Nothing Ear (2) review: Compact design and comfort sound guaranteed

There is no more news about the second generation Ear TWS earbuds on the market, and although the product was released a few weeks ago, we decided to test the Ear (2) for a longer time to see its capabilities. The new Nothing Ear (2) promises better active noise cancellation, more equalizer settings and the transparent mode that everyone is looking for in TWS earphones that cost around Rs 10,000.

Compared to Korva (1) and its competition, Ear (2) wants to fight it out in the premium segment, where there are plenty of options and the logical successor wants to show that it has the tools to challenge the best in this series. . The ear (2) also features minor design changes, and here’s our review to see if the ear (2)’s price partnership gives it enough value in the market.

Nothing Ear (2) Review: What’s cool?

The popular transparent design is also retained on the ear (2), which is hardly surprising to see, as this element helps Mikäk stand out from other brands. The case has become smaller because the company felt people needed a smaller box to carry around. And when you place it in front of the Ear (1), the change is obvious.

It’s more stylish, but the battery size hasn’t taken a hit, which was crucial. The design of the earphones is the same, no changes on that front, but we felt the comfort level and fit of the ear (2) was much better than what you got with the ear (1). These may be small changes, but they help the overall user experience.

The sound reproduction of the headphones has improved, not only thanks to the new drivers and their manufacturing materials, but also the overall tuning feels more refined. Neither has an app that lets you manually adjust the settings to your liking. In-ear headphones in this range need to offer quality ANC performance, and in most cases you’ll find the Ear 2 to fall short. You can change the settings from the Nothing app on your smartphone.

The overall quality of the ANC was quite good and you can easily isolate ambient noise when using the Ear (2) buds. You may need to turn up the music volume to completely block out the noise, but in most cases around 50% volume should be sufficient. Now let’s talk about the sound quality, and the Ear (2) feels better in terms of overall performance, no matter what kind of music you want to listen to.

It’s hard to avoid the default bass emphasis, but the equalizer settings allow you to change the tone to a balanced one, giving you the best vocals and bass. Most of the songs we played on the Ear (2) produced optimal results, and you didn’t feel like the bass was overpowering the vocals of the music playing in your ears.

Ear (2) also offers multi-device support, which has become a must-have for this series of TWS earbuds. Since many people have multiple devices connected at the same time, this feature is handy. We can’t end this section without mentioning the ear (2) durability as the charging case gets an IP55 rating and the earbuds get an IP54 rating.

Nothing Ear (2) Review: What’s not so cool?

As mentioned above, the ANC has its pros and cons. And here we would like to talk about its shortcomings. You’ll usually find that the less effective transparent mode doesn’t work as well as the other brands.

First, when you activate the mode, you hear a hissing sound that warns of the feature, and then the ambient noise sounds weird, and here the implementation feels unnecessary. We hope future updates can make this feature more powerful.

You also have the less convenient option of squeezing the stalks of the buttons to adjust music playback and volume. It helps you avoid accidental touches, but the learning curve is steep and not everyone may like the option.

Nothing wants to build an ecosystem, and it’s fair to say that to get the most out of the Ear (2), you might have to use the Nothing Phone (1). Nothing Phone’s (1) headphone customization features and optimization are much better, just like how Samsung integrates Buds Pro 2 into its smartphones.

And finally, the battery life, which somehow takes a hit due to the smaller charging case. That’s not to say that the battery size hasn’t gone down, but the average headphone battery life is around 4 hours, so you’re less than the other brands in this range. Again, it would be interesting to see if Mikään can improve the number with some software power management tweaks. But for now, the Ear (2) isn’t a powerhouse with battery life.

Nothing Ear (2) Review: Should You Buy?

Nothing Ear (2) enters the premium segment, where the competition is fierce. However, the in-ear (2) has a lot going for it, especially a refined touch in the audio department, and the focus on balanced music shows well. The charging case is smaller and the earphones fit comfortably, which is necessary for a product in this category. The ANC works effectively, but still lacks some aspects, especially when you compare it to the Oppo Enco X2 and other TWS headphones in this series.

Battery life also feels limited for the price. Overall, the Nothing Ear (2) is a logical upgrade that focuses on sound, comfort and overall user experience. And if you’re looking for quality TWS earbuds, Ear (2) is worth a look.

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