Nothing Ear (2)s review: identical look, improved sound

The Nothing Ear (2)s are identical in design to the Ear (1). There are improvements on the inside that enhance the sound, including double chambers in the ear buds and a new audio codec.

Headphones

EUR169,–

Nothing Ear (2)

ANC, 4 h, Wireless

363

Headphones

EUR169,–

Nothing Ear (2)

ANC, 4 h, Wireless

363

A familiar design in a smaller shell

Without looking at the lettering, I can’t tell the Nothing Ear (2)s and their predecessors apart. The simple black and white design remains, and transparent elements set them apart from other models. The clear case has just got a few millimetres smaller and a bit more square. The underside is no longer completely flat; it has cutouts. The size difference can only be seen side by side.

The Nothing Ear (2)s are splash-resistant according to IP54, so sweat and rain shouldn’t trouble them. The IP55-compliant case even offers slightly better protection against jets of water.

Google’s «Fast Pair» makes pairing with a smartphone quick and easy. Simply open the case, leave the earbuds in and start pairing mode by pressing and holding the corresponding button. Android notifies me directly of new headphones in my area and establishes the connection via Bluetooth 5.3. Even using Windows, it only takes a few clicks for the connection to be established.

There’s no indication that the new antenna structure makes the Bluetooth connection more reliable. However, since I didn’t have any problems with the Ear (1)s, I haven’t noticed any improvement.

Ear buds for three

In theory, you should be able to connect the Ear (2)s to two devices at the same time. So, you could listen to music on your laptop and then switch seamlessly to a call on your smartphone. Once the call ends, the music should continue. It didn’t work for me at first. I had to activate «Double connection» in the Nothing X app (Android/iOS) first. This uses more power, but I’m happy to accept that.

My new flagship sound

In my view, the Nothing Ear (2)s are the best ear buds I’ve tested lately. I prefer them to the Huawei Freebuds Pro 2 – my favourites up to now. Despite their small size, the Ear (2)s are powerful. They make music much more enjoyable to listen to, with well-balanced sound.

The strong highs can be easily distinguished from the clear mids. The bass has a decent rumble considering the size and physical limitations of the small ear buds. I feel like I’m at a concert, not at home or on the road. Voices are well balanced in podcasts and radio plays, and I can hear a lot of detail in the background noise of the latter.

The Ear (2)s are Hi-Res Audio-certified, so support 24-bit and 192 kHz. LDHC 5.0 has now been added to the AAC and SBC codecs already available with previous models. You just have to activate it in the Nothing X app. All codecs must also be supported by the playback device.

The Ear (2)s have three microphones. Their noise reduction does a good job even in windy conditions and ensures that the person I’m talking to on the phone can understand me clearly.

Nothing X: an app with a lot of settings

If I’m not satisfied with the settings, I can take over via the equaliser in the Nothing X app. In addition to «Balance» as the basic setting, I can also choose from «More bass», «More treble» and «Voice» – which sounds terrible with music. I can also adjust the controls for treble, middle and bass from -6 to +6.

I can also activate a low-latency mode in the app. It’s primarily intended for games, so the sound doesn’t reach you with a time delay compared to the images on a smartphone.

The fit test tells me if the ear buds sit well. To do this, it plays sounds for a few seconds and then shows which ear buds fit well in the ear and which don’t. I can then work on the alignment or try other ear tips. The Ear (2)s come with three sizes of plastic attachments.

It takes a few minutes to create your personal sound profile. First, I determine the appropriate volume for background noise. Then, whenever I hear a beep, I have to press a button on the display. The process is the same for the left and right ear. Based on this data – including my age – the Ear (2)s adapt their sound to me. I think the adjusted sound is better. However, there could also be a lot of projection involved.

Hear less to hear more

The active noise cancellation should make the environment quieter by up to 40 decibels. I don’t have gauges for that. As a pedestrian on a six-lane road during rush hour traffic when the road’s wet, I don’t have to increase the volume compared to a quiet side street. That’s how I like it.

In the Nothing X app, I can choose whether the active noise cancellation should be high, medium or low. This saves a bit of power when the environment is quieter. If you don’t want to set it yourself, you can also let the ear buds decide how much they block out your environment. However, with adaptive noise cancellation, you have to be prepared for a few seconds’ delay before the adjustment happens.

I can also get personalised noise cancellation in the app. I just have to run a short test in a noisy environment to adjust the settings to my ears. It sounds like a good idea, but I don’t hear any difference compared to traditional noise cancellation.

Press instead of tap

Nothing has dispensed with touch when it comes to operating the Ear (2)s. I now have to press the shaft of the ear buds to perform an action. The presets are playback and pause, and accepting and ending calls. They always stay the same. I can change the other commands in the Nothing X app.

I like to control the volume directly on my ear buds. That’s why I find it more convenient to adjust the volume by swiping up and down than by pressing – like with the Ear (2)s.

Minimally extended battery life

Nothing claims to have increased the Ear (2)s’ battery life by two hours to 36. This includes recharging in the case. If you switch on the active noise cancellation, the total runtime drops to 22.5 hours. The buds alone then last up to four hours. That’s not great, but it’s enough for my usage times.

You charge the Nothing Ear (2)s via the USB-C port in their case. In ten minutes, they should absorb enough energy for eight hours of use without active noise cancellation. Alternatively, you can also charge them wirelessly. They comfortably get 2.5 watts via the Qi standard – for example via the back of the Nothing Phone (1).

Verdict: my new imperfect favourites

If you’re looking for new true wireless headphones, I can recommend the Nothing Ear (2)s. Mainly because their sound is excellent and the active noise cancellation works well.

The unchanged look compared to their predecessor doesn’t bother me. However, the Ear (2)s aren’t quite as cheap as the Ear (1)s when they went on sale.

And they’re not perfect. Nothing would do well to make the volume control easier and boost the battery life with active noise cancellation. 22.5 hours isn’t really enough for frequent users.