or black ear tips depending on the colour you choose. Sure, they have the silhouette of traditional earbuds with stems that you’ve seen countless times, but they look different and cooler than all the others. The stems have touch controls, like double pressing to skip songs or a single pinch to play/pause or answer and hang up calls. These work easily enough, but I’ll be honest, I’m not the biggest user of gesture controls on earbuds.
In the box you’ll get four different tip sizes to help you get the best fit and tightest seal. I’ve got small ears, so I always find it’s tricky to get a snug fit, but the default mediums did the job perfectly, and the Ear (3)’s are one of – if not – the comfiest buds I’ve ever used. I’ve had sessions where I’ve worn them for multiple hours and haven’t had any issues or felt any discomfort, which is always a huge boon. They’re also IP54 rated, which means you can wear them while getting sweaty at the gym or while it’s drizzling, but avoid taking them for a swim.
The eye-catching design of the Nothing Ear (3)
Like any good set of headphones or earbuds, setting up the Ear (3) is as simple as downloading the Nothing X app on your smartphone, opening the case and holding the pairing button and connecting them to your device. They feature dual connectivity, so you can pair them to two devices at once, such as a smartphone and a computer, as I did, and will automatically detect when you’ve switched input source.
Nothing has packed the Ear (3) buds with 12mm dynamic drivers and support for the LDAC codec, allowing users to take advantage of high-res audio, which the Pixel Buds Pro 2 disappointingly didn’t. Thankfully Nothing doesn’t just talk a big game when it comes to audio quality, delivering clear and richly detailed music for your ears to enjoy. It does lean towards the bassier end of tunings, but I quite enjoyed the extra oomph while listening to Electric Callboy’s Elevator Operator and Nevertel’s latest album. But when slowing things down with the acoustic Michelle’s Song by Thousand Below you can hear the clarity in the strumming, while the strings and orchestral compositions of Sigur Rós’ Takk… (The Tape Variations) hit with a new level of emotion. It may sound like hyperbole, but those who enjoy their music will relate to how good it is to listen to their favourite tunes and hear all the details. So even if your poison is Taylor Swift or Lil Tjay, you’re in for a good aural time.
The case that accompanies the buds is a square design that is perhaps the best case I’ve ever used from a usability standpoint. I’ve found that a lot of cases can be niggly to get the buds out, but the Ear (3)’s are surprisingly and appreciatively easy to remove from their magnetic dock.
There’s a USB-C charging port, which will take just over an hour to fully charge and the case supports Qi wireless charging, which Nothing says will take 120 minutes to fully juice up. The case holds 28 hours of charge, while the buds will last varying amounts depending on whether you’re listening to high-res audio or if ANC is enabled. Say you’ve got ANC on and are using the AAC codec, Nothing quotes 5.5 hours, turn ANC off and that will extend it to 10 hours. While for LDAC (high-res audio), you’ll get 3.5 hours with ANC and 5.5 hours without. I didn’t time it to the minute, but those figures seemed roughly correct during my testing. It’s not as high as some others – the Pixel Buds Pro 2, Airpods Pro 3 and Sony’s XM5s all quote around eight hours with ANC, but if the case is nearby, you should be good most of the time you’re away from a charging source.
This is how you look using the super mic
Nothing isn’t afraid of trying something new, and the Ear (3)’s unique feature is that the case has an in-built ‘super mic’ that supposedly offers superior mic quality. The only issue is that unless you’re a content creator of sorts, it’s a rather redundant feature, as I’d expect very few people are going to be walking around speaking into the case while chatting on the phone. In theory, it seems like a neat idea to get you out of a jam when you need a lapel-type mic. The catch is that you need at least one of the buds in your ear for it to work, which limits its use somewhat. The mic on the buds is great for phone calls or work meetings, and those on the receiving end said my voice was clear.
Where the Ear (3) struggles against other buds on the market is the ANC. One of the most popular times to use noise cancelling is during travel, and catching a busy train in Melbourne yielded okay results, mitigating some of the louder noise but not all of it, while walking down the street at school pick-up, it was serviceable at blocking out vehicle noise. I live on a high-traffic road and am sitting outside writing this review. With ANC on (high setting), traffic noise is muted but still penetrates easily enough, especially when I’m not listening to music. How many people have had their earbuds in while paying for something at the shops and have had someone speak to them? Transparency mode offers a nice balance of ANC while keeping you aware of your surroundings, though I’m not sure the person serving me at the cafe appreciated me ordering with my headphones in. In short, the Nothing Ear (3)’s ANC is fine and does an okay job but there are better options out there.
The beating heart of the Nothing audio experience is the Nothing X app, where users can play around with a myriad of settings to tailor their experience. Inside the app you’ll find battery levels for the case and the buds, the ability to switch between ANC modes, tinker with EQ settings and touch controls, and enable spatial audio, bass enhancement and low lag mode. There’s also a feature that calibrates a sound profile for you based on your hearing, which adjusts frequencies to improve your listening experience. I’m not sure how much benefit it provided, but it’s a neat addition for sure.
The Nothing X app is a great tool
Final Thoughts
Nothing continues its impressive push into the audio space with another great offering with the Nothing Ear (3) buds, and they won’t break the bank too much at $299. Its battery life and noise cancelling may not be the best going around, and the super mic may be a bit of a gimmick, but I’d argue that these are the most comfortable buds I’ve worn in a long time, and they produced some truly excellent audio thanks to LDAC support. Plus they look the goods, and the Nothing X app is a great tool to elevate your listening experience. If you’re looking for a last minute Christmas gift, you could do worse than unwrapping the Nothing Ear (3) buds on December 25.
Review unit supplied by the manufacturer
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