Nothing ear 2 Review Best Yet
Nothing ear 2 Fully Wireless Earphones, Bluetooth 5.3, Active Noise Cancelling
| Brand | Nothing |
| Model Name | ear (1) |
| Colour | white 2 |
| Form Factor | In Ear |
Following the successful launches of Ear 1 in 2021 and Ear (Stick) last year, London-based tech startup “Nothing” has introduced its third earbud model Ear 2. The Ear 2 retains the signature transparent design of its predecessors and offers upgrades such as Bluetooth 5.3 with the LHDC 5.0 audio codec, advanced ANC, and improvements to Clear Voice technology.
Box contents
- Nothing Ear (1) in White
- Ear tips included in small and large sizes (medium pre-installed)
- Comes with a braided USB Type-C cable
- Includes a user guide
Design and build quality:
The headset features a sleek and attractive transparent design, reminiscent of its predecessor crafted by Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering. There is a white cover at the center of the case, surrounded by transparent panels that allow clear visibility of the earbuds.
At the bottom of the case, you’ll find some specifications. Unlike its predecessor, the white plastic part now sits on top of the clear plastic, reducing the risk of scratches. However, the top of the case may also get scratched when carried with other items. Additionally, there is a function key and a USB Type-C port on the side of the case for convenience.
The charging case is compact, measuring 55.5×55.5×22 mm and weighing 51.9 grams, which is slightly smaller than its predecessor. It has a small LED light that illuminates in white, green and red colors. Additionally, the case boasts an IP55 rating for dust and water resistance, providing durability and protection.
The in-ear earbuds retain their signature transparent design for the stem. Weighing around 4.5 grams, they are slightly lighter and more compact than their predecessors, measuring 29.4×21.5x 23.5 mm. The microphone has been relocated to the front, enhancing wind noise cancellation. Additionally, an optical sensor to detect wear automatically pauses audio when you remove the earbuds and resumes playback when you put them back on, ensuring a seamless user experience.
You’ll notice the Nothing Ear 2 branding on the outside, with a touch-sensitive area to control play/pause, ANC and volume. These earphones boast an IP54 rating for dust and water resistance, which is an upgrade from the IPX4 rating of the Ear(1). They can tolerate splashes and light rain but are not suitable for swimming.
The fit was spot-on, staying securely in place even during vigorous activities like running or workouts. The Earbuds fit test feature plays music to confirm that your ear tips create a tight seal with your ear canal, enhancing noise cancellation. This feature is powered by Mimi.
Connectivity, pairing, and controls:
The Nothing Ear 2 features Bluetooth 5.3 with the LHDC 5.0 high-res audio codec, delivering HD sound quality on compatible devices. It also supports the AAC codec for phones that use it. LHDC 5.0 offers transmission rates up to 1Mbps, four times better detail and broadcast frequencies up to 24 bit/192 kHz.
Pairing with the Nothing Phone (1) is straightforward: simply enable Bluetooth on the phone, open the buds’ charging case near the phone and follow the prompts. For other devices, place the buds in the open charging case, then press and hold the Setup button for 2 seconds to enter Bluetooth settings. Select Nothing Year (2) from the list.
The earbuds offer a fast pairing option compatible with the latest Android phones such as the Pixel 7, Galaxy S23 and Xiaomi 13 Pro, ensuring smooth pairing without any issues. Additionally, Microsoft Swift Pair allows connectivity with Windows devices. Since the phone connects to the case rather than the headset, the case is required to reconnect or turn on the headset when disconnected from the phone.
You can activate the dual connection option, enabling simultaneous connection to two devices and easy audio playback switching between them. However, the headset requires a reboot every time you enable or disable this feature.
To prevent accidental touches and discomfort, touch controls have been replaced with press controls. It allows you to skip tracks, switch between noise cancellation modes, and adjust the volume with a simple press. For further customization, use the Nothing X app to tailor the controls to your preferences
| Function | Left earphone (L) | Right earphone (R) |
| Play / Pause or Answer call / Hang calls | Single Pinch | |
| Skip forward / Decline Incoming call | Double Pinch | |
| Skip back | Triple Pinch | |
| Switch between ANC and Transparency Mode | Pinch and Hold | |
| Volume control | Customizable with Pinch and Hold / Double Pinch and Hold | |
The option to control volume by sliding is no longer available. Instead, customize the controls using the Nothing X app on both Android and iPhone. While you can adjust the actions for triple pinch, pinch and hold, and pinch and hold for each bud, customization for single or double pinch is not supported.
Additionally, you can disable in-ear detection from the Settings menu. It also has a helpful ‘Find My Earbud’ feature that emits a high-pitched sound to help locate the misplaced earbud.
Audio quality:
The Nothing Ear (2) feature 11.6mm dynamic drivers that utilize the company’s in-house drivers and a new dual-chamber design to enhance sound quality with smoother airflow.
While LHDC compatibility was seen with the Nothing Phone (1), OnePlus 11 and Xiaomi 13 Pro , it didn’t work with other devices like the Galaxy S23 and Pixel 7, which only supported AAC.
Overall, the audio quality is crisp, delivering clear vocals, deep low frequencies and clear high frequencies due to the dual chamber design. However, the mid-range and upper mid-range are average compared to the high and low frequencies.
The earbuds offer four equalizer presets: Balanced (default), More Bass, More Treble and Loud, ensuring optimal sound for every song. Users can customize the EQ or use a personalized sound profile with Hearing ID to adjust settings in real-time for a personalized listening experience.
Noise Cancellation and Call Performance:
Regarding noise cancellation, Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) effectively blocks up to 40dB of ambient sounds, similar to in-ear(1). However, the quality of the in-ear ANC (2) is better than its predecessor, which is especially noticeable in different environments such as outdoors or indoors with background noises like ACs or fans.
The earbuds offer four modes: Low, Mid, High and Adaptive mode, which automatically adjust the level of noise reduction in real-time depending on the surrounding environment. Additionally, Personal ANC tailors noise cancellation based on the size of the user’s ear canal using 7 audio filters. while effective, It may struggle in fluctuating sound conditions such as transitioning from noisy traffic to quiet areas. Users can easily switch between noise cancellation, transparency, and no noise cancellation with a simple pinch and hold gesture on the earbuds.
It also includes Transparency Mode, which allows you to hear ambient sounds for situational awareness and safety. Low-latency gaming mode, or low lag mode, activates automatically with the Nothing phone (1) but requires manual activation in other devices. While latency is high without this mode, it improves significantly when enabled, although the exact latency value has not been disclosed by the company.
For call noise cancellation, Clear Voice technology uses three high-definition microphones to reduce external noise. Advanced algorithms, analyzing over 20 million sound samples, ensure better performance than its predecessor. Wind and crowd noise resistance has also been improved, resulting in clear calls with minimal background noise interference.
Battery life:
The earphones are powered by a 33mAh battery that delivers approximately 6.3 hours of standalone battery life without ANC and 4 hours of battery life with ANC. With LHDC and noise cancellation on, I experienced a little over 3 hours at around 60% volume, which could have been better. Using AAC with ANC off, it lasted about 5.5 hours, which is fine for everyday use. For calls, expect around 3.5 hours due to call noise cancellation.
The 485mAh charging case, smaller than the predecessor’s 570mAh, provides a total battery life of 36 hours without ANC and 22.5 hours with noise cancellation. Despite the small case and battery, the overall battery life is satisfactory. The green light indicates full battery, turns red when low, although this does not indicate low earbud charge. The battery level for both the case and buds is visible in the ears (1).
It takes about 1.5 hours to fully charge the case along with the earbuds. It also supports fast charging, providing 8 hours of playback (case + earbuds) without ANC after just 10 minutes of charging. Additionally, the case features wireless charging, so you can easily charge it by placing it on a Qi wireless charging pad or on the back of a phone with reverse wireless charging.
conclusion:
In short, the Nothing Ear (2) offers commendable active noise cancellation (ANC) at its price point. Although its design is quite similar to the Ear (1), it comes with a smaller case and offers better audio quality, ANC and call noise cancellation .However, standalone battery life could be improved. Price Rs. 9,999 i.e. Rs. Priced at Rs 4,000 more than the previous year (1), it will be available from 12 noon on March 28 via Flipkart and Myntra online as well as select offline stores. There is also a limited period sale starting today, March 25, at 12 noon.