Stuff Verdict

As distinctive as ever, but now with ANC upgrades and EQ improvements. A modest yet welcome update on what were already capable and keenly priced wireless earbuds.

Pros

Noise cancelling takes a small step up

Battery boost much appreciated

Enjoyable tuning with plenty of personalisation via app

Cons

Not the biggest upgrade from the outgoing pair

Cheaper Ear (a) not far behind on any front

Introduction

Before you ask: no, Carl Pei isn’t sat in a factory somewhere scratching the (2) off thousands of pairs of wireless earbuds. The Nothing Ear is an all-new model from the transparent tech specialist, one that foregoes numbers and says “this is as good as it gets around here”.

Underneath the now-familiar styling lies a new dynamic driver, uprated noise cancelling algorithms and much better battery life than the outgoing Nothing Ear 2 could manage. Clearer voice calls and extra hi-res Bluetooth codecs also make the cut. That’s quite the package, given the keen $149/£129 asking price – only it’s no longer the obvious choice for budget-minded music lovers.