Yes, as the title of this video suggests, I have decided to revisit the Nothing Ear (1) earbuds after using it for about 3 months because this, my friends, is not the Unbox Therapy version that I’ve reviewed previously but instead, I bought this brand new from a retail store, to go through all of the drawbacks that I found in my previous video, so is this still BAD? Well, let’s find out!
Unboxing
So the unboxing process was obviously similar, but of course, it was a brand new experience, and as a recap, in the box, other than the manuals, there’s also the ear tips, which are named as “ear plugs” not ear tips. And yes, I did wonder why it was called ear plugs instead of ear tips, and people thought that I was nitpicking about that, but even Nothing themselves are aware of this.
Then there is a nice braided USB-A to USB-C cable.
Build Quality
So in my initial review, I mentioned about how the box looks cheap, but this black color version that I bought definitely looks way more polished and classy at the same time.
The plastic cover is a bit more of a smoky finish, hence if there is any scuff or scratches, it won’t be as prominent compared to the other white color variant that I’ve previously reviewed.
Now, that also means that the case of the earbuds may not easily deal with scuffs and scratches on the white color ones; hence it’s either you will need to get something like a little pouch to protect it, or it will end up looking like a pretty used up product.
For me, I’ve always taken care of my tech purchases, whether or not it’s buying a high-quality case or even carrying it with a simple fanny pack, just to avoid any damage or scratches to the case.
So durability aside, the design of the case eventually kind of grew on me; this little dimple on the case became my little fidget spinner, which I got used to leaving it in my hands when I was just chilling and sitting down. Not exactly a fidget spinner but I kind of like it eventually.
And I still love how solid the hinge was, and the overall case with the earbuds on had a very solid weight to it; hence it did not feel like a cheap product, which I’ve also mentioned that exactly in my previous video.
Another thing that really grew on me is of course the design of the earbuds itself; while I do admit that I’m still more intrigued with the concept design…
…but this is a lesson for me and for everyone, who believes in online leaks that we all need to take those with a pinch of salt, similar like how we all thought that Jon Prosser’s “original” leaks of how the iPhone 14 will look like and look at right now how the iPhone 14 is rumored to look.
As much as I am a huge fan of the color white, but I do kind of like this black color finish on the earbuds and of course the ear tips as well.
The red and white indication on the earbuds also helped with making sure which is the left and which is the right earbuds, especially when I am in a hurry to take the earbuds out or even putting them back in.
Now, compared to tons of other brands who tend to copy Apple’s AirPods design, I still think that it is excellent that Nothing has decided not to follow the same design as the earbuds with the whole semi-transparent look which seems to be the direction that Nothing is going towards, as seen in the upcoming Nothing Phone (1).
For the price, it is nice that the earbuds are IPX4 rating, and the weather in Malaysia has been consistently raining, especially just about a week ago, I was taking some night shots and got wet in the rain and I have been using this earbuds while working out, which did not pose any problem to the earbuds at all.
Just like most earbuds, whether or not it’s the foam or silicone ear tips, the more you wear them, the better it fits and you kind of get used to it, and because the top part of the stem was more squarish, so it never came out from my ears whether or not I am moving about in the studio or even while wearing it when I was working out. Do check out my updated #SawanMode test in my YouTube video.
Pairing
So in my previous video, I mentioned about how it took a while for the phone to find the earbuds as soon as you opened up the case.
This time around, it was just a tiny bit faster from the first time, both on Android and iOS phones; however, the experience was slightly different after you’ve paired the earbuds for an Android phone; once you open up the case, you will get a notification that it is connected or you can connect manually. But when it comes to iOS, you will need to select the device under the Bluetooth settings to pair it manually.
And yes, I have tested this on the iPhone 13 Pro Max and the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra and it had no pairing issues with both the Android and iOS platforms, so that was sweet.
Now, another issue that I’ve faced on the previous video or the previous review unit, was when the earbuds were still connected even when I put the earbuds inside of the case and even closed the case, and that wasn’t an issue over here.
Now, since there is no multi-device pairing, so you will need to press the pairing button, just press and hold it, which is on the charging case itself, with both earbuds inside to re-initiate the pairing process again.
Playback & App Control
Playback controls had no issues before and has no issues as of now. Once again, I do appreciate there is no single tap option, because of the possibility of accidentally taps, so there won’t be such thing as pausing the music while you are adjusting the earbuds while the music is being played.
The overall responsiveness of the double tapping, the triple tapping, and also the slide control was really great, with no significant delays in all of its functionality.
Another thing that kind of grew on me and also has been updated is the app itself, as I loved how super nice and clean it was, and you can customize the controls accordingly over there as well, whether or not it’s the touch controls or the hearing controls.
There are further EQ adjustments as before, and the Find My Earbud still plays a very loud sound when you are trying to find the earbuds, so that was neat.
Sound Quality
So in my initial review, I talked about how the earbuds were not loud enough, and yes on the previous unit, I did put the volume on maximum on the earbuds and also the phone as well.
Now with this retail unit, the volume was perfectly loud enough, and I loved how, even at maximum volume, the music was perfectly balanced without any distortion at all.
The sound quality was so much better than the previous version; the sound stage was wide, the quality of the treble and mids, and the balance of the bass was really very well put.
Latency on the previous unit was also bad when I was watching videos, and I am glad there is no latency issues, because compared to the previous review that I’ve done and now, there is a new Latency Mode that you can toggle accordingly, which has reduced the latency to almost not having one, is when I toggle the Low Latency Mode, there was no delay or latency when I was watching video on the phone using this earbuds.
Based on my music listening, I tried all the EQ presets based on all genres of music. And among all, I loved the More Bass EQ the most, including Rock and Metal music, where it had no issues when it comes to heavy guitars and also the overall kick drums were very well heard, and it also sounds excellent with more bass heavy pop and dance music as well.
Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)
While I still do think that the earbud’s passive noise cancellation plays a huge role in canceling out noise, while not major, there was an improvement in the Active Noise Cancellation overall.
This time around, the sound of the keyboard typing on the iPad Pro was not as prominent as before; while it did not wholly block out the higher frequency sounds like running water and fan noises, but it was better over here and I can still remember that this is overall way better than the previous unit.
And as mentioned in my previous video, the biggest strength of this earbuds is canceling on the lower end frequencies, so that was still good.
And since there are different levels of the ANC, I found that listening to music, the best settings for me was at Maximum Settings, and also without music, I found that to be the best option as well.
Now, this is because how well the air vents of the earbuds work, so the so-called vacuuming effect wasn’t as crazy as some had said. So with that, the overall noise cancellation was kept at maximum, whether or not I was listening to music or just casually putting them on, without any playback.
Then the transparency mode was pretty decent as it sounds as though I do not have the earbuds on; as there is no additional amplification of the surrounding sound and obviously not as good as Sony’s or even Apple’s of course, since we are looking at a more affordable price in this, so that was totally fine by me.
Microphone Quality
So the microphone quality was something that I did not have any complaints about, it was quite clean both from the listener’s perspective and for me to record some voice notes when I am on the go.
Do check out my YouTube video for a quick microphone test, testing this on different environments – one in a noisy outdoor and another in my quiet studio.
Battery Life
Another thing that was slightly improved was the battery life. On the previous review unit, I was averaging between 4 hours and 10 minutes to about 4 hours and 5 minutes or so with ANC turned on.
And this time around, it was nice that I was getting about 4.5 hours, sometimes even more, with volume at 90% and ANC turned on, and the fact that the charging case can charge up to 6 times is also a huge plus.
And for the price, we are also getting wireless charging, which is also a great thing that Nothing has done over here.
Conclusion
So there you have it guys, that is my conclusion, my 3-months review of the Nothing Ear (1). It is really nice to know that all the major issues that I have faced initially have been fixed, especially the one that could have been a deal breaker for many people. My advice is to get this black color version because of the overall durability and of course the look of this. And I would think that this would be the best design when it comes to long-term use.
While I do know that some may say not to immediately judge earbuds or any tech items as soon as they come out but guys, this is my job, to give you an honest opinion on something, whether or not you like it or not. And to the point that it reaches my hands and that is the reason for follow-up videos just like this.
And another reason why I decided to give these earbuds a second try is because I have always been a fan of Carl Pei’s work since OnePlus to the point that I have never reviewed a OnePlus phone ever since he left, and with this updated review, I am happy to say that I would totally recommend the Nothing Ear (1), especially within this price range.