Tech startup Nothing last night has officially unveiled the Ear (2), the direct successor to its first ever audio product that launched in 2021. The new TWS earbuds are touted to feature major improvements over its predecessor, including better water resistance and battery, the ability to automatically custom tune its audio delivery to your fit personal preference, adaptive ANC, and more.
The Nothing Ear (2) arguably looks almost no different from its predecessor; sporting the same white and black colour scheme, as well as a transparent shell for its stem. However, they’re also actually slightly taller and lighter than the original, coming in at 29.4 mm and 4.5 g respectively. In addition, Nothing implemented a triple-shot injection process that moulds the earbud materials simultaneously, resulting in a more secure build that grants the buds’ a rating of IP54 (previously IPX4) in terms of dust and splash resistance.
Of course, improvements are also done to its accompanying charging case, which is now smaller and lighter than the one that came with the Ear (1). More specifically, it measures at 55.5 mm long and wide, with a thickness of only 22 mm. The white plastic part of its body now sticks out at the bottom of the case too, which is intended to protect the transparent polycarbonate body from scratches. It also sports a water and dust resistance rating of IP55.
While changes for the Ear (2)’s aesthetics aren’t too drastic, the same can’t be said for its internals. For starters, Nothing has updated the 11.6 mm drivers with a new diaphragm unit that’s made of graphene and polyurethane materials, while its sound delivery now supports LHDC (Low Latency High Definition Audio Codec) 5.0 which allows the buds to stream Hi-Res certified audio wirelessly.
Another significant change that’s worth pointing out is how you interact with it. Unlike the Ear (1) which uses touch controls, the newer product lets users manage playback and ANC activation via the same pinch-based input approach as the Nothing Ear (Stick).
The earbuds’ onboard ANC has been improved to suppress external sounds at up to 40 dB, and now offers adaptive active noise cancelling that tunes out unwanted noises based on your specific ear profile and surroundings. On top of that, the Nothing Ear (2) also comes with a new personalised sound profile feature that lets you calibrate it to your specific hearing after taking a quick test via the Nothing X companion app. Other upgrades include better audio pickup and noise suppression for calls, Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair support, and dual device connectivity.
Battery-wise, the Nothing Ear (2) is rated to provide up to 6.3 hours of playback with ANC off through a single charge, and a total of 36 hours when used together with its case. The company claims that a quick top-up of just 10 minutes via USB-C will provide the case with enough juice for eight hours of listening time. And like its predecessor, the buds’ accompanying case also comes with wireless charging support, which is now rated at 2.5 W.
For the Malaysian market, the new Nothing Ear (2) is set to retail for RM 599 – the same price as its predecessor, which has now mysteriously disappeared from the company’s official website and online store. For the time being, the earbuds are exclusively sold via Crossover outlets nationwide starting today, while a wider availability will be available from 8 April onwards via the brand’s official Shopee and Lazada stores, as well as authorised retailers such as DirectD, TMT, TacMobile and more.
(Source: Nothing Malaysia [official website])
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