Nothing’s new Ear (2) headphones have it all

First product launched by Nothing, the Ear (1) had found its audience thanks to an unbeatable price, an assertive design and a fairly solid technical sheet. Moreover, the brand founded by the ex-CEO of OnePlus, Carl Pei, claims to have sold more than 600,000 copies; a rather remarkable performance for such a young brand. After about a year and a half of good and loyal service, the Ear (1) are being replaced by the Ear (2), which promise great sound improvements but also the addition of some welcome features.

An unchanged, but still iconic design

Visually, it’s not easy to differentiate these new Ear (2) from their predecessors. They retain their characteristic design based on black, white and transparent plastic shells, allowing the various electronic components to show through. The case, also very similar, however, is a little smaller and made from better quality plastic; it should therefore be more resistant to the ravages of time. The case is also IP55 certified, while the headphones are satisfied with an IP54 certification against splashing water, perspiration and dust.

New microphones for better noise reduction

The microphone part has been completely redesigned to provide better voice pickup, especially when the wind is blowing, but also to optimize the performance of active noise reduction. Nothing thus promises an attenuation of up to 40 dB, which we will not fail to verify during our test to be published in the coming days. Moreover, the Ear (2) have different noise reduction modes, including an “Adaptive” which allows you to level the power of the reduction according to the surrounding noise. Three modes will be fully customizable at the user’s discretion.

The promise of better sound

The Ear (2) feature new speakers entirely designed by Nothing. Larger (11.6 mm), they should offer better defined highs and deeper bass. The headphones now support the LHDC 5.0 Bluetooth codec, earning them the Hi-Res medal. However, this codec is only available on phones from Chinese manufacturers such as Xiaomi, Huawei or Oppo, but not on Samsung’s Galaxy and even less on Apple’s iPhones. The Ear (2) also accommodate the multipoint function which allows them to connect to two devices simultaneously.

The Ear (2) benefit from the new Nothing X app, within which it is possible to act on multiple parameters. For example, it is possible to establish your own listening profile thanks to a ten-minute test, like what Jabra or JBL do with their headphones. In addition, the Ear (2) promise a gain of 2 hours of autonomy compared to the Ear (1). They would therefore be able to stay awake between 6:00 a.m. and 7:30 a.m. depending on whether or not active noise reduction is activated.

The Ear (2) are already available at a price of €149, or €50 more than the Ear (1) when they were released. As a reminder, Nothing had revised the price positioning of its range when the Ear (stick) was released, increasing the price of the Ear (1) to €149.