{"id":48259,"date":"2021-10-13T09:00:14","date_gmt":"2021-10-13T01:00:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/shopee.com.my\/blog\/?p=48259"},"modified":"2022-04-23T14:18:30","modified_gmt":"2022-04-23T06:18:30","slug":"nothing-ear-1-earbuds-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/shopee.com.my\/blog\/nothing-ear-1-earbuds-review\/","title":{"rendered":"Nothing Ear (1) Review – Great Looks, Good Sound"},"content":{"rendered":"

Should you put your money on a product that is predominantly built on hype? That is the fundamental question that we are trying to answer here. With the Ear (1) being the first debutant product of a company that sprung out of nowhere with no prior track record whatsoever, there is every reason for scepticism. But of course, Nothing (the company) has the full weight of former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei behind it, which does lend it some speck of credibility\u2014and the ensuing hype. The <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> is intriguing as it is a curiosity. We gave it a listen and here\u2019s what we think.<\/span><\/p>\n

How The Nothing Ear (1) Earbuds Delivered On Style And Substance<\/h2>\n

Look And Feel<\/span><\/h3>\n
\"Nothing
Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

If there\u2019s an award category for the best-looking <\/span>wireless earbuds<\/span><\/a>, we feel compelled to hand the <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> a trophy. Transparency is the name of the game. From the earbud stem to the charging case, it is unlike anything we have seen before.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Nothing Ear (1) charging case is taller but narrower than the AirPods Pro charging case l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"Nothing
Next to the AirPods Pro (right): Similar-looking, but also different l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The <\/span>earbuds<\/span><\/a> are the in-ear type with stems, which is an open invitation for comparisons with the <\/span>AirPods Pro<\/span><\/a>. The shape and size are similar too. They snap in place magnetically in the squarish charging case, which has a bigger footprint than <\/span>Apple<\/span><\/a>\u2019s unit but is still very much pocketable.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"Nothing
Makeshift fidget spinner, anyone? l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Meanwhile, the very minimalistic case is made out of clear plastic with a USB-C charging port, a Bluetooth pairing button, and a \u201cdimple\u201d up top that\u2014for all intent and purpose\u2014can be used to transform the whole thing into some sort of a… <\/span>fidget spinner<\/span><\/a>?<\/span><\/p>\n

Setting Up, Fit, And Function<\/span><\/h3>\n
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The \u201cleft\u201d and \u201cright\u201d indicators here are in the colour dots. White is left and red is right l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Flagship wireless earbuds<\/span><\/a> benefit from having niceties such as convenient one-touch pairing. Just open the case near a pairing device, tap \u201cconnect\u201d on the pop-up alert that springs up, and it’s ready to go. Unfortunately, you don\u2019t get to enjoy that with the <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span>. To set it up, you would have to go through the old-school way of holding down the Bluetooth pairing button while raiding the Settings menu in the companion device.<\/span><\/p>\n

While not mandatory, every owner of the earbuds can (and should) download and install the Ear (1) mobile app on their <\/span>phone<\/span><\/a> (available for free at the <\/span>Apple App Store<\/span><\/a> and <\/span>Google Play Store<\/span><\/a>). Besides showing the <\/span>battery<\/span><\/a> status, the app also allows users to customise the gesture controls on both earbuds, amongst other features.<\/span><\/p>\n

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The Ear (1) mobile app. Available for iPhones and Android phones l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

In terms of fit, the <\/span>Nothing earbuds<\/span> are lightweight and feel snug in the ears. They don\u2019t hurt the ears even after hours of having them on, so plus points for comfiness. We also put them through their paces with some furious head-banging action and are happy to report that they stayed securely in place the whole time! Coupled with IPX4 water resistance rating, the Ear (1) is good enough as a <\/span>music<\/span><\/a> companion for <\/span>workouts<\/span><\/a> and jogs.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Extra pairs of silicone buds are included in the box, so you can try out different sizes if the default one isn\u2019t a good fit l\u00a0Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

You should also know that the <\/span>Nothing earbuds<\/span> have an in-ear detection feature that auto-pauses the <\/span>audio<\/span><\/a> when removed from the ears. Moreover, a Find My Earbud feature accessible inside the app will come in handy in locating misplaced earbuds by pinging them.<\/span><\/p>\n

How It Sounds<\/span><\/h3>\n
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Tap (or double tap) to pause\/resume; triple tap to go to the next track (or previous track, you can customise it); tap and hold to turn ANC on\/off or go into Transparency Mode; swipe along the stem to adjust the volume l\u00a0Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Let\u2019s be honest here. No one buys a sub-RM500 pair of earbuds expecting ear-melting sounds. Even the <\/span>AirPods<\/span><\/a>\u2014with the Apple tax\u2014have its fair share of detractors regarding its audio quality. For what it\u2019s worth, we say the <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> is mighty fine for everyday casual listening.<\/span><\/p>\n

We are no audiophile experts, but the sound coming from these <\/span>Nothing earbuds<\/span> are surprisingly good. The vocals are clear, and it even manages to deliver a decent amount of bass. They do not sound cheap at all, that\u2019s for sure. As someone accustomed to how the AirPods Pro sounds, the <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> didn\u2019t send this reviewer scurrying back to his trusted Apple earbuds, and that should say something.<\/span><\/p>\n

Active noise cancelling is always a welcome feature to have, and the ANC here gets the job done mostly. Don\u2019t expect it to be Apple- or <\/span>Sony<\/span><\/a>-level good, but the background noise-blocking effect is still pretty significant to make for a considerable difference and be of real use. Besides just activating and disabling it, there is also a Transparency Mode that enables more external sound to filter in, so you don\u2019t have to take off the earbuds every time you want to listen to your surroundings.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You cycle through the various listening modes by tapping and holding your finger on the stem for around two seconds. You can activate the individual modes in the app too, which by the way, also comes with very basic equalizer settings that give you the option for more bass, more treble, voice-enhancing, or a balanced sound.<\/span><\/p>\n

Battery Life And Charging<\/span><\/h3>\n
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The little green dot is the charging status indicator l Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nothing is quoting up to almost six hours of continuous listening time with ANC off, and around four hours with ANC on. With the case, it gets up to 34 hours (ANC off) and 24 hours (ANC on) of battery life respectively. In our time with it, we found no reason to dispel that claim. It is nothing revolutionary, but it is solid enough that it\u2019ll get through for most people\u2019s listening needs.<\/span><\/p>\n

When the case’s battery dies down, you have two ways of charging it. You can either plug in a <\/span>USB-C cable<\/span><\/a> (one included in the box) to the case or plunk it down on a <\/span>wireless charger<\/span><\/a> to get it juiced up conveniently.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, Should You Buy Into The Hype Of The <\/span>Nothing Ear (1) <\/span>Earbuds<\/span>?<\/span><\/h2>\n
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Credit: Shopee Blog<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

It is important to manage your expectations above all else. The <\/span>Nothing Ear (1) <\/span>is a modestly-priced product, and we should be looking at it as such. It doesn\u2019t reinvent the wheel, nor does it have any single feature that blows its competition out of the water. With its price tag, it doesn’t need to be.<\/span><\/p>\n

Our take? See through (pun intended) all the hype, and therein lies a perfectly fine (if not above-average at best) pair of wireless earbuds for the everyday consumer, which makes up the majority of us. At just shy of RM500, you get to enjoy decent sound, usable ANC, and wireless charging, among others\u2014all wrapped up in a pretty packaging that looks miles better than anything else in the market.<\/span><\/p>\n

And that\u2019s nothing to complain about, really.<\/span><\/p>\n

Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> Price And Availability In Malaysia<\/span><\/h2>\n

The <\/span>Nothing Ear (1)<\/span> officially goes on sale on October 16th, and you can get it online from the Nothing Official Store on<\/a> <\/span>Shopee Malaysia<\/span><\/a> at the recommended retail price of <\/span>RM499<\/b>. Besides the launch version, Nothing is also bringing the recently-announced Black Edition to our shores. It will be available for purchase on Shopee from December 17th onwards!\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Buy Nothing Ear (1)<\/span><\/a><\/div><\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Also, you wouldn\u2019t want to miss out on our Ear (1) giveaway. Watch the video review on our <\/span>Shopee MY YouTube channel<\/span><\/a> below, join the giveaway contest, and see if you can be the lucky winner. Good luck!<\/span><\/p>\n