Barely made official, the Nothing Ear and Ear (a) seem to want to inaugurate a new generation of intelligent headphones at affordable prices. Keen to offer a more immersive listening experience, Nothing confirms that its new headphones benefit from integration with ChatGPT.
Nothing, the audio brand founded by Carl Pei, former co-founder of OnePlus, continues to make waves following the successful launch of its latest smartphone last summer, the very surprising Nothing Phone (2). After the marketing of the Nothing Ear (2) in March 2023, the London brand is now preparing to deploy two new pairs of wireless headphones: the Nothing Ear and Ear (a). These headphones stand out for their elegant design, their advanced technology, but also for their integration with ChatGPT, OpenAI’s revolutionary language model that needs no introduction.
Nothing Ear: a new era of wireless headphones connected to ChatGPT
Presented as an improved version of the Ear (2), the Ear retains its transparent design. This new iteration, equipped with a new ceramic diaphragm, promises to deliver richer sound, according to the press release published by Nothing this Thursday, April 18.
In order to improve air circulation, and thus provide clearer sound, Nothing has reworked the dual-chamber design of the Ear (2) by integrating two additional vents. The headphones feature active noise cancellation (ANC) technology of up to 45 dB, allowing you to block out external distractions and allow you to fully concentrate on your music or podcasts. Note that these are compatible with the LDAC and LHDC 5.0 codecs created by Sony.
Benefiting from significantly longer battery life (+25% compared to the previous generation), the Ear offers 40.5 hours of listening time with the case when ANC is deactivated, and up to 24 hours of battery life when time ANC is activated. In addition, the latter benefit from wireless charging at 2.5 W, and provide up to ten hours of listening time with the case after just ten minutes thanks to fast charging.
Obviously, one of the most notable features of Nothing Ear is, of course, its integration with ChatGPT. If the brand has not shared many details, it nevertheless affirms that this association of ChatGPT with its headphones will offer users “ instant access to resources directly from the devices they use most, headphones and smartphones “.
Ear (a): more affordable headphones, but with premium features?
The Ear (a) are a more affordable alternative to the Nothing Ear. Primarily intended for smaller budgets, these headphones nevertheless remain efficient, particularly in terms of autonomy. The brand announces up to 42.5 hours of battery life without ANC and up to 24.5 hours with active noise reduction.
If the Ear (a) also benefits from fast charging (10 minutes for ten hours), they however ignore the wireless charging function offered by the Ear. In addition, unlike their counterparts, the Ear (a) are only compatible with the LDAC codec (and not with the LHDC 5.0 codec).
However, like Nothing Ear, Ear (a) supports the features offered by ChatGPT.
The Ear and Ear (a) are expected on April 22, in just a few days, at the respective prices of 149 euros and 99 euros. Note that for the more affordable variant of its headphones, Nothing has opted for a brand new yellow color, in addition to the usual black and white. You will also notice that the latter feature a new design, with a more user-friendly and rounded case, contrasting considerably with the codes hitherto adopted by the English brand.
€129.99
8
- Very convincing sound
- Build quality and comfort
- Ergonomic richness (commands, functions, multi-point)
Design and high-tech, the Nothing Ear (2) have little to envy of more high-end headphones.
Still as original and elegant, this transparent wireless set subtly modernizes its shape, particularly the case, in order to correct what could have been done on the first version. In fact, if nothing is revolutionary in terms of controls and comfort, these true wireless provide the essentials, and their only ergonomic fault is the disappearance of the rod sweep (volume adjustment).
For the rest, the good general autonomy combines with a rich user experience, and effective microphones in calls, which makes it a particularly complete product. Active noise reduction, in progress compared to the first generation, only shows its limits when it comes to voice management.
Finally, the sound quality is an opportunity for Nothing to return to a certain balance. More technical but just as energetic as the Ear (1), the Ear (2) do not yet reach the degree of mastery of Airpods Pro 2 or Sony WF-1000Xm5, but they are placed among the mid-range Bluetooth headphones. range.
Design and high-tech, the Nothing Ear (2) have little to envy of more high-end headphones.
Still as original and elegant, this transparent wireless set subtly modernizes its shape, particularly the case, in order to correct what could have been done on the first version. In fact, if nothing is revolutionary in terms of controls and comfort, these true wireless provide the essentials, and their only ergonomic fault is the disappearance of the rod sweep (volume adjustment).
For the rest, the good general autonomy combines with a rich user experience, and effective microphones in calls, which makes it a particularly complete product. Active noise reduction, in progress compared to the first generation, only shows its limits when it comes to voice management.
Finally, the sound quality is an opportunity for Nothing to return to a certain balance. More technical but just as energetic as the Ear (1), the Ear (2) do not yet reach the degree of mastery of Airpods Pro 2 or Sony WF-1000Xm5, but they are placed among the mid-range Bluetooth headphones. range.
Source: Press release
A fan of series, cinema and new technologies, it was my penchant for video games that got the better of me. Getting lost between Libertalia, the seas of Sea of Thieves and Kaer Morhen, such is the life I decided to lead between writing two articles.
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