youThe Ear 2 are the latest competitively priced headphones from London-based tech company Nothing, which hopes to tempt shoppers away from the Apple and Samsung of this world with novel transparent designs and good sound.
The noise-canceling headphones cost £129 ($149), undercutting rivals from OnePlus, Google, Samsung and Apple, while offering similar features and sound quality. They replace the outgoing Ear 1 from 2021, joining the new £99 Ear Stick headphones.
The buttons are more interesting looking than most competitors, but a similar shape with traditional silicone tips and a dangling stem. They fit well in my ears and stay secure and comfortable for a couple of hours straight.
Squeeze the joystick to access the integrated playback controls: once to pause/play, twice and three times to skip tracks. Press and hold to adjust noise cancellation, and double press and hold to adjust volume. They work well, but adjusting the volume is a bit cumbersome compared to the swipe gestures you get on some rivals.
The semi-transparent charging case looks great and feels good, but it’s a bit larger than the best on the market. The headphones last four hours with noise canceling active and charge about 4.5 times to full through the case.
The headphones support Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, so they can connect to two devices at once, like a phone and a laptop, to automatically switch between them, a feature that’s still rare on the market.
Specifications
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Waterproof: IP54 (splash resistant)
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Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3, SBC, AAC, LDHC5
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Battery duration: 4 hours with noise cancellation (22.5 hours with case)
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Headphone Dimensions: 29.4×21.5×23.5mm
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Headphone Weight: 4.5g each
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Driver Size: 11.6mm
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Charging case dimensions: 55.5×55.5x22mm
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Cargo box weight: 51.9g
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Box load: USB-C, Qi wireless charging
Sustainability
Nada estimates that the batteries in the headphones and case will last at least 500 cycles while maintaining at least 80% of their original capacity. However, they are not replaceable, ultimately making the headphones disposable. Out-of-warranty replacement earbuds or cases are available individually for £50.
The headphones contain recycled tin, but Nothing does not offer UK trading schemes, nor does it use or publish environmental impact assessments, although it estimates the carbon footprint of the headphones at 3.1kg.
Sound and noise cancellation
The Ear 2 have great sound for everyday listening that beats many at this price. They are well rounded and can play fairly low notes when pressed, with good pitch separation that handles complex leads well. They do a great job with many genres of music, but can sound a bit flat at times. They’re a comprehensive improvement on their predecessors, but they still won’t bug the best in the business.
The headphones do support Hi-Res Audio with certain Android phones, but the difference between them to standard quality using an iPhone was marginal.
The Ear 2s have active noise cancellation which, when set to maximum, did a good job of muting the whirring motors and lightening the ride, but let through higher-pitched tones, like voices or keyboard tapping at the office. . Its awareness mode is one of the best, it sounds quite natural for carrying on conversations or listening to traffic.
Call quality was excellent in quiet spaces, but sounded a bit artificial in noisy environments, letting through only a few sudden loud noises, like honking car horns.
Price
The cost of Nothing Ear 2 £129 ($149).
For comparison, the Nothing Ear Stick costs £99the cost of the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 £179Cost of the Google Pixel Buds Pro £179the Bose QuietComfort Earbuds 2 cost £279.95and the cost of Apple AirPods Pro 2 £249.
Verdict
The Ear 2 is a fairly polished set of Bluetooth headphones with great sound for everyday listening and more interesting looks than most rivals, especially for its competitive price.
Noise cancellation cuts out the noises of daily commute well enough, but it struggles to compete with the best at muffling distractions like speech. They fit well and their compression controls are decent, as is their voice quality for calls. Being able to connect to two devices at the same time and having a cross-platform app for both Android and iPhone is very useful.
The earphones also fall a bit short on battery life: just four hours before needing a charge in the case. The biggest issue is that the battery is still not replaceable in the earbuds or case, ultimately making them disposable and losing a star.
Advantages: looks great, sounds good, value for money, reasonable noise cancellation, comfortable fit, excellent call quality, decent controls, Bluetooth 5.3 with multi-point and cross-platform app.
Cons: disposable, battery life a bit shorter and case a bit bigger than the best, noise canceling struggles with higher tones, no head tracking spatial audio support.
