We loved the Nothing Ear (Stick) that debuted in late 2022, appreciating its experimental form factor that paid homage to another pocketable constant: lipstick. A little over a year later, Nothing is putting another fun spin on earbuds, but this time with a fully in-ear set of earbuds that pack a pop of color — the Nothing Ear (a).

Design, color pop, and Nothing style

Has me thinking of and playing The Beatles’ Yellow Submarine

The fun, vibrant yellow is undoubtedly the most fun aspect about the Nothing Ear (a). Resembling the Bumblebee transformer and even matching the New York City yellow taxis, these are a fun alternative to the usual black and whites we see.

The case itself also features Nothing’s staple transparent design with exposed metal hinges, two dimples to match perfectly where the earbud stem meets the ear bulb. Additionally, there’s what looks like a sticker I may or may not have tried to peel off, outlining the top lid with the Nothing dot matrix logo on the side. While subtle, it adds to the playfulness of both the buds and the case. The case is refreshingly small and fits nicely in my palm and even comfortably in my front pocket.

The earbuds themselves magnetically sit atop their outlined slots, fitting — and looking — like legos. The black stems feature the dot-matrix logo in white, and a white dot marks the left bud while a red marks the right. From bud to case, color to form factor, everything about the Nothing Ear (a)’s design is refreshingly playful.

If yellow is a bit on the bright side for you, the Ear (a) do come in black and white, but the case still gives that toy-like aesthetic without compromising in-ear comfort.

Sound quality and settings

Doesn’t sound like $99 in the best way

The Ear (a) might only be $99, but they don’t sound like it — in the best way. Similar to the OnePlus Buds 3, the Ear (a) reminded me I didn’t need to go “pro” to enjoy premium features like powerful ANC. Especially taking advantage of the Bass Enhance and Custom Controls features in the Nothing X app, I feel like I can create my perfect listening profile even depending on song, environment, or mood.

For example, I really wanted to take advantage of New York’s gloomy vibe to lock in and write, so I turned ANC all the way up, raised the treble, and lowered the bass. Noah Kahan’s acoustic guitar in the Stick Season intro sounded extra plucky and warm, allowing me to romanticize late night writing. Speaking of ANC, these buds impress — budget price point aside.

Whether it’s the overall warmer tone or the 11mm custom driver, I found the Ear (a) ANC to be on par with my AirPods and even comparable to the $149 Nothing Ear. I was so engrossed in Maggie Rogers’ So Sick of Dreaming, vibing to the bass, that I didn’t notice my roommate come into my room and call my name from less than a few feet away or proceed to hear her Girls marathon blasting from the living room.

I could, however, still hear the low hum of my air conditioning in the background and the sound of my keyboard as I typed away. Ultimately, though, the noise-cancellation is solid, and I only felt the audio get slightly compressed at around 75% volume, losing some vocal clarity and instrumental separation.

Microphone call quality

Reverberation could kill the vibe

Almost everything about the Nothing Ear (a) is solid. Everything but the microphone. While callers could report hearing me clearly, I could hear my voice echoing back. The vocal reverberation was distracting and contributed to feeling like I was on a laggy call, which is contradictory to its otherwise completely lag-free performance.

Additionally, I found the caller’s voice sounded softer and compressed. So, for those who like me, rely on earbuds as a microphone, be warned that this is an area the Ear (a) could improve.

Battery life and charging

Impressive, but I wish the case supported wireless

I’ve been listening to the Ear (a) for almost two days straight with ANC on, taken multiple phone calls, and scrolled through lots of TikToks and have yet to even get a low battery warning. That said, I’d say the battery life is just as impressive as Nothing promised. It charges via USB-C, which is convenient, but if they took a page from the Nothing Ear’s book and also adopted wireless charging, I’d be even more impressed.

ChatGPT integration

A Nothing exclusive

The budget buds not only nail the basics, but Nothing announced this morning that it’s integrated the buds themselves and Nothing OS with ChatGPT, offering Nothing phone users direct access to the AI tool with the pinch to speak function. These smarts, while we have to see how well they work, promise a futuristic approach to all buds.

Verdict: A fresh take worth the $99 price tag

The Nothing Ear (a) are refreshing in color, design, and performance. Between the pop of color, premium features for less, and fabulous ANC, I’d recommend these to Android and iPhone users alike looking for earbuds that have a professional finish with a playful feel. While the microphone could do with some improvement, it fared fine in quiet environments, and at only $99, was bound to compromise somewhere.

Ultimately, these brought joy to my space and workflow on even a gloomy spring evening, and for that, I can see them being a regular in my in-ear rotation. The Nothing Ear (a) are available for pre-order starting April 18, and will start shipping on Nothing.com on April 22.

Top 5 Nothing Ear (a) testing songs

1. So Sick of Dreaming by Maggie Rogers
2. Dial Drunk by Noah Kahan and Post Malone
3. Austin by Dasha
4. Champagne Problems by Taylor Swift
5. Stick Season by Noah Kahan