Nothing Ear (2) Review: A Big Sonic Step

The Nothing Ear (1) true wireless stereo (TWS) earphones were an excellent first-generation product from a brand that had never made anything before. Marketed ingeniously by Carl Pei, who has taken on the role of Steve Jobs in the tech industry since the Apple founder passed away in 2011, the Ear (1) was a success. With his first act, OnePlus, Pei created a brand that now competes with Apple in markets like India. With Nothing, his second company, he aims to create something even more aspirational. He uses unique marketing stunts to create hype, like he's doing now with the Nothing Ear (2), which is being promoted with Pei sharing content from the studios of big YouTubers like MKBHD.

With the Ear (2), Nothing aims to prove that it can enhance an already excellent product and take on the big players such as Apple, OnePlus, Oppo, Google, Samsung, and Sony. Nothing also aims to create an aspirational audio brand, something that last happened when we had Dr. Dre's Beats, which was acquired by Apple for a cool $3 billion.

How Do They Look?

The Ear (2) looks more or less identical to the Ear (1) with the transparency motif continuing. You wouldn't be able to tell the difference from the outside. Nothing says the Ear (2) has bigger 11.6mm drivers which, in terms of physics, gives the Ear (2) a massive advantage for sound quality. It's also a custom driver which should provide a more optimized experience. There are three microphones to boot which should help with not only noise cancellation but also call quality.

The Nothing case is also minutely smaller and lighter. It also features better quality plastic which is harder to scratch. I tested this with the Ear (2) and indeed the case doesn't get scratched very easily. Overall, this is a nice looking case, but I just don't feel it is as intuitive a case as, say, the one on the Nothing Ear (Stick) or Apple's AirPods.

That being said, Nothing has made a design statement and the Ear (2), like the Ear (1), is a very fashionable TWS earphone which is complimented with an excellent fit. And if the tips don't fit well, then there are more tips in the box. Nothing has now added IPX54 water resistance and the case is IPX55 resistant.

Do They Sound Good?

The Nothing Ear (2) represents a significant improvement in sound quality compared to its predecessor. Its bigger drivers and dual chamber design elevate the acoustics of this TWS to a level above many in its segment. The Nothing Ear (2) offers a wide and open sound stage with a very neutral sound profile, which can make them sound a bit treble-heavy. Nonetheless, they sound excellent across a variety of music genres. This system excels with music that features vocals, heavy guitar, and intricate instrumentation, while also providing an optimal experience for streaming platform content.

However, they do miss out on spatial audio, which is now a key feature of streaming services like Apple Music and Netflix. Spatial audio has proven to be polarizing for music, so I don't think many people will miss it for audio. However, its impressiveness is felt when watching action or science fiction movies or TV shows.

The good news is that now there is support for the LHDC 5.0 codec for high-resolution audio, which can make a significant difference for people who are very particular about sound quality. I tested several songs, including "Echoes" by Pink Floyd, "Stairway to Heaven" by Led Zeppelin, "No Reason" by The Chemical Brothers, "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd, "Smooth Criminal" by Michael Jackson, and "Danger" by Eric Clapton and JJ Cale, and the experience was very satisfying.

They also support Bluetooth 5.3 and support dual connections on two devices. The Nothing X app is also a delight to use with funky graphics and an easy to understand minimal, no-nonsense user interface.

How Good Are These For Voice Calls?

Again, the Nothing Clear Voice algorithm works really well and definitely, the Nothing Ear (2) is a better earphone for voice calls than many options that are more expensive than it. This includes the Google Pixel Buds Pro, the Samsung Galaxy Buds2 which are significantly more expensive. They sound about as good as the OnePlus Buds2 Pro and are superior to the first generation OnePlus Buds Pro.

This works in tandem with its active noise cancellation technology which has received a huge update. Nothing has also added a noise cancellation system that automatically adapts to the surroundings of the user cancelling out certain types of sounds. Users can also set up their own custom profiles as per their aural capabilities. There is also mime integration which provides a very scientific hearing test for better calibration of custom profiles which allows for better calibration.

The noise cancellation still, however, needs to improve as it can be jarring at times and can glitch a bit. But Nothing can improve this via software updates.

Battery Life

Nothing claims 38 hours of battery life, including the juice in the case with ANC turned off. In my tests with noise cancellation turned on, I averaged around 4-5 hours of battery life. I also found that if I had the case fully charged, I never had to charge the Ear (2) for more than 2 times in a week.

It also helps that it supports fast charging and can be juiced for quite a while in just 10 minutes of charging. The case also supports Qi wireless charging and can even be charged via phones like Nothing's own Phone (1) or something like the new Galaxy S23 Ultra which I used to primarily test the earphones.

Overall, I found the battery life to be par for the course.

Are They Worth It?

While Nothing has raised the price of the Ear (2) by at least 30 percent from the first model, the improvements are grander. The Nothing Ear (2) is a more complete TWS earphone which also has better build quality. They look fashionable, they sound good, relatively balanced with an assortment of sounds with reliable active noise cancellation packaged with good battery life. While doing so, they also are a wee bit more affordable, though they miss out on spatial audio.