Nothing Ear And Ear (a) Earbuds Drop With ANC And Long Battery Life, Now Up For Preorder

Nothing just showed off two new true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones that should bring nothing but good vibes to your ears. One is the follow up to the flagship Ear (2), interestingly called the Ear, while the other cheaper model is called the Ear (a). Both are available right now for preorder, but let's check out what you get for the money.

Carl Pei and his London-based company has launched two earphones that cater to different budgets, while still undercutting the competition in terms of features and value (which is something Nothing already does quite well). The $150 Ear and $100 Ear (a) packed similar features, but differ in a couple of key areas.

In terms of looks, you'll be hard-pressed to note any visual difference between the Ear and Ear (2)—from the transparent case, earpiece stems, as well as simple black or white colorways. Many brands have started to copy the concept, but Nothing arguably does it better. This time however, there is a newer dynamic ANC algorithm that proactively checks for noise leakages, adjusting noise cancelling levels (low, medium, high) as needed. According to the factory, the ANC is now able to block out 45dB of noise, which is an nice upgrade from the Ear (2). 

Also included are new mics for better phone call quality and sound capture (for the ANC system), 24-bit LHDC 5.0 and LDAC audio support, multipoint Bluetooth connection, wear detection, fast pairing (Google Fast Pair/Microsoft Swift Pair), IP54/IPX2, plus 11mm ceramic-coated drivers onboard with dual chamber designs to pipe clearer sounds into your ears. Moreover, battery life on the earphones has been raised to 8.5 hours, although expect the number to be significantly lower when streaming via LDAC.

Curiously, the cheaper Nothing Ear (a) is almost identical to its pricier sibling specs-wise. Sure, it loses out on parametric EQ customization in the Nothing X app, but its has the same audio and ANC hardware, same transparent design, better combined battery life, and (probably our favorite bit) the awesome egg-yolk yellow color option.

Both earphones are up for pre-order right now at the Nothing store at $100 for the Ear (a) and $150 for the Ear. Unlike some of its competition, there's no trade-in program, so bear that in mind as you cross-shop.