Nothing Ear (a) Wireless Earbuds

The Nothing Ear (a) exists for the daily ritual of trying to create a private audio bubble while the world insists on conducting speakerphone calls three inches away. It is a pair of black wireless earbuds with active noise cancellation rated up to 45 dB, but the appeal is less about escaping civilization altogether and more about making the commute, open office, or grocery run slightly less populated.

We think the sensible trick here is that Nothing has not treated the case as a decorative pebble with just enough power for one crisis. Its stated maximum is up to 42.5 hours with ANC off, while the buds themselves are rated for up to 9.5 hours. Turn ANC on and those figures drop to up to 24.5 hours with the case and 5.5 hours from the buds, which is the familiar tax for asking electronics to negotiate with the outside world.

Dual Connection gives the Ear (a) useful everyday relevance. A laptop and a phone can both remain connected, which suits anyone whose day involves a meeting, a call, a voice note, and a sudden need to disappear into music before replying to any of them. USB-C charging and the stated 10-minute charge for up to 10 hours of ANC-off playback add a practical escape hatch.

This is not our pick for treating every pocket, puddle, and downpour with equal contempt. The earbuds have IP54 water and dust resistance, but the case is only IPX2. Still, for people who want capable ANC earbuds without turning their bag into a shrine to charging cables, the Nothing Ear (a) earns its place.