Nothing's New Open Ear Earphones Make Debut
The earphones will be available for pre-order on the company's website beginning 24 September, with a global release date of 1 October
Nothing has released its first set of open wearable stereo (OWS) earphones, the Nothing Ear Open, designed for consumers who wish to be aware of their surroundings while listening to audio. The new earphones, which cost USD 149, are meant to fit just inside the ear canal without completely sealing it, making them a viable alternative to regular noise-cancelling earbuds.
The Nothing Ear Open earphones have an open design that allows outside sounds in, making them ideal for users who need to be aware of their surroundings. This trend, which can also be seen with Shokz bone-conduction headphones and Bose's Ultra Open earbuds, represents a transition away from active noise-cancelling technologies and towards more open, situationally aware listening experiences.
The Nothing Ear Open earphones have a battery life of up to eight hours on a full charge. The accompanying 19-millimeter-thick charging case provides an additional 22 hours of use, bringing the total to 30. While wireless charging is not available, the earbuds do allow fast charging, providing two hours of listening time after only a 10-minute USB-C charge.
The earbuds have 14.2-millimeter drivers, the largest found in any Nothing earbud to date, and are meant to reduce sound leakage. For calls, each earbud has two microphones and the company's Clear Voice Technology 3.0, which eliminates background noise.
The earphones are held in place via a ‘three-point balance system’ and silicone ear hooks. They are the heaviest in Nothing's line-up, weighing 8.1 grammes each, yet they are designed to be comfortable even after extended usage, as claimed. Bluetooth 5.3 provides connectivity, including support for AAC and SBC codecs, dual-device pairing and a ‘Low Lag Mode’ for gaming, which is automatically engaged on Nothing phones in Game Mode.
The Nothing Ear Open earphones will be available for pre-order on the company's website beginning 24 September in the United States, Canada and Europe, with a global release date of 1 October. These earphones may also be customised and managed using the Nothing smartphone app, which includes capabilities such as ChatGPT integration.
