Nothing Ear 2 officially on the way this month, with first-look leaked ahead of time
Things look ear-ily similar to the first-gen buds.
Transparent tech enthusiasts, mark the 22nd of March in your diaries. That’s when fledgling gadget brand Nothing will reveal its latest pair of earphones, the Nothing Ear 2. Officially teased last week with a series of cryptic Twitter posts, the firm has now confirmed Ear 2’s existence – with the full reveal set for 3PM GMT.
Ear 2 will be Nothing’s first second-gen product, replacing the original Nothing Ear 1 true wireless in-ears that launched in 2021. They will join the Nothing Ear Stick earbuds and Nothing Phone 1 smartphone released last year. That line-up will also soon include the Nothing Phone 2, which was confirmed to be in the works back in January and looks set for a 2023 release.
Details about the revamped buds have been few and far between… until now. OnLeaks and The Tech Outlook shared what appears to be the Ear 2 buds in full. Looking at the buds, you’d be hard-pressed to find many differences between the generations. Creed Bratton’s faux spot the difference comes to mind.
You’ll notice that the branding has been updated to read “Nothing ear (2)”, and some of the internal components have moved around a little. Beyond that, you’ll find the same semi-transparent design, red and white ear indicators, and AirPods-esque shape. If you’re a fan of the first-gen, these won’t disappoint.
Alongside the images, the duo also shared some early specs. Powering the new buds will be the same 11.6 mm drivers as the Ear 1 buds. We scored them four stars out of five in our review, so we’re pretty happy with the sound. It is a shame that things won’t improve, however. But battery life is bumping up. You can expect six hours from the Ear 2 buds alone, with a further 30 from the charging case. That’s an admirable two hour bump for both use-cases.
Speaking of specs, Nothing confirmed a few for the upcoming in-ears. Ear 2 will use the LDHC 5.0 code, which is low latency and high-definition. That means you should get higher-quality sound transmitted over Bluetooth to the buds, so perhaps audio will get a slight bump. The new buds will also be IP54 water and dust resistant, giving them extra protection against wear and tear.
Ear 1 launched at a very competitive price, which was subsequently increased because of the increased cost of components (and to make room in the line-up for the cheaper Ear Stick). It remains to be seen if its replacement will be even more expensive, or if it will match it on price.
The Ear 2 reveal will be be live-streamed on the Nothing website, at 3PM GMT on the 22nd of March.
Connor Jewiss
