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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare

Nothing Ear (3) vs Ear (3a)

Which Headphones Are Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Sound
      Sound ProfileFrequency Response ConsistencyRaw Frequency ResponseBass Profile: Target ComplianceMid-Range Profile: Target ComplianceTreble Profile: Target CompliancePeaks/DipsStereo MismatchCumulative Spectral DecayPRTFHarmonic DistortionElectrical AspectsTest Settings
    Design
      StyleComfortControlsPortabilityCaseBuild QualityStabilityHeadshots 1Headshots 2TopIn The Box
    Isolation
      Noise Isolation - Full RangeNoise Isolation - Common ScenariosNoise Isolation - Voice HandlingANC Wind HandlingLeakage
    Microphone
      Microphone StyleRecording QualityNoise Handling
    Active Features
      BatteryApp Support
    Connectivity
      Wired ConnectionBluetooth ConnectionWireless Connection (Dongle)PC CompatibilityPlayStation CompatibilityXbox Compatibility
    Comments

Products

Nothing Ear (3)
Nothing Ear (3a)

Tested using Methodology v2.3

Updated Jul 30, 2026 12:58 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon

Tested using Methodology v2.3

Updated Jul 30, 2026 12:47 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon
Nothing Ear (3) Picture

Track

Nothing Ear (3a) Picture

Track

TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (8 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
Treble Amount
Slightly Emphasized (1 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
≈ Boosted Bass
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Very Emphasized (8 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Boosted Bass
  1. Recommended in 3 articles:
  2. Wireless Earbuds For Android
  3. Earbuds For iPhone
  4. Earbuds With A Mic
  1. Recommended in 2 articles:
  2. Wireless Earbuds Under $100
  3. AirPods Alternatives

Our Verdict

Nothing Ear (3)

Nothing Ear (3a)

The Nothing Ear (3) are the flagship alternative to the more affordable Nothing Ear (3a). But the differences are smaller than you might think, and if mic quality isn't important for you, the Ear (3a) offer better value. The main reason to get the flagship Ear (3) model is the improved microphone, which captures your voice more accurately than the Ear (3a)'s. The Ear (3)'s case also supports wireless charging, and they come with Quick Pair for iOS, which is handy if you're enmeshed in Apple's ecosystem. That said, the Ear (3a) offer a longer continuous battery life, comparable ANC, and a similar suite of EQ tools in the companion app.

GIFT THIS COMPARISON

0 

Variants

  • Ear (3) (Black)
  • Ear (3) (White)
  • Ear (3a) (Black)
  • Ear (3a) (Pink)

Review

See Nothing Ear (3) Review
See Nothing Ear (3a) Review
2 
2 

Check Price

Black
Ear (3)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Ear (3)
SEE PRICE
Nothing
White
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Pink
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Yellow
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon

Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness

Threshold 

0.10

Sports And Fitness 
 

0.0
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Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

Nothing Ear (3) Sound Profile Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Sound Profile Sample

SAMPLE

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Normalization Frequency 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Treble Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Sound Signature 
 

Locked
Locked

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

N/A
N/A

Consistency L  

Nothing Ear (3) Consistency L Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Consistency L Sample

SAMPLE

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Consistency R  

Nothing Ear (3) Consistency R Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Consistency R Sample

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Std. Deviation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

Nothing Ear (3) Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Raw FR L Sample

SAMPLE

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Raw FR R  

Nothing Ear (3) Raw FR R Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Raw FR R Sample

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Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Ear (3) Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Low Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Ear (3) Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Ear (3) Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Peaks/Dips 
 

N/A
N/A

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

Nothing Ear (3) Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

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Peaks 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Dips 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Stereo Mismatch 
 

N/A
N/A

Frequency Response Mismatch  

Nothing Ear (3) Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

SAMPLE

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Phase Response Mismatch  

Nothing Ear (3) Phase Response Mismatch Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Phase Response Mismatch Sample

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Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

Lock°
Lock°

PRTF 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF  

Nothing Ear (3) PRTF Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) PRTF Sample

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PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF Distance 
 

N/A
N/A

Harmonic Distortion 
 

N/A
N/A

Harmonics Levels  

Nothing Ear (3) Harmonics Levels Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Harmonics Levels Sample

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THD Ratio  

Nothing Ear (3) THD Ratio Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) THD Ratio Sample

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WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

Nothing Ear (3) Impedance Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Impedance Sample

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Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Locked
Locked

Power 
 

Locked
Locked

Connection 
 

Locked
Locked

Codec 
 

Locked
Locked

Test Instrument  

Locked
Locked

EQ 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC 
 

Locked
Locked

Tip/Pad 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone 
 

Locked
Locked
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Nothing Ear (3) Design Picture 2 Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Design Picture 2 Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

Enclosure  

Locked
Locked

Wireless  

Locked
Locked

Transducer  

Locked
Locked

Comfort 
 

N/A
N/A

Comfort Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Comfort Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Comfort Picture Sample

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Weight  

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Clamping Force 
 

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Controls Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Controls Picture Sample

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OS Compatibility 
 

Locked
Locked

Ease Of Use  

Locked
Locked

Feedback  

Locked
Locked

Call/Music Control  

Locked
Locked

Volume Control  

Locked
Locked

Microphone Control  

Locked
Locked

Channel Mixing 
 

Locked
Locked

Noise Cancelling Control  

Locked
Locked

Talk-Through 
 

Locked
Locked

Additional Controls  

Locked
Locked

Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Portability Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Portability Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Portability Picture Sample

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L  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

W  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

H  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Locked
Locked

Case 
 

N/A
N/A

Case Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Case Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Case Picture Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

L  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

W  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

H  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Build Quality Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Build Quality Picture Sample

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Stability 
 

N/A
N/A

Stability Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Stability Picture Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Stability Picture Sample

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Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Angled Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Angled Picture Sample

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Side Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Side Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Side Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Front Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Front Picture Sample

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Rear Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Rear Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Top  

Top Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Top Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) In The Box Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) In The Box Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

Nothing Ear (3) Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Noise Cancelling  

Locked
Locked

Overall Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

Nothing Ear (3) Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

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Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

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Office Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Join Now
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Street Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

Join Now
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Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

Join Now
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Male Voice 1 
 

Join Now
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Female Voice 2 
 

Join Now
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Male Voice 2 
 

Join Now
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ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Nothing Ear (3) ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

SAMPLE

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ANC Wind Noise 
 

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Leakage 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage  

Nothing Ear (3) Leakage Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Leakage Sample

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Leakage Audio 
 

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Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Locked
Locked

In-Line 
 

Locked
Locked

Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic  

Locked
Locked

Recording Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Microphone Frequency Response  

Nothing Ear (3) Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Recorded Speech 
 

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LFE 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

HFE 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Weighted THD 
 

N/A
Lock

Gain 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

SpNR  

Nothing Ear (3) SpNR Sample

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Nothing Ear (3a) SpNR Sample

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SpNR 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Gate 
 

Locked
Locked

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

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Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

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Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Type 
 

Locked
Locked

Continuous Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Additional Charges 
 

Lock
Lock

Total Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Charge Time 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Locked
Locked

Audio While Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Passive Playback 
 

Locked
Locked

Charging Port  

Locked
Locked

App Support 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) App Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) App Picture Sample

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App Name  

Locked
Locked

iOS  

Locked
Locked

Android  

Locked
Locked

macOS  

Locked
Locked

Windows  

Locked
Locked

Equalizer 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic Control  

Locked
Locked

Playback Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Button Mapping  

Locked
Locked

Virtual Surround 
 

Locked
Locked
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Cable Picture  

Nothing Ear (3) Cable Picture Sample

SAMPLE

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Nothing Ear (3a) Cable Picture Sample

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Analog Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable 
 

Locked
Locked

Length 
 

N/A
N/A

Connector 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - Analog 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - USB 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Join Now
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Recorded Latency Connection  

Locked
Locked

Bluetooth Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - SBC 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

Lock ms
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

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Recorded Latency Codec  

Locked
Locked

AAC Support 
 

Locked
Locked

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

N/A
N/A

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

Join Now
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PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS5 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Check Price

Black
Ear (3)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Black
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Ear (3)
SEE PRICE
Nothing
White
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Pink
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Yellow
Ear (3a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Back to Top

Nothing Ear (3)

Nothing Ear (3a)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 month ago

Nothing Ear (3) vs Nothing Ear (3a): Main Discussion

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