Nothing Ear (open) Review: An Old Style With New Results

The choices for open-ear buds are more limited than traditional ones, which makes these new Nothing Ear (open) ones an intriguing option. While they don’t break a ton of new ground using a traditional over-the-ear hook design, they do come with a lot of refinement.

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Price and Availability

The Nothing Ear (open) are available now and retails for $149. (Be aware that these were initially backordered at launch but appear to be more readily available now.) They come in a single white stem color with a clear casing. The base of the charging case is white with a clear lid.

Chances are you didn’t just stumble onto this review because you’re new to searching for earbuds that don’t go into your ears and plug them up. My guess is that you’re here because you’re desperately searching for something that provides the best audio quality while also leaving your ears free to hear your surroundings and avoid discomfort.

Although Nothing is more of a boutique brand, the Ear (open) are interesting because of the company’s attention to detail. It crafted a personal audio device that’s better than most competitors but remains familiar with the over-the-ear hook design.

With that context, the Nothing Ear (open) are a worthy consideration. While they aren’t perfect I like how they fit, sound, and work. They come in at 19mm thick and 8.1 grams per bud which means they aren’t as heavy or bulky as old models from other brands.

The Nothing Ear (open) don’t sound quite as full as the pricier Bose Ultra Open Earbuds and are closer in sound quality to Sony’s Linkbuds Fit. They are more comfortable than most other over-the-ear style earbuds.

An Open-Ear Style That Still Has a Full Sound

There’s nothing particularly fancy that Nothing is doing when it comes to how its earbuds work. You can see that it looks like an old-school Sony earbud attached to a swooping ear-hook. However, instead of going down into your canal, the bud sits right outside at a 50-degree angle and pushes sound in. It’s a more brute-force method that manages to do a fine job of leaving your ear unplugged.

Nothing has tried to take the Ear (open) to the next level in sound quality, from titanium coating of internal parts to a custom diaphragm. My first impression was that the sound was full for an open-ear design. The whole spectrum of frequencies was present and songs sounded rich and detailed. Listening to music through these earbuds isn’t quite as nuanced as with in-ear buds that have a silicone seal, but the difference in comfort is worth the small trade-off.

While out on runs, where the environment was loud and competed with my music, the sound suffered a bit, but the buds remained comparatively competitive. It was the low end of the Ear (open) that drifted away or got lost in traffic noise.

Even while walking around city streets, instead of out running, I would need to turn up the volume to at least 75% to get some of the bass back. In terms of spoken word, the Ear (open) also did well. Overall, people's voices were clear and not too digital and didn't sound too trebly.

You may be able to get the buds perfectly to your audio preference if you play around with the eight-band EQ in the Nothing mobile app, available for iOS and Android, but I tend to stick with the default sound profile to get a sense of what people will experience out of the box.

The Quintessential Fitness Earbuds

There are plenty of reasons to want earbuds that leave your ears open, but in my experience, the biggest is fitness. For example, I need to hear cars and other street noises while I’m out running.

Open earbuds will perform differently when you’re out in loud environments, sweating, or breathing heavily, and struggling to reach a destination. Although I did use the Nothing Ear (open) inside and while doing other things beyond exercising, running was my main evaluation focus.

Simply, they’re great earbuds for running. They stayed on my ears without coming loose or, just as importantly, not feeling like they were coming loose. Even if earbuds don’t fall out, the sensation that they might fall or slip out at any moment isn’t great for concentrating on the task at hand.

Importantly, the Ear (open) are IP54 rated for dust and water resistance. They have 30 total hours of audio playback, thanks in part to the battery case. I appreciated the haptic feedback and sound cues when using the media controls on the buds. The pitch and double pitch were immensely easy to use while on the move.

There are more controls available, like a long hold or a pinch and long hold, but I find those types of gestures tricky to use across any brand, so I tend to avoid them. Plus, it can get confusing trying to remember what each of them controls.

Earbuds That Favor Android Over iPhone

If you have an Android device, you’ll get more benefits from the Ear (open) than you will if you use an iPhone. For one, you can use Google Fast Pair to connect them without hassle.

Nothing's widget and ChatGPT integration with its own phones are another point of differentiation if you do want to go down its rabbit hole. I didn’t get a chance to test these specific features, so I won’t pass judgment. Personally, I wouldn't go buy a Nothing phone for ChatGPT integration, but it could be a nice benefit if you already own one.

Should You Buy the Nothing Ear (open)?

The Nothing Ear (open) are designed to leave your ears open (and unplugged) without sacrificing much audio quality. They do a really great job with that objective. They work well for running by staying secure and pumping well-rounded audio. If you’ve tried other open-ear products and haven’t been happy, these might still be the ones for you.

That being said, as good as they are, the Ear (open) are still a bit niche and narrowly focused. I never found myself wanting to use them over my AirPods 4 in general use because I felt a bit self-conscious wearing them when I wasn’t exercising. There’s nothing wrong with their look, but they’re more about utility than they are about fashion or style.

The $150 retail price isn’t quite a value, but it doesn’t feel overly expensive for what you get, either. If you’re looking for this kind of audio device with this design, the open-ear buds are certainly worth trying.