Nothing Ear 2 in the test: Glass in-ears with a crystal-clear sound

The company Nothing has only been around since 2020, but it has long been known to many technology enthusiasts. On the one hand, this is due to prominent supporters such as YouTuber Casey Neistat or Reddit CEO Steve Huffman. On the other hand, the first products like Nothing Phone (1) or Nothing Ear (stick) attracted attention with their unusual transparent design and a relatively low price.

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This also applies to the transparent headphones Nothing Ear 1 (test report), which are now hardly available. Not bad, because the successors to the Nothing Ear 2 true wireless headphones tested here are in stores.

The main differences between Nothing Ear 1 and Nothing Ear 2

• Optimized 11.6mm drivers that now have more room to move.
• Improved chipset and codecs, including LHDC (Hi-Res Audio)
• More effective ANC (noise cancellation)
• Sound profile has been optimized with the help of the community.
• Longer battery life
• Better protection against dust and moisture (headphones protected according to IP54, charging case according to IP55)
• Different controls: Instead of stroking the case, you now press the wand with two fingers.

design and processing

Visually, the earbuds, which cost 149 euros at the start, and the partially transparent charging case differ from their predecessors only in details. The charging case has become a little smaller. Nevertheless, thanks to chip tuning, the manufacturer promises a longer battery life of up to 36 hours in total, which proves to be realistic in the test.

Even if the design is now well-known, you still stand out with the Nothing-In-Ears. This is mainly due to the transparent rods, which are not completely transparent, but still allow a glimpse of the built-in technology that is unique in the competitive environment.

Nothing Ear (2) – Pictures from everyday testing

A distinctive red dot on the right headphone makes it easier to insert into the charging case and into the right ear. The actual headphone body is completely white, like Apple’s AirPods Pro.

The processing of the charging case falls behind that of the headphones. In the example provided to us by the manufacturer, we discover slight play in the lid. Nothing also stated that the scratch resistance of the case had been increased. A test with a bunch of keys quickly gave us a different picture. Slight pressure is enough to leave deep scars in the clear lid.

Fit of the Nothing Ear (2)

The in-ears, each weighing only 4.5 grams, come with three different silicone attachments. Size M is fitted ex works. If you can’t get along with it, you will find sizes S and L in the package alongside a USB-C charging cable.

The Nothing headphones are hardly noticeable in the ear. You can easily wear them until the battery level runs out. Once you’ve found the right size for the attachments – the accompanying app even helps you with this – you don’t run the risk of losing the True Wireless headphones even with the heaviest headbanging.

Should this happen, a look at the app will help. If you wish, lost headphones will play a tone at maximum volume, which can make your search easier. But you shouldn’t move too far away, because the sound is very quiet despite everything. Nothing has a location function like Apple offers with its Where is? network.

Sound test: We are pleasantly surprised

Before launching, Nothing had the Ear 2’s sound rated by its global community. The feedback from Europe, China, India and the USA has led to what we find to be a very pleasing tuning that does not require an equalizer intervention, which is still possible.

The bass – a criticism of the first generation – is significantly more voluminous. At times he plays a little too boldly in the foreground, making voices sound a bit pale. This won’t bother fans of electronic music, we manually adjusted pop pieces and took the bass out of the air.

The three-dimensionality is successful, the headphones create an immersive depth and sound wide-ranging. The stereo effect is clearly perceptible. If your favorite streaming service supports it, tracks with codecs AAC, SBC and even LHDC 5.0 (Hi-Res Audio) will land in your ears. The US YouTuber DMS tracked down the improved sound of the Nothing Ear (2) with measurements. Subjectively, we like the Nothing sound even better than that of the first generation AirPods Pro.

How effective is noise cancellation (ANC)?

When it comes to active noise cancellation (ANC), however, Apple’s AirPods Pro remain the measure of all things. The Nothing headphones also have ANC, suppressing annoying ambient noise by up to 40 dB.

You can even adjust the ANC as you like using the app, and there is also a transparency mode that lets outside noise through with the help of the built-in microphones. We really like the sound that the headphones make when activating the ANC. A kind of exhalation can be heard.

But each mode comes with a clear noise. If we set the ANC function to the highest level and stand in front of a switched on, humming microwave with the Nothing Ear 2, the noise remains perceptible. We were able to gather similar experiences during a train journey.

The best in-ear headphones in the test and comparison: Everything is just right here

As with all ANC headphones, other noises, especially higher frequencies, still get through to you. The perfect ANC, which can even block out children’s screams or the shrill bicycle bell, remains wishful thinking. Nevertheless, the function is a welcome plus point, even if the Nothing Ear (2) is not perfectly executed.

steering

The operation of the in-ear headphones is much better than in the predecessors. Nothing, like Apple and other headphone manufacturers, now relies on squeezing the pins, the behavior of which you can adjust individually for the right and left stick via the app. Pressing it once starts or pauses music playback, for example, twice “squeezing” skips the track.

The app can also be used to set the volume up or down by pressing and holding twice. Compared to tapping the headphone body, which is always accompanied by an uncomfortable hit to the inner ear, we expressly welcome this change.

Buy Nothing Ear (2): price and availability

The in-ear headphones can be bought exclusively in the manufacturer’s online shop at a price of 149 euros until March 28, 2023. After that, the Nothing Ear (2) will also be available in regular stores, for example at Amazon.

At Nothing 149 euros*

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At 149 euros*

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We also noticed that

• Telephoning with inserted headphones works perfectly. Both the caller and we had no problems communicating during the test phase. Wind noise is reliably eliminated.
• The headphones automatically detect when they are in your ear and pause playback when you remove them from your ear.
• The charging case supports wireless charging and can also charge compatible devices such as the Nothing Phone (1).
• The headphones support dual connections. So you can pair it with two devices at the same time, such as your laptop and your smartphone.

Nothing Ear 2

editorial rating 9.0 reader ratings

14 reviews

wearing comfort and processing

8.0

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Transparency note: Nothing provided us with the Nothing Ear (2) for this test. The condition for this was that we did not report on our experiences before the official release.

Nothing Ear 2: The best alternatives

Don’t you agree? Are you looking for suitable alternatives? Below are the best Nothing Ear 2 alternatives. You can find an even more comprehensive list in our headphone overview.

Nothing Ear 2 data sheet

Here you will find the technical data for Nothing Ear 2. You can easily compare size, weight and other properties with other products.

Weight	4.5 grams per earbud
design	In Ear (True Wireless)
Bluetooth	Bluetooth 5.3
ANC	yes (dynamic)
Operation on the headphones	✔ Yes
wired remote control	✘ No
battery life	up to 36 hours
charging case	✔ Yes
aptX	✘ No

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