Nothing Ear Open review

The big selling point on the Nothing Ear Open is the design and form factor, and indeed these true wireless earphones look nothing like typical options in the segment. The ear hook style itself isn’t new, but Nothing’s approach to it is rather well put together in terms of fit and positioning. The hooks themselves are flexible and counterweighted nicely by the battery modules, while the earpieces sit comfortably and balanced just outside the ear canal.

The earpiece grilles are large to cover for the outside positioning, and as the name suggests, keep the fit open. There’s an additional bass vent portion that seems to help keep the sound clean and natural. The outer side of the earpieces feature Nothing’s signature transparent styling, offering a clear look at the components inside the headset. The earphones are IP54 rated for dust and water resistance, which is decent enough to cover for small splashes and sweat.

ALSO SEE: CMF by Nothing Buds 2 / Buds 2 Plus review

Usefully, there are squeeze controls on the Nothing Ear Open; I personally prefer the precision and ease of use this offers as compared to the more common tap gestures. These controls are customisable, but I preferred sticking to the default setup given how simple and intuitive it is. These are good looking earphones too, and will likely attract a few second glances.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Ali Pardiwala (@alipardiwala)

The Nothing Ear Open weights a reasonable 8.1g each, and has big 14.2mm dynamic drivers to work with its unique design. The earpieces have 64mAh batteries, while the case has a 635mAh battery. Speaking of the case, it’s a rather unique shape itself to cover for the large earpieces; it’s flat and long, which has the useful effect of allowing for a larger battery reserve. The slimness keeps it pocketable and convenient, but the earphones tend to rattle around in the case given that they don’t sit too snugly in the case.

For connectivity, you get Bluetooth 5.3, support for the SBC and AAC codecs, and the ability to use Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair with supported devices. The Nothing X app works with these earphones, allowing for features such as viewing the battery levels, equaliser profiles, customisable controls, find my earbuds, low-lag mode for gaming, and dual-device connectivity. Of course, the app is also needed to deliver occasional firmware updates to the earphones. Perhaps the only big miss here is the lack of wireless charging for the case.

The concern with open earphones is always sound quality; the fit and odd positioning tends to make for inconsistent and weird audio unless you get it placed absolutely right. The Nothing Ear Open largely covers for that with its ear hook design, which puts the earpieces rather nicely in place to ensure a consistent and typical sound. The big drivers, large grilles, and bass vents also do their parts in this.

As you'd expect, the Nothing Ear Open is loud and clear, while conveniently offering enough awareness of what’s happening around you. It’s an almost natural level of hearing when the earphones are on but nothing is playing, and playing anything simply adds to that as you’d hear from a speaker playing. Of course, it’s not the same as listening to a speaker system; the sound is decidedly targeted into your ears.

The lack of hassle around positioning means that you get fairly good sound quality devoid of the issues that typically affect open earphones. The sound itself is comfortable, with a fairly typical sonic signature that gives you enough of bass and treble, and a decent level of detail. There’s nothing awkward here; the Nothing Ear Open sounds as good as any other headset in the price segment, with the obvious difference being that you can also hear around you.

This ability to hear your surroundings is a key factor of course, and it sets the usability boundaries and norms of the Nothing Ear Open. In silent spaces - such as at home or in the office - you’ll be fine, and will even appreciate the ability to hear things like doorbells or someone calling out to get your attention. If you’re walking in a park or on a silent street, you’ll like the ambient hearing ability too. 

ALSO SEE: Sony WF-C710N review

However, if you take this onto a noisy street or on your commute, the noise will drown out the ability to listen to what you want to listen to. Even at high volume levels, this won’t overcome the ambient noise, and those kind of use cases do need a noise isolating fit and ANC for best results. 

Battery life on the Nothing Ear Open is pretty good, delivering up to eight hours on the earphones and an additional three charges from the case. The simplified codec system and the lack of ANC or any other complicated features definitely helps here.

Open earphones have their limitations, and tend to suit only niche requirements and use cases, but there’s definitely a place for them today. If you’re someone who wants ambient awareness or prefers the non-intrusive fit of open earphones, the Nothing Ear Open is probably the best and most nicely put together pair of earphones you can buy right now.

Expect good sound that’s fine in relatively quiet environments, decent battery life, and a decent set of frills including app support and squeeze controls. It may seem expensive, but this niche definitely needs a relatively high-end option that delivers where promised.