Nothing Ear (1) review: Better in black?

There is no dearth of wireless earbuds in the market. But there are a very few that manage to catch our attention. One such is the Nothing Ear (1), which was introduced in India in August last year. Introduced by London-based technology firm, it was initially launched in the white colour option. The company is now offering it in black as well. Let's find out which colour variant is better and how well it fares.

Which one to pick - black or white?

Quite like the original variant, the black model comes in a transparent case, but it features a smoky finish. All the whites in the product have been replaced with the blacks, including the silicone ear tips.

In terms of the design language and aesthetics, there isn't any difference between the two models. The black earbuds are also encased in a see-through body, which means you can see all the tech and engineering that go into it, including microphones, magnets, and circuit board. They look cool and exude style.

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Like what we have seen on the white model, these earbuds are also marked with different-coloured dots - the one with the red dot is for the right ear and the other one marked with a white dot is for the left. This makes it easy to handle and use them.

The black colour makes the entire unit look darker and more attractive. I, however, like them in both the colours.

The build quality is solid. Weighing merely 4.7 g, these earbuds are comfortable to wear, even for long hours. They are ergonomically designed and the silicon tips offer a nice fit. Overall, they look distinctive, have a quirky design, and offer a great fit.

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How is the performance?

Setting up the earbuds is easy. Just open the case near your phone or any other device, and it prompts you with an on-screen setup. Download the app, follow the steps, and voila, you are ready to go! It doesn’t take more than a minute to set up the earbuds.

If your device doesn’t support fast pairing, you can pair it the traditional way as well.

Now comes the most important question - how is the audio quality?

I tried them out in different environments including noisy places. I am mighty impressed with its sound quality. It offers a remarkable bass and great treble. The 11.6 mm dynamic driver makes the audio experience immersive, loud, and clear.

The Active noise cancellation technology blocks out ambient noise. You can even personalise the sound experience. These earbuds allow you to deal with moderate background noise as well as extremely noisy settings, such as airports and offices.

Also, the ClearVoice technology ensures enhanced voice clarity on calls. It reduces distractive background noise, like wind.

The app offers other different features to improve user experience. In fact, you can customise settings as per your location and mood.

There are a host of other smart features. The earbuds come with gesture controls such as double tap to play or pause and triple tap to go to the next track.

If you are unable to locate your earbuds, you can ring them using the “Find My Earbud” feature.

It comes with robust battery life, offering up to 34 hours of listening time with the case. Also, the Ear (1) supports ultra-fast charging.

Verdict

Nothing has taken a fresh take on wireless earbuds. Both the white and black colour variants look equally god. The Ear (1) offers a great mix of design, comfort, and performance. The aggressive pricing makes it a worthy contender. At INR 6,999, it’s a good product that can take on its contemporaries.