pros and cons
Pros
- Thoughtfully designed and affordably priced.
- They pack value and special features not found in rivals.
- Well worth the $100.
Cons
- Their design may not be for everyone.
- Some of the new features require a subscription.
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I’ve been vocal about my love for Nothing products ever since I tested the brand’s first generation Ear (a) earbuds several years ago. Their yellow and black design language was so striking when compared to competitors, and the earbuds matched great sound with great value.
So when Nothing sent its third-generation buds my way, I was eager to give them a go. In a sea of minimalist gray tech, Nothing offers bold products with an edgy vibe and unique form factor.
Also: Nothing Headphone (a) review: The superior option for design and button enthusiasts
Plus, these earbuds have some unique recording functionalities I have yet to see in competitors. I spent a week working, exercising, and listening to music with the $100 Ear (3a) earbuds, and I can confidently say they’re worth your money — with a few caveats.
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I got to test out the Ear (3a) in its pink colorway, and they have been so fun to wear for a few reasons. I can always spot them in my backpack or my room, standing out among the clutter. But they not only stand out in my purse — they’re also the subject of many compliments and conversations when I wear them in the office or show them to friends.
The case itself is transparent, as are the earbuds inside, with a punchy pink color and a LED status light that shows battery percentage, connectivity, and more. Plain and simple, the earbuds are fun to look at and wear.
I enjoyed the tactility of the Ear (a)’s ear tips when I tested a few years ago. The same goes for Ear (3a). They stay put comfortably, and Nothing’s four ear tip sizes makes it easy to find a size that fits well. They also stay charged, thanks to 42 hours of playback time in the charging case and ten hours of power in each bud after a single charge. Not too shabby.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Nothing adds a new 12mm driver to the Ear (3a) to increase the bass by 5 db. Even before I knew about that update, I detected a richer bass in the buds — and quite enjoyed that improvement. They deliver enhanced bass and clear sound, and the app simplifies creating custom EQs for different listening preferences. These features result in a pleasant listen every single time.
Another improvement in the Ear (3a) is its noise cancellation. Nothing altered its functionality to cancel noises across a wider frequency range, with the new earbuds offering three modes: low, mid, high, and adaptive. The noise cancellation on high is strong enough to dim the majority of the New York City subway’s screeches during my workday commute.
Also: Forget iPhone 17e: Nothing’s Phone 4a Pro costs less and looks a whole lot better
But equally as important is the transparency mode, which lets enough sound in to feel grounded to your environment without feeling berated by ambient environmental noise.
Other features on the Nothing app add to the already enjoyable user experience of the Ear (3a). I tried out Nothing’s fixed spatial audio feature while listening to Ariana Grande’s no tears left to cry, and it was so immersive it felt like I was listening to the singer in a church with beautiful acoustics.
Nina Raemont/ZDNET
Nothing brings two interesting new audio features to the earbuds, thanks to the addition of 32 MB of flash storage. This enables recording on the earbuds through Audio Snapshots, which record up to two minutes of content after pressing both buds, and call recording, which records up to an hour of a meeting or phone call.
The recordings live on the Nothing X app, and yes, a subscription is required for unlimited audio recordings and transcriptions. This is a great idea that I’m sure a bigger company will snatch up and implement into their next generation earbuds and phone software.
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While I hadn’t tried the call recording feature, my test of the Audio Snapshots captured bits of songs and videos with a quick press of the buds to begin and end recording. It was simple, and I look forward to using the call recording feature during interviews and meetings. I can see this feature being of great help to students attending virtual lectures, because the earbuds not only record audio but also transcribe it in a pinch.
ZDNET’s buying advice
I’d recommend these earbuds to anyone. The Nothing Ear (3a)’s quality rivals that of higher end earbuds, like the AirPods Pro 3 or Samsung Galaxy Buds, but they’re significantly cheaper with a refreshing design. Students looking for an affordable but high-quality earbud would love these, as would anybody who is tired of the boring device options available in other mainstream options.
