One of the most bold claims ever made is that the Nothing Ear (2) is the company’s “first ever second generation product.” The new model has a number of enhancements but places the greatest emphasis on enhancing the sound quality over the previous generation. The Ear (2) is priced at $149, which is the same as the Ear (1)’s current pricing, which was initially set at $99. Let’s just get started since there is a lot to cover.
Nothing Ear (2) Review
Design
A few adjustments have been made to the Ear (2)’s design, notably to the case. The new case is smaller in all respects, but you won’t really notice the difference until you’re holding it next to the previous one.
In contrast to the predecessor’s curves, the new case’s edges are more angular. The huge central indentation that held the earbuds in place has been reduced in size, although the lid still retains a similar appearance.
The case’s bottom appears to have had its cover removed. The bottom cover of the Ear (1) case covered all of the opaque plastic components inside, but the Ear (2) case leaves the white plastic components exposed. You can even feel the curve of the earbud receptacles. Since there are no glossy plastics on the bottom, scratches should be less noticeable there than in the previous case.
Speaking of white plastics, this time around they don’t have the dimpled finish of their predecessor; instead, they have a plain white texture that you can actually touch because they are no longer protected by clear plastic. It is unknown how long they will continue to be white after being in contact with the outer world.
The Ear (2) case has a certain aesthetic that gives it the impression that it is a step backward. To cut expenses, it seems like they eliminated large pieces of clear plastic from all over and blanded and simplified the opaque plastic. The new lid, which featured a narrower hinge than my two-year-old Ear (1) versions, moved much more side to side. The Ear (1) case lid also closed with a far more pleasant bang than the Ear (2) lid, which invariably clanks shut.
Also, the new design is less appealingly homogenous on the outside. It was simple to distinguish one side from the other in the Ear (1) case because to its narrower hinge and smaller magnet. The form and size of the hinge and magnet on The Ear (2) make it difficult to identify which way it opens without paying close attention every time.
The actual earbuds resemble their predecessors extremely closely. The only discernible change is that the side-mounted touch-sensitive gesture area has been replaced with pressure-sensitive buttons.
The earbuds and case are both water-resistant. The earbuds are IP54 rated, while the casing is certified IP55. This model is an improvement over the prior one, which only gave the earbuds an IPX4 rating.
Comfort
These earbuds, called The Ear (2), are cosy. Only a small portion of the pattern hangs outside your ears; the majority is inside your ears. The silicone tips are soft and comfortable in the ear, and the inner ear shape is subtle.
The new pressure-sensitive gesture region on the earbuds is the problem. They are really simple to press even when you are only holding the stem to take them out of your ears, but they work great when you are purposefully using them. Since activating the gesture requires absolutely little effort, it happened practically every time I removed them.
I eventually had to use unconventional grips, like pulling them out while gripping the stem at the top and bottom. Although handling the earbuds in this manner increases the likelihood that I may drop them, I’d rather take that chance than push the button each time I take them out.
Software and Features
The Nothing X app for iOS and Android or the Bluetooth settings on a phone can be used to operate the Ear (2). (1). Here, you can access features like low latency mode, a customised ANC and sound profile, and find my earphones. You can also alter the ANC settings, touch gestures, and audio effects.
The ANC features four adaptive settings that alter automatically according on your surroundings in addition to three customizable degrees of adjustment. Also, there is a customised ANC option that performs a test to tailor the ANC frequency response to your ears and the surrounding environment. Only when there is enough background noise around you can you do this test; otherwise, it will not.
The issue with customised active noise cancellation (personalised ANC), which I also noticed with the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, is that the profile it creates is extremely tailored to your individual ambient noise pattern. If you’re, instance, in an aeroplane and the ambient noise pattern is quite stable, this could lead to decent outcomes. Unfortunately, you could not get decent results if the noise varies widely. Also, using a profile created in one context in another can lead to less desirable outcomes. In these circumstances, it is preferable to simply turn off customised ANC and utilise the default one.
An ear tip fit test is also available on the app. The test tone used to verify this in the older firmware was the same as the one found on OnePlus and Oppo earbuds. Although a later update to the earbuds adjusted this to a new tone, given the relationship between the founders of the aforementioned firms and Nothing, I considered the circumstance to be pretty humorous.
Additionally, The Ear (2)’s app features a custom EQ, which the Ear (1) still does not have. It’s not much; you only get a 3-band adjustment set up in an absurd circular pattern, but it’s better than the Ear (1)’s four presets.
During testing, The Ear (2) experienced a few small flaws. The ear detection frequently stopped working, and when the earbuds were taken out of the ear, nothing happened. This indicates that the sound did not automatically pause and continued to play. Typically, only one earbud would experience this at a time, and if you removed the other, the audio would pause as intended. The earphones would function normally once they were put back in the case.
I also wanted to highlight the volume of the various notifications on the earphones, which is not a bug. The sound the earbuds generate when they are put in your ears can occasionally be rather loud. Similar to that, the low battery alert noise is also loud and always startles me. These alarms shouldn’t be as loud and irritating as they currently are for no cause at all.
Performance
The most recent firmware version available at the time of testing, version 1.0.1.85, is used for all observations in this evaluation.
Audio Quality
The drivers in the Nothing Ear (2) are an improvement over the first version. The diaphragm has been changed with a new material that employs graphene and polyurethane, but they still feature the same 11.6mm dynamic design. A new dual-chamber design has been added to the earphones’ interior. In addition to SBC and AAC, the earbuds support LHDC 5.0 (also known as LHDC-V). LHDC 5.0 now supports up to 192kHz sample rates and up to 1Mbps bitrate, despite the fact that it is still a lossy codec.
Before discussing the audio, I should point out that using LHDC 5.0 in its default settings with our Nothing Phone (1) evaluation unit resulted in noticeable high-frequency distortion. The bitrate settings might be changed to resolve this, but doing so created other issues that are covered in the Connectivity section. Instead of using SBC and AAC, the majority of the audio testing was conducted using LHDC 3.0.
The sound quality of The Ear (2) is noticeably better than that of its predecessor. Even though it has the same kind of v-shaped tune, it sounds noticeably better in many ways.
The low-end still has a bass boost shelf applied, but it appears to stop at a lower frequency than before, making the low bass regions more confined. The bass also sounds punchier and more accurate and has a significantly faster attack and fade than previously. It never sounds bloated or overwhelming and is one of the more pleasing bass tunings I’ve heard in this part.
Moreover, the mid-range on the ear exhibits significant improvement (2). The mid-range of The Ear (1) was a little crowded and fuzzier in sound, but it only supported the bass and treble ranges. On the Ear (2), the mid-range sounds significantly fuller and more in tune with the other frequencies. Here, there is a lot more distinction and detail than there was previously.
Despite this, the mid-range on the Ear (2) is still far from ideal. Some male vocals lose all presence and authority in the mix due to a decrease in the mids. Given that the drop is rather narrow band in nature, neither deeper male nor female vocals are impacted by this.
The Ear (2) occasionally manages to be actually fascinating and pleasurable to listen to, even when leaving aside EQ shenanigans and the occasionally lethal treble. This time around, it is obvious that the drivers are of greater quality because of how the sound is affected. Also, the sound has a strong sense of imaging and location throughout the room and is rather large. Also, the subtle bass tuning raises the sound above the majority of competing products in this market. I really wish Nothing would stop obsessing about piercing treble, or at the very least, provide users with a more complex custom EQ.
Microphone
The performance of the microphone was average. Although the voice sounds realistic, the aggressive background noise removal system interrupts your speech too much, even in peaceful settings. The voices would be much clearer if they could just slightly lower the noise cancellation.
Noise Cancellation
Sadly, The Ear (2) has a few problems and only average noise cancellation performance.
For some reason, the ANC’s performance is constantly changing, which is really obvious when nothing is playing. Even when manually set to the High setting, the ANC continues to make very noticeable level adjustments every few seconds. It doesn’t even appear to be adjusting to the environment; rather, it seems to be doing so in a random way. When everything appears to be running smoothly one moment, suddenly more low-frequency noise starts to enter the system. While it is more obvious outside, it also occurs in more sedate settings. Just as with music playing, you’re less likely to notice it there.
The customised ANC is also not the panacea it would seem to be, as was already mentioned. It generates tuning tailored for the noise levels in your environment, which doesn’t work well in different settings. In fact, even after numerous hand customised ANC calibration tests, the general ANC frequently just produced better results. Even if it already adjusts to that degree of noise when used on a plane, I still advise using it. Nevertheless, you should also try turning it off to see if the situation improves or deteriorates.
If the best ANC currently offered on TWS is a level 5, even at its finest, the ANC is a reliable level 3. This is a step up from the Ear (1), which was barely a level 2, but it still falls short of some of the greatest products we have encountered, such the Sony LinkBuds S. Low frequencies are well suppressed, but mid and high frequencies aren’t as good. Even now, as I type this, I can clearly hear the AC running behind me over the background noise. I would be unaware that the AC was on if I were using the LinkBuds S at this very moment.
Transparency mode is also merely adequate. Despite the slightly muffled sound, it can still be used.
Latency
The Ear (2) performs poorly in terms of latency. The default latency on the Nothing X app is terrible, coming in at about 300ms without the low lag option. This renders it useless on gadgets like laptops or media players that don’t support the Nothing X app.
The latency is still quite terrible even with the low lag option enabled, but it should be acceptable for casual gaming or apps that allow you play instruments, for instance.
The delay is noticeable even when you’re merely watching videos on your phone. But, the delay on the Ear (2) is so high by default that the sync is still unsatisfactory. Normally, phones will automatically sync the video to account for the audio delay. I would advise turning on the low lag setting even for video to get nice synchronisation.
Connectivity
During testing, The Ear (2) experienced a number of connectivity problems. One example is that LHDC 5.0 does not function as anticipated. The Nothing Phone (1) becomes unusable after a few seconds when set to the full 1Mbps bitrate because it begins to stutter. Even 900kbps is too slow to use. Only when you down the bit rate all the way to 500kbps does it function reasonably steadily. All of these observations were made when I was sitting still and holding the phone at a desk less than an arm’s length away. If the phone was in a backpack or pocket, the situation would be considerably worse.
It was unable to narrow down the problems to the earphones, the phone, or both since LHDC 5.0 testing was conducted exclusively with the Nothing Phone (1). In any case, they are both employees of the same organisation, thus it is now up to them to identify the problem.
There was distortion when using LHDC 5.0, as was previously highlighted in the section on audio quality. The only viable bitrates, as previously noted, are 500 kbps and lower, where this strangely only manifested. You may go higher, but as you go, the audio will start to skip and the distortion will end.
On our review unit, these problems made LHDC 5.0 utterly unusable. The distortion problem was resolved when I downgraded to LHDC 3.0, the next possible choice on the Phone (1), although I could still have audio stuttering if I were to be overly ambitious with the bitrate.
Moreover, I struggled to get LHDC to function at all on several non-Nothing phones. It worked perfectly with Xiaomi phones but not with Qualcomm chipset-equipped OnePlus phones. The Bluetooth menu on OnePlus phones with MediaTek chipsets would indicate that it was utilising LHDC, but the developer options revealed that it was actually only AAC until you explicitly switched.
The Ear (2) does allow for simultaneous connections to two devices. It’s not difficult to achieve this, and if both paired devices enable it, the earphones can use LHDC. As with other bugs, this one was resolved by putting the earphones in the case and trying again. It also functioned well, with the exception of one instance where one of the linked devices could connect to only one of the earbuds while the other was connected to both.
Battery
With ANC off, The Ear (2)’s battery life is rated at 6.3 hours, while with it on, it lasts 4 hours. As the ANC is only engaged when the earbuds detect being inserted into your ears, I was unable to test the performance of the ANC while the battery was being tested. Hence, the ANC could not be activated.
I thus tested with LHDC and AAC for the ANC off results. Battery life for the AAC run was 5.7 hours, which is close enough to the 6.3 hours reported by Nothing to indicate that it was tested with both AAC and SBC. The LHDC test, however, only lasted 4 hours, which is drastically inadequate. Just to be clear, this is with the ANC off.
As a result, the battery life of the Ear (2), when used as designed with LHDC and ANC, is only about 2-3 hours, which is appalling for a pair of contemporary earbuds.
The two earphones in our test unit also exhibited a significant difference, with the left one having a substantially shorter battery life. The data above are from the right unit, which lasted longer, so as to give the product the benefit of the doubt. Usually, the left one passed away a good hour earlier.
FAQ
What is the price of ear 2?
The cost of Nothing Ear (2) is set at Rs 9,999 in India.
Nothing Ear (2), which replaces Nothing Ear (1) and Nothing Ear Stick, supports Hi-Res audio, LHDC 5.0, and has a battery life of up to 36 hours. While Nothing Ear (2)’s hardware isn’t all that different from the previous Ear (1).
Is nothing ear 1 discontinued?
The firm swiftly removed the Nothing Ear (1) from its official selling site, Flipkart, after introducing the Nothing Ear (stick) earbuds in India back in October 2022.
Is Nothing Ear 1 worth the price?
The Nothing Ear 1 is an excellent value at $149. Nothing perfectly balances the three requirements for a genuine wireless earbud: excellent audio quality, active noise cancellation, and a secure fit. The Nothing Ear 1 stands out from the crowded field of low-cost earbuds with to features like IPX4 waterproofing, auto play/pause, and wireless charging.
Conclusion
I stated at the outset of the review that the Ear (2)’s primary goal was to enhance audio quality, and that’s pretty much what I saw. The Ear (2)’s audio quality surpasses that of the Ear (1) without a doubt. Despite its difficulties with the treble being a little too bright, it is actually one of the best-sounding wireless earbuds in its price range.
The Ear (2) is a mediocre sequel except from that. The design, which was praised last time by everyone and their dog, feels dated and inferior. The customizability of the Nothing X app is still constrained, and the programme can occasionally be glitchy. Both the latency performance and battery life are quite poor. Also, things simply don’t operate as expected; both the ANC and the fancy new LHDC 5.0 codec have bugs.
Thankfully, the most of the problems are software-related and resolvable. Hopefully Nothing won’t take too long to have the Ear (2) up and running to its maximum capacity.
Pros
- Still has a distinctive design
- Good overall audio quality
- Comfortable
- Dual connection support
- IP rating for case and earbuds
Cons
- Harsh treble tuning
- Inconsistent ANC performance
- LHDC 5.0 implementation has many issues
- Pinch gestures are way too sensitive
- Poor battery life
- Subpar latency for gaming
- Nothing X app offers limited customizability
- Case looks and feels worse than the Ear (1)
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