Nothing Ear (3a) arrive as some of the most compelling earbuds available at their price point, delivering design, sound quality and core features that punch well above their cost of around £79. After several weeks of use, they hold their own against options priced at twice as much.
The lineage traces back to 2024’s Nothing Ear (a), a more affordable pair that avoided compromising on design, sound and essential features. The Nothing Ear (3a) build directly on that foundation while raising the bar by a considerable margin.
Design and hardware
Nothing’s transparent aesthetic carries over, joined by a new pink colourway alongside black, white and yellow. The charging case is smaller than the flagship Nothing Ear (3), making it easier to carry, and the earbud shape allows for comfortable wear across long listening sessions.
The case gains a trio of LED lights used to indicate battery life and pairing status, a useful addition given how many rivals lack any indicator or pairing button. The pairing button sits directly beneath the cover, and Fast Pair support on Android makes switching between devices straightforward.
Battery life
The earbuds run for three to five hours on a single charge, with the case and earbuds together offering up to 42 hours. Around 20 hours of use brought the case down to roughly 45 per cent, meaning topping up is an infrequent task. There is no wireless charging in the case, though the long overall battery life reduces the need to worry about it.
Sound quality and features
Sound is the standout element. The Nothing Ear (3a) sound strong straight out of the box, moving away from the more neutral profile of the previous generation and balancing the bass in a way comparable to the Nothing Ear (3). This time an EQ in the Nothing X app supports both presets and a fully customisable set of sliders for fine-tuning the output.
Noise cancellation is capable rather than class-leading, falling short of over-ear alternatives but proving effective for short flights, train journeys or busy public spaces. An additional feature, Audio Snapshot, makes use of the onboard storage on the earbuds.
Priced at approximately £79, the Nothing Ear (3a) are available in pink, black, white and yellow.
Source
Image: 9to5google.com
