Nothing Ear and Ear (a) buds to get an essential free performance upgrade

Rik Henderson
·2 min read
The Nothing Ear (a) in yellow on a grey background.
The Nothing Ear (a) in yellow on a grey background.
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Quick Summary

Carl Pei has confirmed that the Nothing Ear and Ear (a) buds will soon receive an update to improve the transparency mode on each.

He has also revealed that the company is investigating whether it can bring the enhanced feature to the Nothing Ear (2) buds as well.

Nothing will soon push an update to its latest wireless earbuds that will upgrade one of their key features.

The Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) buds will receive "noticeable improvements" to the transparency mode on each. This will likely mean that the in-ears will perform better when you want to also listen to your surroundings – such as when someone is speaking to you.

Nothing's founder and CEO, Carl Pei, confirmed the upgrade on his X feed, although he hasn't yet said when the over-the-air update might arrive.

The update will more-than-likely be pushed via the dedicated smartphone app for iOS and Android (as per normal).

Owners of other Nothing headphones might also benefit from the renewed mode in the future, as Pei added that the Nothing Ear (2) buds are being assessed at present.

The Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) models were launched earlier in April to expand the London brand's lineup.

The Ear buds are the pricier pair, at £129 / $149, but come with an expanded set of specifications and features. That includes a waterproof case with wireless charging and Bass Enhance for a greater grasp on low frequencies. You also get a raft of new EQ controls to alter the sound signature to your liking.

There is  active noise cancellation, too, and an improvement in battery life (in comparison with the original Nothing Ear).

The Nothing Ear (a) is an even more affordable offering, priced at £99 / $99.

There is no advanced EQ functionality, nor the ability to wirelessly charge the case, but everything else is pretty much the same. We particularly like the extra yellow colour option, which is about as Teenage Engineering as you can get (just take a look at the Playdate, also designed by the collective).

Both sets of earbuds are available now, as are the Nothing Ear (2) buds, which might be found a bit cheaper these days.