Skip to main content

Nothing’s Ear 1 earbuds will cost $99, have noise canceling upon July 27 debut

It has taken a while, but we now know a little more about the first product from new technology company Nothing. The Nothing Ear 1 true wireless earbuds will launch at 2 p.m. BST on July 27 in the U.K., which is 6 a.m. PT and 9 a.m. ET in the U.S. They will cost $99 USD and though much still remains unknown about their design, Nothing has confirmed that they will feature “state-of-the-art” active noise cancellation (ANC) and each earbud will sport three high-definition microphones.

Along with the announcement of the price and ANC capability, Nothing released a new teaser image on Instagram, which it describes as “a close up of Ear 1.”

Related Videos
Nothing Ear 1 teaser image showing a close-up of the product.
Nothing

The company also released a teaser video that shows the Nothing team discussing the difficulties involved in creating a transparent product.

If you’re new to Nothing, here’s why you should be paying attention. It’s the new company created by Carl Pei following his departure from OnePlus, which he co-founded with Pete Lau in 2013. Given OnePlus’ success, the phones it has produced, and the strong fan base it has built, there is plenty of anticipation surrounding Pei’s plans for Nothing. What we know so far is that Nothing will produce “smart devices,” with the first being the Ear 1 true wireless headphones, but we don’t know exactly what its future output will be. We don’t know much about the Ear 1 yet either.

Nothing Ear (1) launch teaser image.

The design will be shared during the July launch event, but there are likely clues to the way it will look in Nothing’s Concept 1 art, shown off in March. Although the Concept 1 isn’t an actual product, it shows off the company’s design principles, and there are likely hints of the Ear 1 in it. For example, the clear case, red accent color, and very simple shape could all be used on a true wireless earbud. The shape and color of the human head and neck in the teaser image (above) may also reference the eventual product design.

Nothing Concept 1 teaser image.
Nothing’s Concept 1 earbud design. Nothing

Announcements have also been made regarding where the Nothing Ear 1 will be available to buy. In the U.K., the earbuds will be found in prestigious high-end retailer Selfridges, while in India online retailer Flipkart is onboard. There has been no announcement regarding specific sale locations in the U.S. yet, and at the time of writing, Nothing does not have an online retail presence of its own.

The true wireless earbud market may be saturated with products at all different prices, but Pei’s involvement and the promise of something different from Nothing makes the Ear 1 one to watch. The launch date and time suggest there will be an accompanying event, and we will update should one be announced in the weeks ahead.

Editors' Recommendations

Nothing Ear 1 gets Siri, Alexa, and Google Assistant access
The Nothing Ear 1's open case.

In a case of going from nothing to everything, Nothing has announced that its Ear 1 true wireless earbuds now support pretty much every voice assistant you could ask for, including Alexa, Google Assistant, and Siri (depending on your phone). That's a big shift from 2021, when the Ear 1 was launched without any voice assistant support at all.

The move comes as something of a surprise given that the company told Android Central that it had no plans to add voice assistant access. Nothing announced the change via a tweet on February 7 that encouraged Ear 1 owners to install a firmware update via the Nothing Ear 1 app.

Read more
Nothing’s transparent Ear 1 earbuds get blacked out for stealthy special edition
Nothing Ear 1 Black Edition earbud.

Are the Nothing Ear 1 true wireless headphones, in that ice-cool white and transparent finish, a little too stark-looking for you? If so, then you’ll probably really like the new version just announced. This is the Black Edition of the Nothing Ear 1 in-ear headphones, and while they retain the trademark transparent casing, the white color has been replaced by black for a stealthy aesthetic.
What’s new?
The Nothing Ear 1 Black Edition has a classy mix of dark shades, with the body of the earbuds in matte black with gloss black collars, and the transparent plastic over the stems adding shine to the black components inside. The case’s transparent lid is now smoky black rather than completely transparent, the molded inner section is black, and the various metal parts that were polished on the first version, are also in black to complete the theme.

There’s another, arguably more important thematic reason for the introduction of the Black Edition, as the company has also announced the Ear 1 is carbon neutral. Nothing has worked with several third parties to assess the headphones, and will add the 1.78kg carbon footprint data to the Ear 1’s latest packaging.

Read more
Sennheiser releases its most affordable set of noise-canceling earbuds
Sennheiser CX Plus True Wireless earbuds in white.

Sennheiser today revealed its most affordable set of active noise-canceling (ANC) true wireless earbuds so far: The $180 CX Plus True Wireless. The new earbuds will be available in either black or white and will hit stores on September 28.

Until now, if you wanted a set of Sennheiser earbuds with ANC, you needed to cough up $300 for the company's Momentum True Wireless 2, a great but pricey product. The new CX Plus appears to be part of Sennheiser's ongoing effort to make its audio technology more accessible. Earlier this year, it cut the price of its $200 CX 400BT True Wireless earbuds by half. In July, it followed up with the $130 CX True Wireless -- offering the same outstanding sound quality but with better battery life and sidetone for phone calls.

Read more