If you fancy something different for your earphones, the Nothing Ear (3) true wireless ear buds could be something that might catch your eye. They do look the part on first impressions, they feel well put-together as their predecessors, while keeping to a translucent, monochromatic, and circuit-like design language.
The S$259 sticker price means they retail at a little less than top offerings from established brands. That said, they also face competition from the Buds Pro 2 from sister brand CMF retails for less than half its price. Are the Nothing Ear (3) worth the premium?
Design
The Nothing Ear (3) earphones sport a compact design and charging case like many contemporaries. Each ear piece’s transparent stem, however, is impossible to mistake for a competitor.
The earbuds measure 21 x 31 x 21 millimetres and weigh just 5 grams, while the case clocks in at 55 x 56 x 22 mm and 71.4 g. There is a slight heft to the case – both a good and bad thing – and likely because of the Super Mic hardware (more on that later).
The charging case is square with rounded corners, but with a transparent lid and brushed metal base. Two cutouts with transparent bottoms are where the earbuds sit.
The left earbuds carry a white blip, and the right a red blip. The same colours adorn the cutouts on the charging case, and solve my gripe with earphones that are hard to identify.
The ear tips on the Nothing Ear (3) are also easier to change than before. There is a groove where the tips attach onto the buds on both sides. The tips click on and off effortlessly and stay right in place. Bravo for good, intuitive design.
The ear tips come in four sizes, small to extra-large. During my tests, the large ear tips gave me an amazing fit. Putting the earbuds on is satisfying, perhaps because the squarish-round shape feels nice to hold, and the tips fit into my ear canal without twisting.
The button that opens the charging case is in glossy finish, and pulls double duty to activate Super Mic.
App and features
To pair the Nothing Ear (3) to a device, open the charging case, press the pair button on the surface of the case, then select the buds on the device over Bluetooth.
The Nothing Ear (3) are customised through the Nothing X app. It is easy to see the battery life of the earbuds and case on its front page.
The equaliser’s “simple mode” has just four options – balanced, more bass, more treble, or voice. The “advanced mode” enables manual adjustment over eight frequency bands together with Q factors. Like on the Headphone (1), it is also possible to choose from curated equaliser settings.
The Bass Enhancement function has a total of six levels, if one includes turning the feature off.
The default Nothing Ear (3) audio profile prioritises low frequencies, powered by its dual 12mm drivers. Bass was still in good supply, even after I picked for the More Treble equaliser setting during my tests.
The Passionate Rock preset worked best for me, especially when paired with level 2 bass enhancement. It somehow had less bass than More Treble, just the right amount of oomph to the lows, all without drowning out the timbre and vocals.
In terms of noise cancellation – Nothing claims a 45-decibel reduction – there are low, medium, high, and adaptive options. However, they are generally all too intense for my liking. Transparency amplifies ambient sounds for better awareness, but also felt artificial, in my experience.
I preferred simply turning them all off. The seal to my ears was imperfect in a just-right way. I could thus pick up on the surroundings without losing enjoyment of the audio.
Super Mic works when the earbuds are paired to a device, in the user’s ears, and the case is nearby. Press the “Talk” button during a conversation to switch to the microphone on the case, press the button twice to use it without holding, and long press outside of calls to activate a voice assistant.
The Nothing Ear (3) pack a IP54 water and dust resistance rating, curiously lower than the IP55 on the Nothing CMF Buds Pro 2. Good enough for use in rain during runs, but not for a multi-day pool adventure.
User experience
Pairing the Nothing Ear (3) with my Android device is painless. My phone detected the buds the moment I opened the case and held the pair button.
On the whole, the Nothing Ear (3) sounded good, after the adjustments I made and mentioned earlier. Still, one must admit that the soundstage on small buds are not in the same league as headphones. The cymbals and treble in instrument-heavy tunes like Derek Hough’s Kairos are clear and not muddled, but not bright in the way the Nothing Headphone (1) were.
Turning on spatial audio widens the soundstage so the entire listening experience becomes more luxurious. You lose equaliser and bass enhancement with spatial audio on, however, and I prefer not losing the former two.
The Nothing Ear (3) is best, in my view, for contemporary pop with vocals and synthesised thumps like Zara Larsson’s Lush Life. The vocals hit just right, the bass has you tapping along, and the highs are more accompaniment to the arrangement.
Not to say classicals like Canon in D will be a poor experience. It just becomes one where you can expect even the lower notes of the violin to be emphasised.
I also tried the earbuds for conference calls. I was outdoor at a café near a traffic intersection, and those in the same call as me said I did sound a little muffled, though still clear.
I took the opportunity to try Super Mic, and the muffling did go away. I honestly thought the feature would have been gimmicky, but upon reflection, I can see its value when you are somewhere noisy, trying to take an urgent call, but unable to find a better, quieter place quickly.
In terms of battery life, with noise cancellation off, Nothing promises 11 hours’ use per charge without a case, and 43 hours with one. Turning noise cancellation on brings the figures to 6.5 hours and 26 hours respectively.
I did not quite use the earbuds long enough until the battery ran out, and did not have to charge the case daily. The battery life will more than suffice the Average Joe.
Conclusion
I always admire Nothing’s commitment to quality products that look different in a consistent language, without half-baked features or frivolous design elements that do not come together coherently. This applies too, to the Nothing Ear (3).
The earbuds and the case are not bulky. The fit of the product to my ear canal is above average. A focus on the low frequencies appear to be what the market (or maybe myself) likes, even if I miss more clarity on the highs.
I can see a market for Super Mic. It is a perk for when you need it, and invaluable if you frequently take calls in noisy environments.
In nearly all other areas, the Nothing Ear (3) earphones are priced close to competitors while performing well, but not better than the pack. The buying decision could hinge on whether you use features like Super Mic enough.
