Summary
- The Nothing Ear Open offer a comfortable fit with secure ear hooks.
- Impressive audio clarity and EQ options help make the earbuds sound closer to in-ear options.
- They offer great battery life, but there is no wireless charging.
The Nothing Ear (open) is a wonderfully comfortable set of earbuds. I wear them all day, for days on end, without any ear fatigue. They’re great for music, phone calls, and more—so why do I still prefer my headphones or earbuds?
Nothing Ear (open)
$149 $189 Save
$40
The Nothing Ear (open) are stylish open-ear earbuds with curved hooks for a secure, all-day, comfortable fit. They offer IP54 water resistance, solid audio clarity with 14.2mm drivers, and customizable EQ via the Nothing X app. AI Clear Voice Technology ensures clear calls and the battery life lasts 6-7 hours, with 30 extra hours in the case. While audio leakage is inevitable, they’re a great option for open-ear listening.
- Comfortable fit
- Good audio quality for open-ear earbuds
- Useful companion app, advanced EQ options
- Decent battery life
- No wireless charging
- Slightly underpowered bass
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Price and Availability
The Nothing Ear (open) launched in September 2024, retailing for $149. At the time of review, they’re still retailing for that price. But beware of Amazon’s cheeky “deal” listing. When I checked the price, it presented me with a 21%-off bargain. Wow, great deal, right?
Nope. A quick check of Amazon’s Nothing Ear (open) listing on CamelCamelCamel shows they’ve never priced Nothing’s open-ear earbuds higher than the RRP of $149. Some deal!
Comfortable and Easy to Position (Without Long Hair)
Unpacking the Nothing Ear (open) reveals what can only be a Nothing design. The long, slim, transparent-topped case is straight from the house of Nothing, and its smoothly curved ends make it easy to slip into your pocket.
It’s not small by any means. The Nothing Ear (open) case measures 0.75 x 4.96 x 1.73 inches, which is on the long side for an earbud case; most open-ear earbuds do have larger cases, so this isn’t unexpected. But because the case is slimline, it fits into a trouser pocket with relative ease and doesn’t create much of an unseemly bulge. It weighs 62.4g, so it doesn’t sag down, either.
As open-ear earbuds, the Nothing Ear (open) has curved ear hooks to hold them in place. They weigh around 8.1g per earbud, but you don’t notice any weight when slotted around your ear. The slightly weighted aluminum bulbs at the end of each bud help to keep the ear hooks in place, while the silicon bands never feel uncomfortable.
I did find the earbuds frustrating to put in place at times. I have rather long hair, and the ear hook got slightly tangled—not much, but enough to be irritating on occasion. However, a friend who tried them (with short hair!) had no such problems and found them simple to move into a comfortable position.
But once the Ear (open) is in place, I found them comfortable and secure, staying put when I moved around. I’d normally take earbuds like this for a run, but I’ve been unable to do so due to an injury during my review period. However, wearing them while walking around the house, town, and similar has been a complete success, with almost zero movement.
I’ve used a fair few open-ear earbuds over the years, and the Nothing Ear (open) are some of the most comfortable I’ve tried.
The Nothing Ear (open) are IP54 rated, meaning they have dust resistance and can withstand gentle water splashes. You definitely shouldn’t wear the Nothing Ear (open) in the shower!
Surprisingly Decent Audio Quality
Open-ear earbuds don’t lend themselves to sublime audio quality. The design just doesn’t allow it; you’re always going to experience audio leakage because the earbuds don’t create a seal in your ear. Active noise cancelation isn’t on the cards for that reason, too.
With that in mind, I’m really impressed with the overall audio quality of the Nothing Ear (open) and its 14.2mm drivers. I’ve been listening to 4am Kru’s outrageous jungle album, Incognito Rhythm, on repeat, and it sounds fantastic. The mid-range and high-end of the Ear (open) are decently accurate here, and while it’s not like listening with headphones, I was impressed with overall clarity.
Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is another excellent option for testing earbuds, covering the full gamut. The Chain is one of my go-to songs for testing headphones, and the Ear (open) does a great job of delivering the wonderful bassline and background harmonies.
Open-ear earbuds are always going to struggle versus in-ear or headphones. But I appreciate that Nothing has resisted the urge to crank up the bass and treble to compensate for the audio leakage. The advanced EQ options, which you can read more about in the section, also allow extensive control over your audio. It doesn’t completely make up for the audio leakage, but the control is more than you’ll find on most earbuds, and it shows that Nothing has given considerable thought to how best to improve audio on an open-ear device.
Microphone Clarity Is Rather Good Despite Background Noise
The Nothing Ear (open) has two microphones, one in each earbud, both using Nothing’s AI Clear Voice Technology. This AI tech aims to make your phone calls or otherwise clear and easy to hear, and it works well. In a quiet room, the microphones are exceptionally crisp, while in noisier environments, your voice is still easy to hear despite the issues of background noise.
For example, the cafe microphone sample was taken in a very busy cafe while sitting under a small speaker. The background noise is evident, but my voice is still very clear and easy to understand.
I Wish More Earbuds Had Advanced EQ Options Like These
The Nothing X app (available for iPhone and Android) is your control panel for the Ear (open) buds and is where you’ll find touch control and EQ options.
I like that the Nothing Ear (open) has two custom EQ options: Simple and Advanced. The Simple equalizer has you drag a small bubble around three EQ axes marked Bass, Mid, and Treble, with 12 EQ points for each option. It’s a simplified system, but for most folks, it’s enough to adjust the EQ, along with the standard options for More Bass, More Treble, and Voice.
But if you want a more advanced EQ experience, the option is available. And it’s really useful, too, giving you a full parametric equalizer experience. There are eight channels to adjust, with options to change the specific frequency of each channel exactly how you want. So, if you demand complete control over how your music sounds, the Nothing Ear (open) is a great option. I wish more headphone and earbud manufacturers gave such fine control over your audio experience—you’re the one using the buds, after all.
Elsewhere, you can control the Nothing Ear (open) touch controls from here. These earbuds use squeeze controls rather than a touch-sensitive external panel, which, for me, is just brilliant when it comes to open-ear earbuds. As I found with Soundcore’s AeroFit 2 open-ear earbuds, it’s just too easy to accidentally raise the volume or change the track if you make a small adjustment to the earbud position. Earbuds are going to need a little repositioning from time to time, and knowing that you can do that without risking changing your track is great.
Elsewhere in the Nothing X app, there are options for a low-latency gaming mode, multi-point Bluetooth connections, and the always-handy Find My Earbuds.
All Day Battery Life—But No Wireless Charging
I typically found the Nothing Ear (open) delivering around six to seven hours of playback on a single charge, which is plenty enough for most uses. The charging carry case has another 30 hours of charge, so you won’t run out of battery on the go.
The earbuds support USB-C charging, but there is no wireless charging option.
What’s the Competition?
The open-ear earbud market is surprisingly busy. 2024 saw the release of several direct competitors to the Nothing Ear (open). In most cases, it’s a toss-up between comfort and audio, and with ear-hook earbuds, comfort is subjective—more so than with other earbuds and headphones.
When I reviewed the Soundcore AeroFit 2, I found it difficult to get the earbuds into a comfortable position. Yet once found, they rarely moved. The Soundcore AeroFit 2 retails for $100, so they are a little cheaper than the Nothing Ear (open), which makes them a good option for budget buyers. However, the Nothing Ear (open) is a more well-rounded audio product, whereas I found the AeroFit 2 better for exercise and other activities.
If you want a premium option with better sound, I suggest the Cleer Audio ARC 3. They have an open-ear design, up to 10 hours of playback on a single charge, and support high-res audio streaming options such as Dolby Audio and Snapdragon Sound, along with Bluetooth 5.4 support. However, they do come with a higher price tag, retailing for around $220.
Should You Buy the Nothing Ear (open) Earbuds?
I really like the Nothing Ear (open). I find open-ear earbuds with ear hooks difficult to get along with, and I have been impressed with the ease of use, comfort, and general audio quality.
If you want sublime audio quality, buy in-ear earbuds or headphones. You’ll get better audio quality; it’s not really a debate. But if you want something different, something that lets you listen to music while remaining connected to the outside world, the Nothing Ear (open) is a great option.
Nothing Ear (open)
$149 $189 Save
$40
The Nothing Ear (open) are stylish open-ear earbuds with curved hooks for a secure, all-day, comfortable fit. They offer IP54 water resistance, solid audio clarity with 14.2mm drivers, and customizable EQ via the Nothing X app. AI Clear Voice Technology ensures clear calls and the battery life lasts 6-7 hours, with 30 extra hours in the case. While audio leakage is inevitable, they’re a great option for open-ear listening.
