Nothing announced the Nothing Ear (open), its first open-ear design earbuds, last September in the global market. It wasn’t available though until October which was when the Ear (open) was made available in the Philippines.
I was intrigued by its design and the fact that it had an open-ear design. As someone who has only really used traditional earphones, in-ear earphones (both wired and wireless), and over-ear headphones, I was curious about how it would sound and how it would fare in day-to-day use.
Gratefully, we were given the opportunity to review the Nothing Ear (open) and I’ve used it for a little over two weeks. That said, how did it actually fare, and was it worth its PHP 8,990 price tag locally?
Nothing Ear (open) Review
Nothing Ear (open) – Unboxing Experience
Unboxing the Nothing Ear (open) is pretty familiar if you’re deep in the Nothing devices at this point.
It has a zoomed-in photo of the Ear (open) on the front which continues to the bottom of the box. Like other devices from the company, it has a peel tab at the bottom with a red-orange line to indicate where you start pulling.
From here, it’s pretty straightforward, pull out the inner box which has the Nothing Ear (open) safely nestled and covered in paper. Underneath are documentation and a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Sadly though, the company didn’t use the transparent tipped USB-C to USB-C cable that it uses for its smartphones.
Here’s our unboxing video:
Nothing Ear (open) – Build, Design, and Hands-on Experience
The Nothing Ear (open) looks very Nothing-esque with its transparent design on the earbud, a white silicone ear clip, and a metallic tip.
It is said to have a triangle structure to keep it well-balanced when you have it on. My average-sized ears found it pretty comfortable for the most part. It must be said though that it took some time getting used to having something sit on my ear. However, after getting used to it, there were times that I forgot that I still had it on.
The ear clip is quite thick which was a hassle especially while wearing my glasses. In addition, I’m not quite sure how it will fare when worn by people with larger ears.
The Nothing Ear (open) also offers pinch controls with a metallic part in the earbuds. As much as I love pinch controls, it felt a bit awkward to get to them as they are inward rather than by what would’ve been the stem in the Ear and Ear (2). It isn’t that big of a deal for me though but maybe touch controls would be a bit more natural.
The charging case also has the familiar Nothing design with a transparent lid and a solid white bottom. The case itself is slim and elongated, which is pretty unique in the current audio space with roughly the same case designs.
It charges via USB-C on the back, but one small gripe I have is that you can’t open the lid while charging as the lid covers the USB-C port. However, I understand that it had to be done for a slimmer design. I’d gladly not be able to open the case if it meant having a more pocketable case.
Nothing also has the circular indent on the lid of the case which makes for a fun fidget spinner. Unlike the other Ear earbuds though, the indent barely keeps the stems secured. The earbuds itself is secured magnetically but the other end still jiggles around. I wish there were another way to ensure that both the earbud and the tip were secured to the case.
Nothing Ear (open) – Audio Quality
Nothing boasted a custom diaphragm with a titanium coating, stepped drivers, and Bass Enhance. The stepped drivers are said to bring the audio closer to the ear. The custom diaphragm and Bass Enhance work together to ensure that bass-heavy tracks hit like they should.
I was impressed with the sound of the Ear (open). This is the first I’ve tried and aside from the lack of isolation, the quality is pretty close to other earphones without being intrusive.
I was surprised to hear the punchiness of the bass on tracks like tide/edit’s Fragments and Dirty Loops’ Run Away. It was also able to deliver the bass in the voice of Avi Kaplan in songs like I’ll Get By.
However, the Ear (open) lacks the vibrance and brightness in tracks like Muri’s Afternoon and Nubya Garcia’s The Message Continues.
As much as I love a nice punchy bass, the ‘Balanced’ EQ of the Ear (open) seems to deliver a bit more mid and bass-heavy audio. I’m thankful that you can easily add in a bit more treble for a brighter sound via the Nothing X app.
It does deliver other instruments like piano and clarinet pretty clear though like the ones in Rhapsody in Blue by George Gershwin. You also get a pretty wide sound stage, despite an open-ear design.
This, of course, is done in a quiet setting like a room. Audio quality will be more muddled when noisier settings like in a mall or a coffee shop due to its open-ear design.
Nothing Ear (open) – Connectivity
The Nothing Ear (open) connects via Bluetooth 5.3 and also supports Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair.
As an Android and Microsoft (Windows PC) user myself, these are very convenient. These are not out of the ordinary, especially at this price point but these are worth mentioning.
The earbuds only support SBC and AAC codecs though but ultimately, I think these are fine because it is an open-ear earbud. I don’t think you’ll be able to hear the nuance of the hi-res codecs.
Nothing Ear (open) – Microphone Sample
The Ear (open) is equipped with two microphones that work hand-in-hand with an AI-enhanced Clear Voice Technology.
It is said to ensure clear calls. Here’s a small sample of the mic recorded with a loud rattling fan and without it:
Nothing Ear (open) – Battery
It is marketed to offer up to 8 hours of playback on the earbuds alone. Meanwhile, the charging case is said to deliver up to 30 hours of total playback.
Based on my time with the Ear (open), this is pretty accurate. I was able to use the Ear (open) before I left the house to work outside and lasted me until a little before or after I was going to have dinner. The lack of Active Noise Cancellation (for obvious reasons) helps boost the battery.
The charging case offered quite a lot of charges before I needed to charge the case. This is pretty handy for times when you’re out a lot or just forget to charge before you leave.
One downside though is that the Nothing Ear (open) doesn’t support wireless charging.
Nothing Ear (open) – Software
The Ear (open), like with the other members of the Ear series, is maximized when coupled with the Nothing X app.
Personally, I think it is among the best-designed softwares for audio out there. The UI is pretty simple but stylish while still very easy to navigate.
Through the Nothing X app, you can adjust the EQ and customize the pinch controls of the Ear (open).
I’m more of a basic tuning and tweaking as far as EQ goes but I was very pleased to see the Advanced EQ option for the Ear (open). Nothing’s Advanced EQ allows you to tweak up to eight frequencies and adjust the Q factor.
Meanwhile, you can customize all the up to four actions per earbud with the Control function.
Verdict
Nothing Ear (open) is overall a very well-executed and smart addition to the ever-growing Nothing Ear family that already has impressive earbuds like the Nothing Ear (2), Ear (2024), and Ear (a).
The Ear (open) stands out from the rest of the series as it is the only one with an open-ear design while still delivering the iconic design and polished audio quality.
At PHP 8,990, I think it’s decently priced which is roughly in the same ballpark as the other open-ear options like the HUAWEI Free Clip and Bose Earbuds On. I haven’t tried other open-ear earbuds yet but I think the Nothing Ear (open) sets the bar pretty high with its clear sound and punchy bass.
Let’s not forget that this is backed up with the full-customizable EQ among others on the Nothing X app as well as has Dual Connection.
Would I get it for myself? I probably would. It’s a good alternative to earbuds and over-ear headphones while still making the songs I listen to sound good. I’ve recently worried about fatigue with in-ear earphones after I shifted to IEMs for the PC after years of using gaming headsets. So, having another option to enjoy music is very welcome.
If you want to learn more about the Nothing Ear (open), visit the official website. You can buy one for yourself via Digital Walker, Beyond the Box, open_source by Beyond the Box, and the Nothing Philippines Shopee and Lazada stores.
Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
