Nothing's ear(1) noise-cancelling earbuds will be in available in Australia (and are surprisingly cheap)

If you're after a cheapish pair of wire-free earbuds that also happen to stand out from the crowd, you've got a new option.

Nothing's - OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei's new venture - first product, its semi-translucent ear(1) headphones go on sale today. And while OnePlus phones have never been easy to get in Australia, the ear(1)s will ship to Australia and set you back $149.

At $149, the ear(1)s are some of the cheapest wire-free noise-cancelling earbuds you can get locally. Samsung's cheapest noise-cancelling pair - the Galaxy Buds 2 - will set you back $219, while Apple's AirPods Pro retail for $399. Even OPPO and Realme's cheapest noise-cancelling buds start at $199.

While Nothing may be a new brand without any established audio pedigree, the buds themselves have been tuned by Teenage Engineering, a Swedish manufacturer renowned for its cult synthesizers like the OP1.

In terms of battery, you can expect up to six hours per charge, with the case giving you a total of 34 hours of tune time before you need to top up. The buds are also rated IPX4 for water resistance and support fast pairing on Android devices.

You'll be able to order the ear(1)s direct from Nothing's local website from 9pm AEST tonight.

UPDATE (18/08/21): Nothing's Australian store has sold out of its initial batch of ear(1)s, but you can pop in your email address to be notified when they're back in stock. 

Alex Choros

Managing Editor + Group Telco Editor | X | Instagram | Threads | LinkedIn

Alex Choros is the Managing Editor of WhistleOut Australia and an award-winning journalist. He's been writing about consumer technology for over a decade and is an expert on the Australian telco sector, to the point where he knows far too many phone and internet plans by heart. In addition to leading the WhistleOut editorial team, Alex is responsible for ruining the office Sonos with his troubled taste in music.

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