Nothing Ear and Ear (a) officially launches with RM479 starting price
Nothing has officially rolled back the curtains on its two new audio products, the Nothing Ear, and Ear (a). For clarification, the Nothing Ear is an upgrade from the Ear (2) released last year, despite not following up on the number system.
On an X post released a few weeks ago, Nothing says that stripping back the numbers allows the brand “…to center the focus around the product and the unique experience it delivers for each user.”
The two new audio wearables will be available in Malaysia, albeit at a later date. As for official pricing, the Nothing Ear will retail at RM659, and the Ear (a) at RM479. They will be available for purchase online at Nothing’s official store on Shopee and Lazada.
Nothing Ear and Ear (a) specs
From a design perspective, the Nothing Ear doesn’t stray too far off from last year’s Ear (2). The iconic transparent case is maintained, although the Black colourway does have a lighter shade of gray for a more distinct look. The same can be said for the buds itself, if it weren’t for the model name emblazoned on the stem, it’ll be pretty hard to tell them apart.
The Ear will be available in two colours: Black, and White.
One of the main highlights of the Nothing Ear is its upgraded 45dB Smart Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), up from 40dB on the Ear (2). You’ll also have the option of an Adaptive ANC.
All this can be toggled via the Nothing X app, which, aside from controlling ANC, gives you access to an 8-band EQ, personal sound profiles, dual connection, bass modes, and customizable controls.
According to Nothing, the Ear should last you up to 40.5 hours of listening time with the case, provided you listen with ANC off.
There’s also a new CharGPT integration which you can access via voice control. This is only available if you pair the buds to the Nothing Phone (2), and is available on both the Ear and Ear (a). If you’re owners of past Nothing products, fret not, as Nothing has confirmed that the feature will be available for the Ear (1), Ear (2), and Ear (stick) too and will be compatible even on the Phone (1) and Phone (2a) once the software updates take place. As to when that is, we don’t yet have an official date.
As for protection, the buds itself is rated IP54, while the case is IP55-rated.
Now onto the Ear (a), here’s where we see a fresh new take on Nothing products. The transparent design language is still visible, but this time on a rectangular casing with rounded edges. Also, instead of just Black and White, there’s a Yellow option too if you want to stand out a little more.
The 45dB ANC is present on the Ear (a), along with Smart ANC. This is again controllable via the Nothing X app, where you can customize EQ, dual connection, and more.
Batteries are comparable with the Ear, although Nothing gives a longer estimate of up to 42.5 hours with case with ANC off. For the record, both the Ear and Ear (a) casing packs 500mAh battery, while the earbuds pack 46mAh each.
Although the buds are rated IP54, the Ear (a) casing is only rated IPX2 for dust and water resistance.
Read more of our articles below!
