Recently, Nothing launched the first ever open-ear headphones, the Nothing Ear (Open), which are sold for $150. As the company’s first open-ear buds, they are not bad at all. While there were some things that could have been done better, the fact that I only alternated between these and the Google Pixel Buds Pro 2 over the past two weeks (even outside of my review window) is a good sign.
My experience with the Nothing Ear (Open) was mostly about comfort and reliability rather than sound. I primarily turned to these for use on the go, which accounts for more than half of my overall earbud usage. They also served as my podcast companions and for long calls while doing household chores around the house, meaning they were exposed to a fair amount of dust and water spray.
The sound on these buds was not the highlight for me. The fit of the buds worsened the situation due to a lot of sound leakage and the loose design overall. There wasn’t anything terribly bothersome to endure, but it fell far short of what music lovers would want from their buds.
The Nothing Ear (Open) boasts about being the thinnest case on the market with a thickness of just 19mm and a weight of only 62.4 grams. The buds themselves weigh 8.1 grams each, which is heavy for regular in-ear buds but not bad for running buds with ear hooks that go over your ears.
The buds come in a transparent case, typical of Nothing products like the Nothing Phone 2a. They are distinguishable by colored dots in their own sockets in the case, making docking them much less of a hassle. The buds are all made of plastic, with aluminum accents at the ends, and silicone straps that go over your ears without pulling your hair.
Control-wise, one button on each bud handles everything, including play/pause (single tap), skip or rewind songs (double and triple tap, respectively), and volume control (long press and hold). One tap also accepts/ends calls. All control elements are customizable in the Nothing X app, although the app is only compatible with iOS and Android operating systems. The button is a force sensor that you can press – similar to the button on AirPods Pro – except that it has a dedicated area for it (a small recess of some sort) making it easy to locate.
Although playback is usually handled well on earbuds, I always found volume control buttons on a separate scale mostly tricky. In the “Nothing Ear” (Open), continuous pressing the right earbud raised the volume and the left earbud lowered it. For most of the review period, I found this control element very easy to use. The only issue was that due to the conversion gesture, I could not adjust the volume accurately as I do with controls that offer precise increments. Sometimes, I wanted to raise the volume by two ticks, but it would increase by three ticks, which is far from ideal. I was just happy to have volume control buttons that were easily navigable.
The playback controls on Nothing Buds were perfectly laid out, but the annoying button made navigating them extremely difficult. Locating the button may be easy, but its travel distance is very short, and you often can’t tell if it has been successfully pressed or not. I found skipping tracks and rewinding to be the most challenging gesture due to the tricky button. It was particularly troublesome to skip the tracks and rewind due to the button issue. It is annoying to use because it does not work like the force sensor on AirPods, which you can press by pinching your thumb and forefinger together. It has a similar texture and movement, except it is placed in a position that cannot be navigated by your thumb and forefinger, leading to a strange hybrid between a force sensor and a button.
My biggest issue with Nothing Ear (Open) was how they fit in your ear. In their natural position, they always hung slightly outside my ear canal. I always had to manually adjust their fit and tighten the earbud inside my ear to secure it properly. However, after a few minutes of adjustment, it would return to its original position, hanging slightly outside my ear. Most of my review period I left them dangling because the band still ensured that the buds did not fall out completely. This was mostly during audio streaming and calls when I tightened them to ensure voices were not muffled, and when I listened to music around people and didn’t want sound leakage.
Nothing Ear (Open) features dynamic drivers of 14.2 mm, much larger than the standard drivers (typically 8 to 12 mm) found in most wireless earbuds of this size. The size of the driver mainly affects the intensity of the sound. However, despite the larger drivers, you can’t expect a strong bass sound on open-ear headphones. As they do not sit directly in your ear canal but rather rest slightly outside, they suffer from significant sound leakage, particularly in weak bass sounds. This is an age-old problem associated with open-ear earbuds that companies have been eagerly trying to solve. The new technology used in the latest Shokz running buds is a great example. However, while I encountered a slightly better low sound on similar open-ear earbuds, the Nothing Ear (Open) did not deliver impactful bass sound due to its excessively loose fit.
The midrange was decent as well. These buds do not have ANC, a common feature in open-ear headphones, with the latest Apple AirPods 4 being an exception.
Personally, I enjoyed using Nothing Ear (Open) due to its comfort, reliability, battery life, and design more than its sound. They worked perfectly with my podcast files and calls at home since there is less demand for sound quality there and I found them easy to wear for long periods. But whenever I needed a good sound during a music session, I found myself reaching for the Pixel Buds Pro 2 recently.
It was frustrating that I couldn’t even make my favorite audio files connect to the earbuds because their performance was slightly lackluster outside the home. With high ambient noise and no ANC, I sometimes couldn’t hear the caller’s voice or missed a few seconds of my podcast. This was a problem only when the streets were unusually noisy or when a fire or ambulance vehicle passed by. I remember pausing my audio content every time I played live music in Union Square on my way to work because I knew these buds wouldn’t be able to overcome it, and I would simply miss a few seconds of my content. With regular external noise, they would probably be fine, which was the case for most of my review period.
You’re looking at about six to eight hours of battery life on the buds (talk time vs. playtime) and 24 to 30 hours on the case. I used Nothing Ear (Open) for a few weeks for podcasts, calls, and music and only had to charge them once over a weekend. Talk time drains the battery much faster than music, and I’m on the phone a lot, so the battery life has been really impressive so far. During my weeks-long review period, I found it juiced up and ready each time I reached for it.
The steady red light signifies low charge, the flashing white light indicates the buds are charging, and the steady white light means they are fully charged. They recharge in less than an hour and do not support wireless charging.
Nothing Ear (Open) offers multipoint connectivity for up to two devices, meaning they can connect to any two of your devices (phone and laptop, for example) at the same time. With an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance on the buds, I won’t take them in the bathroom, but I’ll be very comfortable using them around the swimming pool. I’ve used them with wet hands in the kitchen a lot and around the bathroom sink, and they have held up well so far.
In conclusion, I’ve developed a strange love-hate relationship with Nothing Ear (Open). They are lightweight and extremely comfortable to wear for long periods to the point where I would barely take them off throughout my review window, but when I sit in Washington Square Park after work to unwind with some good music, these won’t be my preferred buds. I loved that these buds fit seamlessly into my fast-paced and busy life. They provide easily navigable volume control buttons, days-long battery life, and impressive resistance to water and dust. But they failed to deliver an enjoyable music experience. This was primarily due to their loose fit along with the on-ear design. I see myself using these earbuds for household chores, an easy-to-use device that you can quickly access when you need to listen to something to accompany your cooking.
