With the earplugs enters newcomer Nothing a saturated market. After the popularity of the Apple AirPods the competitors shot up like mushrooms. Nothing, however, shows itself to be a ‘challenger’ and tries to rival Apple with earbuds that can do everything the AirPods Pro also can, for almost a third of the price.
The earplugs distinguish themselves from the competition with the (in)conspicuous transparent design by the Swedish Teenage Engineering, known for the legendary synthesizer OP-1. Teenage Engineering took care of both the design and the audio tuning of the earplugs.
Quirky design
Due to the transparent design, the inner workings can be seen through the rods of the earplugs, complete with printed circuit boards, small batteries and magnets. The charging box is also transparent, can be charged wirelessly and can also be used as a stand for the smartphone.
The part of the Nothing ear (1) earplugs that goes into the ear looks identical to the AirPods Pro: round, white and with a thin silicone ear cushion that closes the ear canal but does not go in, like many regular in-ear earplugs. earplugs is the case.
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Lighter than the competition
The earbuds weigh 4.7 grams each, lighter than competing models such as the AirPods Pro (5.4 grams), Samsung Galaxy Buds+ (6.3 grams) and the Jabra Elite 75t (5.5 grams). The driver, the small speaker in the earplug, has a size of 11.6 mm.
Nothing claims its earbuds produce better, fuller sound than the AirPods Pro. Also, the active noise cancellation would match Apple’s. With Nothing, the function has three settings: low, for example in the office, high for a train or plane and transparent, so that sounds around the user are allowed to pass through.
Swipe for volume
Nothing’s earplugs have multiple operating options. In addition to a double tap, triple tap and a held tap, the volume can also be controlled via the earbuds. Users have to swipe the stem of the earplug to do this.
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Battery life
The Nothing ear (1) earbuds have a battery life of 4 hours with noise cancellation on, 5.7 hours without noise cancellation. The box offers a total listening time of 24 hours with noise cancellation turned on, or 34 hours without. After 10 minutes in the box, users can listen again for about an hour.
Nothing deliberately chose not to use a multipoint connection. The earplugs are therefore always connected to one device at a time, switching between devices is done manually. Nothing has done that to save energy.
Nothing earplugs come in one color: transparent black/white. The earplugs can be ordered directly, for 99 euros.
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