Nothing has introduced two new wireless earbuds, the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a), along with the announcement that it will include ChatGPT integration in both its audio products and smartphones.
Nothing Ear is designed for audiophiles who want the best sound quality, says the company, while Nothing Ear (a) is for those looking for a daily audio companion.
“By integrating ChatGPT with Nothing earbuds, including the new Nothing Ear and Ear (a), and with Nothing OS, we’ve taken our first steps towards change, and there’s more to come,” says Carl Pei, CEO and Co-Founder of Nothing. “As always, we look forward to feedback from our community.”
A refinement of Ear (2), the Nothing Ear buds preserves the transparent earbud design.
They feature an advanced driver system with a custom 11 mm dynamic driver featuring premium materials, including a ceramic diaphragm. Nothing has improved the dual chamber design from that of Ear (2) with two additional vents to improve airflow, which the company says delivers clearer sound as a result.
Ear supports the LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming over Bluetooth. The earbuds can reach up to 1 Mbps 24 bit/192 kHz with LHDC 5.0 (Low Latency High-Definition Audio Codec) and up to 990 kbps and frequencies up to 24 bit/96 kHz with LDAC.
Nothing’s Advanced Equalizer provides more customization through a simple graphical interface in the Nothing X app. Play around with the Q Factor and frequency control in the app and create separate profiles for different genres. When you create a Personal Sound Profile in the app, the data recorded is used in real-time to adjust equalizer levels based on the hearing test results.
Ear features intelligent noise-cancelling with a new Smart ANC algorithm that checks for noise leakage between the earbuds and the ear canal and adds more noise cancellation accordingly. Ear also accounts for background distractions with Adaptive ANC, which automatically applies one of three noise cancellation levels: high, medium, or low. At 45 dB, Ear offers noise cancellation that is almost two times that of Ear (2). With a bandwidth of up to 5000 Hz, Ear can effectively detect and reduce more challenging sounds.
The compact custom driver allows for a larger battery, resulting in battery life that lasts 25% longer than Ear (2) at up to 40.5 hours after a full charge with the charging case or 8.5 hours of non-stop playback. For quick power-ups, Ear supports wireless charging at 2.5W. Ten minutes of fast charge provides 10 hours of listening time with the case.
Ear features Nothing’s Clear Voice Technology with a new talk mic design, which allows for less obstruction when speaking on a call. A new additional airway has been added on the stem so wind has a clearer pathway, which reduces interference by 60% compared to Ear (2).
Seamlessly switch between devices in real time with Dual Connection. With Low Lag Mode, Ear can reduce audio lag compared to normal use, depending on the connection with the other end device for seamless gaming. Pinch controls are accessible to skip tracks, alternate between noise cancellation modes, and adjust volume.
The Nothing Ear is available now for pre-order for US$149 with open sales starting April 22.
Also boasting noise cancellation technology, Nothing Ear (a) (US$99) employs the same transparent design but adds a fresh bubble design and yellow colour. With soft contours and a slim rectangular frame, it is Nothing’s first product in a colour outside of black and white.
With Nothing’s new Smart ANC algorithm, Ear (a) checks the seal within your ear canal for noise leakage and generates more noise cancellation to block out as much noise as possible. Adaptive ANC detects distractions in your environment and automatically applies high, medium, or low noise cancellation levels to your surrounding noise, just as with the Ear, and features 45dB noise cancellation and bandwidth up to 5,000 Hz as well.
Ear (a)’s new driver delivers 2.5 times more transient power that takes advantage of Nothing’s dual chamber design. To protect sound details, Ear (a) is Hi-Res Audio Certified. It can stream high-resolution audio over Bluetooth connections at up to 990 kbps at 24 bit/96 kHz and is compatible with the widely supported LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming over Bluetooth.
Ear (a)’s 500 mAh battery in the charging case and 46 mAh battery in each bud allows you to get up to 42.5 hours of music playback after a full charge with the charging case. For speedy power-ups, Ear (a) can Fast Charge for 10 minutes and deliver 10 hours of music playback (with case and ANC turned off).
For easy activity switching, Ear (a) can be connected to two devices at the same time. Like Ear, Ear (a)’s Low Lag Mode reduces audio lag compared to normal use, depending on the connection with the other end device. Pinch controls are accessible to skip tracks, switch between noise cancellation modes, and adjust volume.
With regards to ChatGPT integration, you can get instant access to information directly from both the earbuds as well as compatible Nothing smartphones that run the Nothing OS. You can pinch-to-speak on either of the new earbuds to call up the AI tool. Nothing phones, meanwhile, will include a system-level entry point to ChatGPT, including screenshot sharing and Nothing-style widgets.