Review: Ear (open) – open-design earphones by Nothing

For some time now, we’ve been seeing more and more manufacturers launch open-design earphones (whether it’s Bose, Xiaomi, or Sony), with the goal of keeping users aware of their surroundings at all times, without disconnecting. This is a trend opposite to noise-canceling (ANC) earphones, which aim to keep us in our bubble, without background interference. Therefore, it’s important to note that open-design earphones are suitable for a specific type of person or activity (for example, running), who prefers constant awareness of their surroundings over the sound of music. The ear (open) are aimed at this audience.

Design and Controls: Ear (open) – Almost Unnoticeable

The ear (open) are built in a band shape, they are thin, and their main part is similar to the company’s previous earphones, with a white silicone-coated band attached, making it comfortable on the ears. The advantage of the earphone structure is that they don’t press on the ears, but on the other hand, they are loose and caused me to often adjust them in my ears.

True to Nothing’s tradition, the carry case received much attention from the company’s designers. It is a transparent case on the front and a glossy white color on the back, with a very flat and long design. Both the earphones and the carry case are resistant to moisture with an IP54 rating.

In terms of controls, there is no sensor to detect when the earphones are removed from the ears and pause/play the audio. Presumably, Nothing designed these earphones to stay on the ears at all times and not be taken off and placed on a table during use.

By pinching the earphones themselves, you can control all the important functions, with the abilities being identical in most cases for both the right and left earphones. A single pinch – play/pause and answer/end a call. A double pinch – skip to the next track, and a triple pinch – go back to the previous track. A long pinch on the right earphone – increase the volume and on the left earphone – decrease the volume.

Sound and Calls: Ear (open) – Despite the Open Design, the Sound is Surprisingly Good

The ear (open) come with Bluetooth 5.3 and basic SBC and AAC codecs, so don’t expect high-definition audio codec compatibility here.

The 14.2mm drivers don’t sit inside the ears but are placed at the entrance of the ear canal. According to the company, the custom shape reduces distortion and improves low frequencies, while the titanium coating reproduces high sounds. Overall, I occasionally experienced distortions.

Further, according to Nothing, the driver components are nearly 30% lighter than typical earphones and enhance the mid and high frequencies, while the stepped driver physically places the speaker closer to the ear without compromising comfort.

Despite Nothing’s impressive descriptions of the sound capabilities, these are still open-design earphones, so you should lower your expectations, but not too much, mainly because there is no seal that allows the sound to be transmitted effectively. For open-design earphones, they have good sound with noticeable bass, which is enhanced by the automatic Bass Enhance algorithm that optimizes low frequencies. The bass does its job, even though the earphones don’t enter the ear canal, and the sound itself is pleasant and relatively clean, loud, and even with volume. On the other hand, there were several instances where I noticed distortions.

To improve sound quality and prevent sound leakage outside, Nothing integrated two speakers in each earphone, with one speaker delivering sound into the ear and the other sending the sound outward, while also emitting an inverted sound to cancel out the first speaker’s sound. There is slight sound leakage, but it shouldn't bother those nearby.

In terms of phone calls, the company’s successful Clear Voice technology is also integrated here, and it works very well, even in street conversations.

Battery: Long Playback Time

The earphones' batteries provide 8 hours of playback and up to 30 hours with the charging case. A 10-minute fast charge provides two hours of music.

Price: NIS 680 (Official importer: Bug)

Bottom Line:

The ear (open) are not for everyone. They are suitable for people who are looking for open-design earphones, care about being aware of their surroundings, and don’t want to isolate themselves from external noise. For example, I had trouble sitting with them in an office space because I could hear all my colleagues talking next to me and struggled to concentrate. On the other hand, during a run on the street, the earphones allowed me to stay connected to what’s happening around me. The design of the earphones is suitable for people who don’t like earphones that go into their ears, but on the other hand, in my case, they moved a lot and I had to adjust them frequently. The sound of the earphones is good for open-design earphones, and the microphone quality is good for managing calls.