The Nothing Ear (2) are the successor to the Nothing Ear (1) Truly Wireless. These updated earbuds have a very similar build to their predecessor, with the most noticeable visual change being the case, which looks more square. They also come with new features focused on delivering an individualized listening experience, like a personalized adaptive active noise cancellation (ANC) and a graphic EQ in the companion app. They also have an improved IP54 rating for protection against dust and water splashes.
Our Verdict
The Nothing Ear (2) are good for neutral sound. They're comfortable enough for long listening sessions, and their 'Balanced' EQ preset is relatively flat, ensuring bass that feels thumpy, punchy, and full without overpowering the rest of the track. An underemphasized mid-mid makes vocals and lead instruments sound pushed to the back of the mix. Fortunately, they sound detailed and clear, thanks to a well-balanced treble range. Sibilants, like cymbals, also sound bright and crisp. If you want to change the sound profile, the companion app's graphic EQ and presets let you fine-tune the mix.
- Comfortable and well-built.
- 3-band graphic EQ and presets let you customize their sound.
- Bad passive soundstage.
The Nothing Ear (2) are good for commuting and travel. Their comfortable and lightweight build makes them well-suited for long trips. Their ANC also does a decent job of isolating you from background noise, like bus engines and passenger chatter. While their battery lasts long enough on a single charge to get you through a bus ride to and from work, they can't get you through a longer international flight without needing recharging.
- Comfortable and well-built.
- IP54 rating for protection against dust and water splashes.
- Low leakage at high volumes.
- Mediocre overall battery performance.
- Mic makes your voice sound thin.
The Nothing Ear (2) are great for sports and fitness. Their comfort, stable in-ear fit and IP54 rating for protection against water and dust exposure make these buds well-suited for light runs outdoors and sweaty workouts at the gym. Their ANC also does a decent job isolating you from heavy traffic or chatter from nearby gymgoers. However, their battery can't last through an all-day excursion without needing a recharge, and they can still fall out with intense head shakes.
- IP54 rating for protection against dust and water splashes.
- Low leakage at high volumes.
- Mic makes your voice sound thin.
The Nothing Ear (2) are decent for use in an office. They're comfortable enough for long shifts, but their relatively short battery life can't last through a whole 9-5 without needing a recharge. Fortunately, a ten-minute charge gives you two hours of playback with ANC off and 1.5 hours with it on. Their ANC does a decent job of cutting out ambient chatter but struggles to isolate you from whiny PC fans and AC units. Fortunately, they have multi-device pairing, meaning you can switch between your phone and laptop with ease.
- Comfortable and well-built.
- Low leakage at high volumes.
- Mediocre overall battery performance.
- Mic makes your voice sound thin.
The Nothing Ear (2) are Bluetooth-only earbuds. While they have a 'Low Latency' feature, audio lag still falls out of good values across most platforms, which may be prohibitive for some users.
The Nothing Ear (2) are Bluetooth-only earbuds, and you can't use them for wired gaming.
The Nothing Ear (2) are decent for phone calls. Your voice sounds present and understandable but thin and distorted. Fortunately, they do a good job of separating your voice from both moderate and loud background noise. Their ANC also does a decent job of isolating you from ambient noise to focus on your call.
- Good noise handling performance.
- Mic makes your voice sound thin.
Changelog
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Updated Apr 09, 2025:
This review's Compared To Other Headphones and Bluetooth boxes were updated to mention the CMF Buds Pro 2.
- Updated Jul 15, 2024: The Battery section has been updated to compare the Nothing Ear Truly Wireless.
- Updated Apr 22, 2024: We've added a comparison between these buds and the OnePlus Buds 3 Truly Wireless in Bluetooth.
- Updated Apr 10, 2024: Firmware 1.0.1.102 has added an Advanced EQ in the companion app. We have updated App Support with these results.
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Differences Between Sizes And Variants
These earbuds come in one variant: 'Black/White', and you can see our model's label here. If you come across another variant, let us know in the forums, and we'll update our review.
Popular Headphones Comparisons
The Nothing Ear (2) are the next generation of the Nothing Ear (1) Truly Wireless. They come with some upgraded features, like Adaptive ANC, ANC presets, and a graphic EQ and presets to help you fine-tune their sound to your liking. They're comfortable, well-built, and have an IP54 rating for resistance against dust and water splashes. Unfortunately, their battery life won't get you through a typical work shift or long trip without needing a recharge, unlike the Sennheiser MOMENTUM True Wireless 3, which have a longer continuous battery life with ANC on. Overall, the Nothing Ear (2)'s ANC doesn't block out as much background noise as their predecessor. In comparison, the Anker Soundcore Space A40 Truly Wireless can isolate you from a substantial amount more ambient noise, from bus engines to ambient chatter and noisy AC units. Meanwhile, subsequent incremental improvements to ANC in the time since the Ear (2) were released mean that affordable options like the CMF Buds Pro 2 outdo the Ear (2) when it comes to isolation and battery life.
Check out our recommendations for the best wireless Bluetooth earbuds, the best noise cancelling earbuds, and the best sounding wireless earbuds.
The Nothing Ear are very similar to the Nothing Ear (2) with some small improvements. They both fit about the same with almost identical cases and they sound fairly similar. Both have plenty of the same app features, such as EQ and multi-device pairing. The Ear also have slightly better noise isolation and a better battery life. Still, the Ear (2) have enough similarities that you don't necessarily need to upgrade immediately.
The Nothing Ear (2) belong to a previous generation of earbuds with less powerful ANC than the CMF Buds Pro 2. That said, the Nothing have a more comprehensive equalizer and a flatter sound profile. They're better made and use pinch controls. Still, the CMF use the same app as the Nothing, albeit with a slightly pared-back version with a simpler EQ. They're bassier by default and have a slightly longer continuous battery life. However, their touch controls are a bit less reliable than the Nothing.
The Nothing Ear (2) are very similar to their predecessor, the Nothing Ear (1). Both have similar designs, build quality, stability, and comfort. While the Ear (2) have slightly worse-performing ANC than the Ear (1), their mic has improved significantly, making your voice sound more natural and better isolated from background noise during a call. While the Ear (2) now feature multi-device pairing, you can't use the buds to control the volume by default, which isn't ideal for quick inputs while on the go. We used different methods for activating 'on-ear' detection with the Ear (1) and Ear (2), which affected our frequency response consistency measurements. You can find more info in each product's test text. Although the graphs differ, both buds deliver consistent bass and treble as they both have the same in-ear fit.
The Nothing Ear (2) are better in-ear headphones than the Apple AirPods Pro 2. While both buds have similar comfort, battery life, and build quality, the Nothing come with more features for a lower price than the Apple, like multi-device pairing, ANC presets, and a graphic EQ with presets. However, the Apple have a better-functioning ANC that isolates you from more ambient noise, making them ideal for commutes and working in loud offices. They also have better compatibility with Apple's product ecosystem thanks to their H2 chip, which allows for seamless pairing with other Apple devices.
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