not everything is necessary To reinvent the wheel. Year after year of product iteration, we've created some of the best wireless headphones money can buy. Nothing's newest earbuds, the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a), are exactly that. Sure, the company vowed at its founding to do more than just make headphones and smartphones, and it hasn't quite fulfilled that promise yet, but at least we've seen some affordable earbuds that don't look in their element. I'm getting it.
The new Ear and Ear (a) is Nothing's third-generation AirPod clone, making it a mature product with competitive sound, price, and user experience. From great-looking cases that fit easily in your pocket to smaller, more thoughtful design touches, here are some great wireless earbuds to consider if you're looking for a pair under $150.
Neither is a groundbreaking audio product. There are better headphones out there if you spend a little more money and buy a bunch of comparable models, but there's more than enough for everyone. Works well and looks great. What more could you ask for?
What's the difference?
Nothing Ear costs $150 and Nothing Ear (a) costs $100. This is a reference to the “a” designation that Nothing uses on its cheaper Nothing Phone (2a) and Nothing Phone (2). The company started 2021 with Nothing Ear (1) and announced Nothing Ear (2) last year, but it's hard to see why the latest Nothing Ear isn't called Ear (3).
The biggest physical difference between the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a) is the size of the earbuds, with the more expensive model including wireless charging support in the carrying case. The Ear looks identical to the 2023 Ear (2), but is slightly larger and heavier. Ear (a) is smaller and doesn't have as many fancy treatments as its more expensive sibling, but it does have fun bright yellow accents (or white or black, depending on your preference) on the case and headphones.
Both wireless earbuds come with three sizes of ear tips, with medium installed as standard. They fit my very average ear size perfectly, but they feel a bit snug in my ears, so they're probably not suitable for people with small ears. Ear (a) has reached Goldilocks porridge territory in terms of size, stability, and long-term comfort. I'm not a fan of wearing big, feature-rich Ears, but if I had to choose based solely on comfort, I'd choose Ear (a).
Inside the Ear (a), although the chipset is less powerful, the earbuds have the same level of noise cancellation, the same drivers, and the same number of microphones as the Ear for better calls. One advantage of a lower chipset performance is longer battery life. The Ear (a) lasts up to 5.5 hours with active noise cancellation turned on, while the more expensive Ear lasts 5.2 hours. Is there another change? The Nothing Ear uses a different driver material (a ceramic format, which is unusual for earphones), while the Ear (a) uses a more traditional polymer. We'll explain what this means in more detail below.