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.”
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.
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.
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.
