Nothing Ear (2) review

Just like movie fans, when it comes to new technology, you can’t help but compare the sequel to the original. Looking quite a bit like its predecessor, the Nothing Ear (2) adds upgrades like adaptive active noise canceling (ANC) and more personalization. Is it enough to justify replacing your old set? We put in the time to test the Nothing Ear (2) to see if the industry upstart has one-upped the Ear (1) and if it can stand with the best wireless earbuds.

Editor’s note: this review was updated on February 7, 2024, to adjust formatting, answer more FAQs, and ensure the timeliness of the information within.

What’s it like to use Nothing Ear (2)?

Appearing rather a lot like the rest of the Nothing True Wireless collection, in clear at launch and (as of July 2023) in black colorways, the Nothing Ear (2) clearly builds upon the original Nothing Ear 1. The idea here is not to reinvent the wheel but to refine it.

You get three sets of oblong-shaped silicone ear tips with the Ear (2), but if you have larger ears, you might find that even the largest size is too small. The ear tips are easy to remove to try out different sizes. The smallest is about 12mm in diameter, 13mm for the medium, and the largest measures roughly 14mm in diameter across the longest end. My right ear wears the size large, and my left ear wears the medium ear tip.

At 4.5g each, the Nothing Ear (2) feels light, and those accustomed to looser-fitting earbuds will like this fit. There’s an ear tip fit test in the app, too. While it doesn’t sit very deeply in my ear, the Nothing Ear (2) more or less stays put. For instance, during intense gusts of wind, it does not budge, even if it doesn’t feel extra secure. If it weren’t for the ear-fatiguing default tuning (more on that later), the buds would feel fine to stay in for a couple of hours easily without discomfort.

The translucent case receives a similar aesthetic treatment as the buds, designed by innovative musical instrument company Teenage Engineering. The case fits relatively well in a jeans pocket, creating only a minor pocket bulge. With a pretty substantial magnetic lid and an indent for your thumb, it’s thoughtfully designed. Although there’s some slight lateral hinge play, it’s not too bad. Like most clear plastics, this one looks very susceptible to scratches.

How do you control Nothing Ear (2)?

Like the Nothing Ear (stick) before it, the Nothing Ear (2) uses pressure-sensitive stems to trigger commands. This works with variable accuracy. Sometimes, playback will pause when you try to switch listening modes, for example. Because the stems are pretty short, ear lobes can also sort of get in the way of the back of the stem. I often find myself guessing where the pressure-sensitive panel is and wishing it was closer to the bottom.

You can customize some of the controls in the Nothing X app, but out-of-the-box the controls are as follows:

By default, to cycle ANC or transparency mode, you squeeze and hold the stem for about two seconds, which feels too long. Rather than announce the mode, you get a (pretty hilarious) woman sighing to signal transparency mode and a blippy sound to indicate ANC is on. You can assign some of the controls like volume, and voice assistant and add no ANC or transparency mode if you wish in the app. You can also make one earbud’s commands different from the other in the app.

Should you use the Nothing X app for the Nothing Ear (2)?

The Nothing X app is laid out well. It performs updates to the Nothing Ear (2) pretty quickly, in roughly five minutes. You’ll find control customization, and the only fixed control is a single pinch will always be pause/play or answer/end call. Everything else is changeable.

You can adjust the intensity of ANC, as well as use personalized ANC. The personalized ANC doesn’t seem perceivably different. Nothing X also has a personalized sound profile feature that uses your date of birth in combination with how well you can hear beeps at different volumes buried in a mix of noise. Based on how well you hear the beeps, it raises or lowers the frequencies in the personalized EQ. It works okay, and you can pick modified versions labeled “softer,” “recommended,” and “richer.” Much is represented in graphics or abstract language rather than anything technically informative, leaving you guessing.

You also get access to a three-band equalizer. The labels for the equalizer read as “bass,” “mid,” and “treble,” which is not terribly informative, considering some of the treble frequencies are fine and some are too loud by default on the Ear (2). As of a July 2023 update, users can now access the Advanced Equalizer, which allows you to hone in on your desired tuning by offering a Q factor. So, instead of the usual discrete EQ sliders, the Q factor controls how narrow or wide your adjustments apply to frequencies in the proximity of the one you’re altering. This is a highly unusual feature for a set of earbuds. You can also save your profiles and send them via QR codes to friends with the same model earbuds — pretty neat.

However, the many options are useful for different kinds of users. As is the low lag option for gaming. As apps go, Nothing X is pretty comprehensive. Visually, the things worth changing from an accessibility perspective are text size in menus and using greater color contrast for toggles because “on” looks a lot like “off” in dark mode.

How does the Nothing Ear (2) connect?

Where applicable, the Nothing Ear (2) uses the LHDC 5.0 codec (not to be confused with LDAC) to transmit up to 24-bit/192KHz audio. It’s not a commonly utilized Bluetooth codec, but Android 10 and above can potentially support it. The Ear (2) additionally uses SBC and AAC codecs for iPhones, with a low lag mode for gaming in the app. In the Nothing X app you can toggle on the ability to connect to two devices, for example, redirecting from a laptop to a phone if you get a call.

How long does the Nothing Ear (2) battery last?

The Nothing Ear (2) battery lasts 6 hours and 7 minutes with ANC on. We test all batteries the same way, with the output set to 75dB(SPL) of continuous playback until the battery drains. This result is slightly above average, and considering that ANC is a real battery hog, it’s good for the price. In addition, the case has an impressive four or five extra charges on tap, depending on how much ANC you use.

You can see the battery power level by looking at the indicator light on the case. When the buds are in the case, the light indicates the battery level of the buds, and when removed, it indicates the case’s battery status. A white light means above 30% charged, and a red light means below a 30% charge left.

How well does the Nothing Ear (2) cancel noise?

The Nothing Ear (2), on paper, does a solid job of attenuating low-pitched noises with its ANC when considering the lackluster Ear 1’s ANC. Due to its inherently looser fit, it does not isolate as well as you might expect, although it’s okay. The weak spot is where you typically hear traffic (see 400Hz to 1000Hz), and this is evident when walking along a very busy street. When it’s windy, the ANC struggles, and you can hear it briefly amplify the wind until the ANC system adjusts.

Somewhat disappointing is that nowhere does the Nothing Ear (2) reach the 40dB of noise canceling advertised; it gets close to 40dB of noise canceling at the very edge of human hearing, but you probably can’t hear much noise there anyhow. Nevertheless, the Ear (2) does a decent job of dampening the environment, but it’s not the best.

Folks who are sensitive — and those who ordinarily aren’t — to the in-ear pressure caused by ANC might experience unpleasant in-ear sensations with the Nothing Ear (2). Certainly, my left ear can feel some of that in-ear pressure that leads to vertigo and motion sickness with ANC on in some people.

How does the Nothing Ear (2) sound?

The Nothing Ear (2) is tuned in a relatively consumer-friendly fashion. However, you’ll likely notice that some higher mid-frequencies seem disproportionately loud. Particularly around 5kHz the frequency response of the Ear (2) is 10dB louder than our headphone preference curve, which makes it fatiguing to listen on.

Between 400Hz and 1kHz, the sound is scooped, cutting out some of the fundamentals. In combination with the exaggerated treble, mildly exaggerated bass, and sub-bass, your audio will sound somewhat one-dimensional until you utilize the in-app equalizer.

Lows, mids, highs

Listening to Human Nature by Barrie with the default frequency response of the Nothing Ear (2) demonstrates the louder treble shown in the chart above. On the whole, it sounds reasonably okay. However, hi-hats and other cymbals play loudly. These compete with lower-frequency parts, like Barrie’s vocals. You can still hear everything, but some of the more textural pads and mid-range keys play quietly. Meanwhile, low-end parts like bass lines and kick drums output at a good volume.

This is a really hyped consumer frequency response by default, so with tracks that don’t have a lot of super trebly instrumentation (like the song above), it’s okay, but a track with a lot of fast transients and high-pitched parts will sound kind of bad. For instance, Make Believe by Tanukichan has an intro with a lot of cymbal hits, and in combination with the soprano vocals, it’s almost insufferably trebly on the Ear (2).

Can you use the Nothing Ear (2) for phone calls?

The Ear (2) does a decent job of reproducing important voice frequencies up to around 4kHz.Under perfect conditions, the Nothing Ear (2) mic does not sound the very best. However, it fares decently when confronted with various noisy environments. In offices, you’ll still hear clatter and keystrokes, but the Ear (2) competently captures your voice more loudly than the competing noise. On the street, it’s able to convey most of your voice, and the Ear (2) attenuates the street sounds better than office sounds, although your voice will become quieter. Lastly, when it’s windy, Nothing Ear (2) can struggle with filtering noise and not your voice.

Take a listen and let us know what you think.

Nothing Ear (2) microphone demo (Ideal conditions):

Nothing Ear (2) microphone demo (Office conditions):

Nothing Ear (2) microphone demo (Street conditions):

Nothing Ear (2) microphone demo (Windy conditions):

Should you buy the Nothing Ear (2)?

For the price, the Nothing Ear (2) is pretty good. It fits well, and the IP54 rating (and IP55 with case) is durable enough for daily life. Most of its unique features are found in the Nothing X app, such as personalized frequency responses and personalized, adjustable ANC. Some of the terminology in the app seems unnecessarily obtuse (like “softer” and “richer” to describe audio), which can bother tinkerers.

The pressure-sensitive pads for squeeze controls are not the most reliable and sometimes not sensitive enough to register the intended command. Also, the controls occur with noticeable delays between commands and execution. Alongside the in-ear pressure the ANC mode can cause, these are probably the weakest points of the Nothing Ear (2).

On the other hand, the LHDC Bluetooth codec is a boon for Android users, and iPhones get a reliable AAC codec. While the default frequency response sounds too trebly, the app gives you a few options to adjust it. If you don’t experience the in-ear pressure caused by the ANC setting, the Ear (2) successfully attenuates a good amount of low-pitched noises.

Additionally, the Nothing Ear (2) is quite portable and lightweight, and you get some niceties like in-ear detection, wireless charging compatibility, and dual device connectivity. Its price undercuts some tough competitors, and if you can hang with the Nothing quirks like the pinch commands, the robust app and Ear (2) build quality ought to keep you mostly satisfied.

How does Nothing Ear (2) compare to Nothing Ear 1?

The original Nothing Ear 1 garnered much attention at its launch with a highly competitive price tag, later increasing to its current price ($99 at Amazon). Both the Ear (1) and Ear (2) look remarkably alike, with the Nothing Ear (2) case seeing some millimeters shaved off the case size and 0.2g off each bud.

The sound quality here is a rare example of new not always meaning improved. Nothing made the frequency response of Ear (2) a bit worse than the Nothing Ear 1. The Ear (2) is just too trebly and too bassy without EQ. Sure, the Ear 1 does not sound perfect, but it gets closer to the ideal tuning in its default state.

Most likely, the main upgrade worth noting on the Nothing Ear (2) over its predecessor is the much-improved noise canceling. While the overall isolation of the Nothing Ear (2) remains comparable to the original Nothing Ear 1, the ANC of the Nothing Ear (2) filters far more low-pitched noises. For instance, Ear (2) attenuates 20dB of noise at 100Hz, while Ear (1) only attenuates 5dB.

Nothing uses the same app for all of their earbuds, which has a pleasant and intuitive user interface. In fact, the Nothing experience is basically easy from the start. If you like the Nothing Ear 1 and don’t mind fiddling with the app’s EQ, the Nothing Ear (2) is a worthwhile upgrade for the ANC. Conversely, if you don’t find yourself wanting better noise canceling, the Nothing Ear 1 sounds better than the Ear (2). The Ear 1 lacks the LHDC codec on the Ear (2), so if Hi-Res is high on your list, that’s something to consider, too.

What should you get instead of the Nothing Ear (2)?

Android owners can’t be blamed for considering the natural companion, Google Pixel Buds Pro. Stuffed with interesting features like voice translation, effective ANC, and spatial audio with head tracking (with the right phone), it’s more productivity-oriented than the Nothing Ear (2). The Pixel Buds Pro ($199 at Amazon) surprisingly only uses AAC or SBC codecs, unlike the LHDC codec available on the Ear (2). On the other hand, the ANC works better on the Pixel Buds Pro, and the touch controls are more reliable than the Ear (2)’s squeeze commands.

Samsung owners can get some of the best ANC with the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro ($179 at Amazon). It also sports a better IP rating than the Ear (2). If you have a Samsung phone, the Samsung Seamless Codec is the proprietary alternative to the LHDC codec on the Nothing Ear (2). Unlike Samsung, Nothing appears to operate in a more open tech ecosystem, which is laudable.

Speaking of companies with closed ecosystems, if you have an Apple iPhone, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) ($239 at Amazon) is perhaps not the most unique alternative. Still, it’s an obvious one for a reason. It works well with iOS, offers device switching between Apple products, even better noise cancelation, and spatial audio. If you can’t stomach spending that much, the AirPods Pro (1st generation) still competes (on the product’s website), despite its less effective noise canceling.

For folks avoiding committing to a specific operating system — a positive facet of the Nothing Ear (2) — there’s the Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless. It doesn’t have the best noise canceling, though it is good. While the CX Plus True Wireless doesn’t use LHDC, it does use aptX (and AAC  andSBC codecs), which ensures low latency and solid performance with Android and Apple. Lastly, it simply sounds good from the box, with an app focused more on sound than productivity. The price of $89 at Amazon isn’t painful either.

While each of the Nothing Ear (2) buds weighs a slight 4.5g, the 1More Comfobuds Mini buds weigh only 3.7g each. It’s one of the cheaper options (for $99 at Amazon) with decent ANC, although, like the Ear (2) it does not isolate amazingly, owing to its pint size. If value, small size, and noise cancelation are priorities, it’s a reasonable option.

Frequently asked questions