Nothing Ear (open) Open-Ear Headphones, Earbuds with Earhooks, BT 5.3, Clear Voice Technology with 2 Mics, Fast Charging, Compatible with iPhone & Android -WhiteCarbon Neutral Certified by SCS Global Services

Overall Impression:The Nothing Ear Open Wireless Earbuds strike a perfect balance between staying connected to your surroundings and enjoying quality audio. Designed for all-day wear, they excel in comfort and practicality, making them an ideal companion for office use or social environments.Initial Expectations vs. Reality:I purchased these earbuds specifically to remain aware of my surroundings while listening to audio—whether at work or around the house. I wasn’t expecting immersive sound akin to in-ear monitors (IEMs), but I hoped for solid performance, good call quality, and all-day comfort. The earbuds delivered exactly as expected, with a few small compromises.Design and Build Quality:The open-ear design is sleek and modern, fitting snugly without ever feeling intrusive. From the start, the comfort level stood out—these earbuds stay securely in place without causing ear fatigue, even after extended use. The compact, portable case is convenient to carry, and the touch controls are responsive and intuitive.Performance and Usability:The sound quality is impressive for an open-ear design. While they don’t rival the immersive depth of high-end IEMs like my Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the clarity and balance are more than sufficient for podcasts, calls, and casual music listening. The microphone quality is excellent—calls are crisp, and colleagues have consistently noted how clear I sound during meetings. Battery life is another highlight, easily lasting through a full day and beyond without needing a recharge.Pros:Open design allows for awareness of surroundings, perfect for office environments or social settings.Comfortable and secure fit—ideal for long wear without fatigue.Great microphone quality for clear calls.Long battery life that powers through the day effortlessly.Responsive touch controls that enhance usability.Cons:No wireless charging—a minor drawback for those used to this convenience.Limited to one color—a bit disappointing for users who prefer customization.Sound quality, while good, doesn’t match IEMs—acceptable trade-off for the open design.Who Would Benefit Most:These earbuds are ideal for professionals working in office environments, casual listeners, and anyone who values staying connected to their environment. They’re perfect for situations where full immersion isn’t necessary, like working around others or attending virtual meetings. For more immersive experiences, I still rely on my Bose QuietComfort Ultra, but the Nothing Ear open is unbeatable for day-to-day use.Final Thoughts:The Nothing Ear Open Wireless Earbuds excel at what they’re designed for—keeping you present while delivering solid sound and call quality. They’ve become an essential part of my routine, seamlessly fitting into office life and social settings. If you’re looking for earbuds that prioritize awareness and comfort, this is a 5-star product that delivers exceptional value.

I saw the deluge of videos on these once they were announced, and they did not disappoint. These are my first open earbuds, so I have nothing in this category to compare with. However, these made a huge positive first impression on me coming from the sealed in-ear Pixel Buds Pro (I never really used the ANC on them anyways – they were in Transparency mode most of the time).They're plenty loud for me. The sound quality is good for what these are. There's an objective amount of detail that's lost due to the open design, but these are impressive for what they've accomplished. Just to try it out, I tried pushing the driver closer to my ear canal with my fingers, and the deeper bass and cleaner sound was a lot more evident. At their default volume (about half) they may have even been a bit too loud, so my regular listening volume is at the lowest setting (I've yet to try them in a noisy environment, though). I can hear everything around me in a similar way that the Buds Pro had its Transparency mode, except I don't have something shoved directly into my ear opening.Which leads to the next point – comfort and longevity are the reason I wanted to move to open buds. I can wear these for hours at a time and barely notice they're there. It's not an unlimited amount of time, but it's much longer than I can sustain in-ear buds. They're not imperceptible, but you have to be conscious of them to notice you're wearing them.Sure they might be a little dorky looking, but that goes for just about any buds in this style. They have the Nothing touch, so I think they hold their own in terms of design which is a good thing. Nothing has been killing it in terms of their industrial design. I'd love to rock one of their phones but they only come in XL sizes.There is a bit of a delay with the touch controls, but that's probably to prevent accidental touches. The pressure required to activate the squeeze controls. Some of them are mixes of multiple taps and holds, which is probably another reason for the delay. They're customizable through the Nothing X app, which you have to download onto your device. The options are adequate and I've customized them from default, and placed the Assistant gesture on the right bud.In terms of their size, the case looked huge when I saw it in videos. It's not small by any means but it is smaller than I expected. If there was something I could change about these, it would all be in the case. A more compact size (similar to the Soundcore AeroFit) and wireless charging would be nice.The packaging is pretty minimal, but it comes with all you need. They're fully charged out of the box, you get a charging cable and some reading material. There is a firmware update available once you get them connected to the app. For some reason when I first paired them to my phone, only the left bud connected. After putting them back in the case and long pressing the button on the case, all was good to go. Then I was able to proceed with the firmware update. Earlier I mentioned that my regular listening volume is at the lowest, but once they're disconnected and reconnected they go back to their default volume. I need to determine if this is a phone thing or a buds thing (I haven't found any indication there's a setting for it in the Nothing X app).That about sums up my experiences in the hours that I've had these. I'll be updating this review if my impressions change, and I'm overall happy with my first Nothing purchase.

These Nothing Open Earbuds are good open buds although I think they should be priced much less. By comparison, the TOZO O2 True Open are $59.99 and sound better IMO. The Nothing's sound good straight out of the box, and can be tweaked to via the companion app. They also support multipoint connectivity, and switching between devices is easy. They are lightweight and therefore very comfortable to wear for long periods. These buds are very flexible so it's very easy to get a good fit. I've gotten about 7 hrs battery life, which is plenty.Now a friendly caution: If you have never worn open buds they are NOT meant to be jammed into your ear canal like regular buds such a earpods etc. They are designed to sit outside the ear canal, allowing for constant awareness of your surroundings. Because of how they are designed to fit with no seal, you will not get the same level of sound quality as regular buds, and that includes higher quality, higher priced buds such as the Bose Ultra Open @ 250-$300.