Nothing ear(1) Wire-Free Earbuds Review: Clearly Good Value

I'm going to upfront; the main reason I was intrigued by Nothing's ear(1) wireless buds is the design. I'm an absolute sucker for translucent gadgets. They evoke a nostalgia that brings to mind the Nintendo products of my youth, where translucent tech was the coolest thing you could own.

Outside of the odd console controller, translucent devices have seemingly disappeared for the most part. In that vein, the Nothing ear(1)s are a bit of an oddity, especially in the wire-free headphone market where we've seen countless takes on Apple's "white stick" aesthetic. Admittedly, the ear(1)s still look like AirPods. But really cool AirPods. While they're not unique in the same manner way Samsung's bean-like Galaxy Buds Live are, the ear(1)s speak to me in a way that most headphones don't.

There's just something neat at getting a peek behind the curtain. Passers-by almost certainly won't notice the subtle details, but it's something I really appreciate. Up close, the ear(1)s are a striking piece of industrial design, and the partially transparent case helps reinforce that proposition.

More than just a transparent face

Of course, aesthetics aren't a great reason to buy a pair of headphones, so let's start from the top. The ear(1)s are the first product from Nothing, a new start from the former founder of OnePlus (OPPO's sister company). While an unknown brand might not be your go to for a pair of headphones, Nothing's partnered with Teenage Engineering - a Swedish firm renowned for its cult synthesisers - to add a bit of audio pedigree.

The pitch is you're getting a fully featured set of wireless earbuds for just $149, with noise-cancellation and all. From a pure specification perspective, it's hard to beat the ear(1)s locally; the cheapest noise-cancelling rivals from other manufacturers start at $199. So what does $149 buy you other than a unique design?

At a minimum, the ear(1)s deliver on sound quality. They sound great for the money; better than I expected. Out of the box you get a warm, full sound with a slight preference for bass frequencies. The clarity isn't on par with pricier buds like the AirPods Pro - you can lose a little bit of detail on more layered tracks - but the ear(1)s offer an enjoyable day-to-day listening experience.

The companion app lets you tweak how the ear(1)s sound, but you've only got three extra presets to pick from. The out of the box "balanced" setting is definitely my pick, with the bass option pushing the buds' subtle low-end emphasis to the point of being too in your face. The treble and voice settings are bad, and should be avoided entirely.

While noise-cancellation at $149 is a tantalising prospect, the end result is just okay. The ear(1)s definitely help soften the outside world, but they don't block it out entirely. You can still hear yourself typing through them, for example, but they help cut noise if you've got the windows open, for example.

I was trying to avoid making a Simpsons joke, but weighing in at just 4.7 grams per bud, the ear(1)s are super comfortable, whether you're having an extended listening session or out for a run. They almost feel like wearing nothing at all. Stupid sexy ear(1)s. The buds rated IPX4 for water resistance, which means they can handle sweat and light rain.

The bundled battery case is bigger than what you'd find with most wire-free earbuds, but this does mean you can top the ear(1)s up a couple more times before you need to recharge the case itself. The buds themselves aren't that special - you'll get to four hours with noise-cancelling on and 5.7 hours without it - but the charging case takes that to 27 hours and 34 hours respectively. Most charging cases top out around the 24-hour mark.

First-generation feels

While the ear(1)s are a solid first attempt at headphones from a manufacturer that hasn't made any other products, they can't quite escape the first-generation feels. They work well for the most part, but I've experienced a few too many little glitches while using the ear(1)s. There have been times where my music would pause for no reason, times where my noise cancellation switched itself off, and times where phone calls would be directed to my phone speaker even though I was wearing the ear(1)s.

These issues haven't been consistent - and when I experienced them, popping the buds back in the case for a second solved them - but they can still be a little annoying. I've been out for a run for over an hour and had nothing but perfect playback, but there have been times where I've gotten weird audio pauses when just sitting at my desk. Nothing has however been pretty good at releasing regular firmware updates for the ear(1)s, so hopefully it can sort out these issues out down the line. 

I did however have one major issue that left the ear(1)s unusable for a couple of hours. At one stage my phones - both an iPhone and Android - stopped detecting the right earbud. I tried unpairing them so I could re-pair them to solve the issue, but the ear(1)s refused to enter pairing mode after. Leaving the buds for a few hours fixed this, but it was one of those issues that left me wondering if the ear(1)s would actually work again. Fortunately, I only experienced it once.

Nothing ear(1) - Final Thoughts

If it weren't for a somewhat inconsistent experience, I'd easily call the Nothing ear(1)s the best value wire-free earbuds you can buy. You just can't this kind of feature set for this kind of money anywhere else. They're an admirable first start for a new manufacturer, sound more than good enough, and flat out look great. The occasional glitches make it hard to say the ear(1)s are the best bet for everyone, but it's hard to do better for under $150.

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.

Read full bio