Image credits: Nothing
After months of teasers, leaks, and anticipation, Nothing, a London-based consumer brand, has launched ear (1), featuring a transparent design.
Founded by OnePlus’s co-founder Carl Pei, Nothing is the latest company to join the already exploding TWS segment. The ear (1) will go on sale from August 17th across 45 countries at a price tag of €99/ $99 / £99.
Recently, the winners of the 2021 Future Hamburg Award were announced.
Stripped-down aesthetic
According to the company, Nothing ear (1) blends raw beauty, precise engineering, and pure sound experience.
The ear (1) TWS features a transparent design exposing the internals including, magnets and circuit board, drivers, and microphones.
“Mirroring the product’s stripped-down aesthetic, the name ear (1) echoes our raw ambition — to let things be what they are.”
The company has collaborated with Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering to drive the design aesthetics and other aspects.
Swedish company Teenage Engineering is known for its beautifully designed audio products. Notably, the company’s portable wonder synthesiser OP-1 was launched in 2010 and is still used by world-famous musicians today.
Each earbud weighs 4.7 grams and comes with pressure-relieving vents and three customisable liquid silicone tips.
Ideal drivers
The ear (1) features 11.6mm drivers. Both the hardware and software have been tuned by Teenage Engineering. The TWS supports Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity with SBC and AAC codecs. The ear (1) earbuds are also sweat and water splash resistant. It’s worth mentioning that each earbud has a colour-coded circle (white or red) to indicate the corresponding ear.
Active Noise Cancellation
Active Noise Cancellation on the ear (1) uses three high-definition mics. There is a Light mode (moderate noise cancellation) and Maximum mode (noisier environments).
Then, there is a Transparency mode for obvious reasons. The company uses Clear Voice Technology, specially developed for ear (1), to reduce distractive background noise, like the wind during calls.
Other features including, Find My Earbud, EQ, Active Noise Cancellation, and Gesture Control customisation, can be accessed through the ear (1) app.
5.7 hours of battery
In terms of battery, Nothing promises 5.7 hours of listening time and up to 34 hours with the charging case. It also offers ultra-fast charging, where a 10 minutes charge of the case delivers up to 8 hours for a day’s power. Further, the TWS is compatible with all Qi chargers.
Nothing ear (1) specification
- Driver: 11.6 mm Graphene driver
- Codec supported: AAC and SBC
- ANC support, Gesture control, In ear detection, Fast pairing
- IPX4 Splash Proof
- Android 5.1 and above/iOS 11 and above
- Bluetooth v5.2
- 5.7 hours of listening time and up to 34 hours with the charging case
Nothing’s mission and funding
The company is on a mission to remove barriers between people and technology by designing intuitive and smart tech that improves lives without getting in the way of it.
To date, the company has raised $22 million (approx €18.6 million) in funding from various investors, including GV (formerly Google Ventures) and other private investors, including; Tony Fadell (Principal at Future Shape & Inventor of the iPod), Casey Neistat (YouTube personality and Co-founder of Beme), Kevin Lin (Co-founder of Twitch) and Steve Huffman (Co-founder and CEO of Reddit).
Can Carl Pei replicate his OnePlus’s success mantra in Nothing? Let’s wait and watch.
