Nothing is a relatively new brand that was started by the founder of OnePlus, Carl Pei in 2020. The Nothing Ear 1 is Nothing’s debut product and its mission is extreme minimalism; to create tech that simply disappears into the background. There’s been so much talk and hype around Nothing’s unveiling, particularly from Carl Pei and the OnePlus community on Twitter. The question is: Did Nothing fulfil the vast expectations they set themselves or are they just another tech company who will claim anything just to get a headline?
In a world with hundreds of popular wireless earphone brands bringing out a product that stands out from the rest is difficult. Our Nothing Ear 1’s unboxing experience was pretty unique, especially compared to the likes of the Apple Airpod Pros. The packaging was distinct and really echoed quality. Inside was a short USB-C cable, your basic user manuals, small and large ear tips (the earphones themselves coming pre-fitted with medium) and the Nothing Ear 1’s themselves. For £99, the Nothing Ear 1’s exceeded our expectations during our unboxing and that’s not to mention that it also features splash and sweat resistance, wireless charging, top-tier battery efficiency and the very latest Bluetooth 5.2 for the best quality audio.
They sound like they’re a force to be reckoned with so far, however, the real test comes down to its design, fit and noise cancelling. So how does Nothing Ear 1 really hold up against the rest?
Design
The design of the Nothing Ear 1’s is nothing short of impressive! They’ve used a completely unique approach by housing their earbuds inside a transparent case that accentuates the underlying basis of their whole brand, minimalism that amounts to Nothing. Now that’s intelligent design and not something that is easy to pull off either. During our unboxing which you can check out here, we took close inspection to see whether there are any viable seals of glue or loose copper wiring and yet, Nothing. Everything from coloured dots to help differentiate from left and right, squared-off stems for an easier grip as well as allowing for a larger mic, and a robust chassis. Nothing may have just done everything right when designing the Nothing Ear 1 earphones.
Fit
During our review of the Nothing Ear 1’s, we found the fit to be a real treat. Though different from the original Airpods that Jack was used to he warmed up to the shape of the Nothing Ear 1’s quite quickly, going as far to say that he preferred the comfort that the Nothing Ear 1’s had offered over his daily driver for over two years! As with many wireless earphones, after wearing them for prolonged periods of time, users can feel a sense of pressure as though they are underwater. Sound familiar? Well, Nothing has overcome this by adding small air vents that equalise pressure. Jack from the team here decided to take the Nothing Ear 1’s to the gym during his testing for our review to see how they really hold up during workout sessions and over the two-hour session, he forgot they were there.
Noise Cancelling
The active noise cancelling on the Nothing Ear 1’s is satisfactory and comes in two different modes (light and maximum) which can be swapped between through the stem gesture controls and/or the App. The noise reduction is good and they don’t leak any sound however the reason we scored this as satisfactory is because they don’t quite give you the sensation that you’re in your own world like other earphones can. With that said the noise cancelling is still good for a £99 set. Furthermore, the Nothing Ear 1’s also come with a transparency mode which amplifies incoming sound waves. This in turn lets you have a conversation with someone without the need to take the earphones out.
Sound
The Nothing Ear 1’s emphasises higher midrange vocals, bringing them forwards in the mix to amplify detail and excitement. The treble on the Nothing Ear 1’s is good and the shape of the ear tips allow for the bass to be locked in well. The balance between the two is well maintained and it really does a good job of bringing out individual instruments from song to song. One thing we may mention however is that during higher-volume testing the audio did lose its fidelity at above 70% however in all fairness for a headset at this price range we wouldn’t expect any less.
All in all, the Nothing Ear 1’s are quite something! Through the design, its fit, the ANC and sound it ceases to disappoint us and we’d recommend this as a strong pick against the entry-level air pods and even the galaxy buds pro. You can have a look at our full review of the Nothing Ear 1’s soon on our YouTube or if you want to see our 30 second breakdown of the Nothing Ear 1’s we’ve got that as well. Let us know what you think of these below!
