Nothing Ear (Open) They’re perfect for athletes

I tried the Nothing Ear (Open) headphones, which have an open design that is comfortable and unique. I can tell you that they have as many advantages as disadvantages.

Nothing is betting big on its new Nothing Ear (Open) headphones, with an open design for which we have seen very few options in recent years.

Who needs open-design headphones? The answer, I think, is nobody. But there are brands that are willing to bet on one of the strangest formats, given that there are technologies such as transparency that are present in all noise-cancelling headphones.

Nothing has not only taken a risk with an atypical design, but has also opted for a product that, although cheaper to produce than a smartphone, is still a significant investment for such a young and niche company.

An open, lightweight and extremely comfortable design

Nothing’s approach to open-back headphones is curious. Although it is not a very fashionable format (at the moment I can only think of the Huawei FreeClip or the Sony LinkBuds), the design that Nothing has chosen makes them look more like sports headphones than open-back headphones. In other words, the way they are held over the ear is more similar to that of headphones like the Beats Powerbeats Pro or similar.

The design is strange, there’s no doubt about it, I’m so used to in-ear headphones that a format like this is shocking, to say the least. At least it’s a design that, like the rest of Nothing’s headphones, makes them stand out from the rest, maintaining that touch of transparent design.

The silicone earphones, which can be held over the ear, end in gray tips that contain the battery in each earphone.
I’m not going to deny it, they are extremely comfortable because there is nothing inside the earphone, and as they only weigh 8.1 grams, you hardly notice you are wearing them, which I think is the big plus point. In normal situations, I don’t think you’d realize you’re wearing them after a few minutes. Only if you wear glasses would you notice, because when you move the glasses, the temple hits the circle.

But the question is: why did Nothing choose an open design when they have a transparent mode on all their headphones?

It’s not just my big question, it’s the million dollar question. The problem with open headphones is that… they’re open, so all the outside noise gets into your ear. But unlike closed headphones, which equalize the volume of whatever you’re playing, there are times when outside noise makes it impossible to hear the music.

This has happened to me on public transport or in an open office where people are talking around me. The outside noise is so loud that you can’t hear whatever you’re playing.

I can only think of one situation in which this open format could be interesting, and that would be in outdoor sports, where you have to be aware of what is going on around you. The Nothing Ear Open fail in the most important aspect, which is that of being headphones for playing audio, because in many situations, especially in the city, you will have problems listening to them.

A complete application with total control of the equalizer

Nothing uses its typical Nothing X application to control and adjust the headphones. Its use is very similar to that of other headphones such as Nothing Ear or Nothing Ear (a).

Its application allows you to control the equalizer with one of those little features that make a difference, the possibility of sharing or importing equalizer profiles from other Nothing users.

You can select different touch controls for each earpiece, choose the low-latency connection model (important for gaming), control software updates or see which two devices are connected.

One of the features missing from the application and present in other headphones is the choice of audio codec, but in this case it is only compatible with AAC and SBC, so there is no need to choose.

Of course, Nothing makes its products fully compatible with both Android and iOS.

Decent sound when you’re alone, but with a design problem

Nothing Ear (Open) sounds good as long as you understand that the open design format has some basic problems, such as the fact that the earpiece is not in your ear, so the quality will never be as good as that of in-ear headphones.

In special situations where there is no noise in the room, the truth is that the sound quality is more than decent. I wouldn’t say it has the best bass or mids, but you can adjust them with the equalizer in its application.

The problem with Nothing Ear (open) headphones is that when there is noise around you, you have to turn up the volume quite high to hear the music properly. And, of course, they are open, so you will be sharing your music with those closest to you when the volume is at 75% or more.

There are situations in which they are not practical, such as on public transport. When I get on a train or the metro, the noise in the carriage itself, added to that of other people, makes it very difficult to concentrate on the audio.

The audio quality during phone calls is good, but not excellent. The people I have spoken to on the phone tell me that I can be heard well, but the quality of the calls is what it is, unless your operator is VoLTE compatible and the other person is also on a compatible network.

The battery life is undoubtedly its best feature. It doesn’t run out after 7 hours of playback. Although nothing in its specifications indicates that it reaches 8 hours, it will depend on the volume at which you have it or if you make calls.

The charging case provides the Nothing Ear (Open) with up to 30 hours of playback. And the case is larger than normal due to the design of each earpiece. Of course, they are magnetic, so it is very difficult to open the lid or remove the earpieces from their charging position.

The case is charged via USB-C and you can recharge them in less than an hour if you start from 0%-10%.

Conclusion: are the Nothing Ear Open worth buying?

The Nothing Ear (Open) are an extremely risky bet on the part of Nothing, a brand that has maintained excellent quality in all its headphones, but on this occasion they have not managed to fully convince me.

The Ear (Open) not only have the problem that their own open design makes them difficult to use in everyday situations, but their price is not the cheapest on the market.

They are on sale for 149 euros, well above other brands of headphones of this type that you can find on Amazon. And although they are less expensive than the Huawei FreeClip (179 €), they are more comfortable and discreet.

The Nothing Ear (open) will be perfect for sports. For running, lifting weights or cycling (the latter is strongly discouraged for safety reasons), but it is difficult to use them in everyday life if you want to listen to your music 100% without outside noise.