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- Nothing is launching its Ear (3) buds on 25 September for AU$299
- The Ear (3) will last 38 hours without ANC, and using the included charging case
- Charging case adds the Super Mic, which allows for higher-quality audio on calls and recordings
UK-based tech brand Nothing has been dropping product after product this year: from the budget Nothing (3a) phone, as well as its more expensive big brother the Nothing Phone (3), to its first foray in over-ear audio in the Nothing Headphone (1). Now, though, it’s launching a refresh of its in-ear buds with the reveal of the Nothing Ear (3).
The Ear (3) is Nothing’s latest flagship audio product, set to launch on 25 September for AU$299, and brings a number of clear enhancements as well as some bold new ideas to the table. It’ll come in two colour ways: black and silver.
The most interesting of the new ideas Nothing is dropping into the Ear (3) is the Super Mic. Effectively, the included charging case comes equipped with two high-quality microphones built in that, at the press of a button, takes over for the more ‘standard’ mics used in the bluetooth earbuds. The idea is that when on calls or when recording audio or video using your phone, you can use the charging case as a microphone to improve recorded sound quality.
There’s more to the Ear (3), though, so let’s dive in.
Tech Specs
| Nothing Ear (3) | |
| Price | AU$299 / NZ$349 |
| Audio | – 12mm dynamic drivers – Frequency Response: 20Hz to 40Hz – Static Spacial Audio – Dynamic Bass Enhancement – Audiodo ‘Personal Sound’ |
| ANC | Adaptive Noise Cancellation, up to 45db |
| Battery | – Up to 10 hours without ANC – Up to 5.5 hours with ANC – Up to 38 hours with charging case without ANC – Up to 22 hours with charging case and ANC |
| Connectivity | – Bluetooth 5.4 – Dual Device Connection – USB-C port for Battery Pack |
| Features | – IP54-rated for dust, sweat, and water resistance – LDAC and Hi-Res Audio Certified – Low-latency mode for gaming and video – Pairs with Nothing X app |
| In the Box | – Nothing Ear (3) – Charging Case – Ear tips (S, M, L) – USB-C to USB-C cable – User guide – Safety and warranty information |
Fit and Function
As is usually the case with a product by Nothing, design is by far the first thing you’ll notice. With the Ear (3), though, the UK-based design team are trying something a bit different. By adding 100 per cent recycled aluminium to the mix, the Ear (3) delivers a new style to Nothing’s branding: mixing the usual transparent plastic and minimalist style with a more robust and durable material choice.
The buds themselves have also been redefined to deliver a better fit to the average user, after Nothing scanned hundreds of ear shapes and iterated on more than 40 rounds of fit tests. The outcome is a more natural shape, the brand said, with internal venting to relieve in-ear pressure, as well as more secure soft-silicone tips.
Audio Improvements
The Ear (3) improves on the brand’s previous audio efforts in more than just function, though, delivering a redesigned 12mm dynamic driver, alongside a slew of new and improved sound options.
According to Nothing, you’ll get a “wider soundstage” using the Ear (3), with cleaner highs and meatier lows thanks to dynamic bass enhancement, which identifies and boosts low frequencies “without adding distortion”.
Additionally, the brand has included Static Spatial Audio, which effectively allows the earbuds to deliver 3D audio—putting you in the centre of the performance, assuming the audio is mixed for it. As usual, you’ll get the best experience with Nothing’s audio products by pairing them with the Nothing X app, which allows you to switch up EQ settings to tweak your audio to fit whatever you’re listening to. Thankfully, the app is available on iOS and Android.
What is a ‘Super Mic’?
While most of Nothing’s improvements and changes to the Ear (3) are iterative, there’s one that feels a bit more interesting: the Super Mic. The included charging case comes equipped with two high-quality microphones built in that, at the press of a button labelled ‘Talk’, takes over for the more ‘standard’ mics used in the bluetooth earbuds.
These two dedicated microphones utilise “ambient filtering technology” to drown out sounds (up to 95 dB) that aren’t your voice, which should make for clearer audio quality on calls and voice notes.
That Talk button is used to control the function of the Super Mic—press and hold the button for quick calls and voice notes, or double-press to lock the mic in for a longer speaking session. The main draw (to Nothing, at least) is the ability to capture your raw ideas and thoughts directly into the brand’s AI platform, Essential Space. Voice notes are automatically synced to Essential Space, which will allow them to be more readily referenced and available by Nothing OS. You’ll need a Nothing phone for this to work, of course.
If you’re using the Nothing Ear (3) with a different phone, you’ll still get some new functionality with the Super Mic, though. For recordings, the feature supports native voice memo apps (such as iOS’s Voice Memos), and in third-party video apps (such as Blackmagic).
However, Nothing said the feature isn’t optimised for in-app voice messaging, and native video recording on Android or iOS, which will default to the phone’s microphone instead—which just feels like a massive missed opportunity, but hopefully that’ll be patched in with an update down the line.
Availability
The Nothing Ear (3) is set to launch on 25 September for AU$299 in Australia, and NZ$349 in New Zealand. It’ll be available from Nothing’s website, as well as it’s retail partners at JB Hi-Fi.
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