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The company’s newest partially see-through noise-cancelling earbuds feature a novel addition: a high-quality mic located in the case that enables you to press a button to speak into it.

This so-called Super Mic is designed for users who desire a microphone-in-the-hand experience for clearer conversations, audio notes, and voice memos in noisy settings. For those who frequently talk into the lower part of their smartphone while extending it, these earphones could be an ideal choice.

However, this case enhancement has likewise raised the price, with the Ear 3 priced at £179 – representing a €50/$50/A$50 increase over their predecessors at release. They still are cheaper than top competitors but have moved much closer to models like the Pixel Buds Pro 2 and AirPods Pro 3.

The magnets and other elements visible via the exterior of the earbuds provide a touch of uniqueness to the aesthetic.

The Ear 3 retain the brand’s distinctive partially clear design, with many tiny design elements that set them apart from rather plain earbuds, but some of the plastic have been replaced with aluminium for a glossier look.

The shape of the earbuds has been adjusted to be slightly easier to wear over long listening sessions. They are lightweight, fit securely, and form a effective isolation in the ear. The stalks feature press controls for playback, noise cancelling, volume, or activating your AI assistant. They are somewhat limited but can be personalised and function adequately.

The buds slot into the square flip-top charging case for power, which is pretty compact but quite heavy in this iteration. The power lasts a reliable six hours of playback, with ANC between charge in the case for a combined of up to 22 hours. The charging case refuels via USB-C in a just over an hour or approximately two via inductive charging.

Press and hold the ‘Talk’ button on the case to activate the Ear 3’s Super Mic party trick, playing a short sound in the earbuds as the mic turns on.

The earphones have reasonable mics in them, which can sound a somewhat robotic at points but are effective of reducing background noise. The Case Microphone performs better, with fuller tone and less compression, rendering it ideal for audio memos, transcription, or phone conversations. But the sound performance isn’t fully high-end for use as a professional microphone or similar device for creating high-quality audio.

Specifications

• Water resistance: IP54 rated (splash resistant)
• Wireless connection: Bluetooth 5.4 (SBC codec, AAC, LDAC)
• Playback time: 5.5 hours with ANC (22 hours with charging case)
• Earbud size: 30.5mm by 21.5mm by 20.8mm
• Earbud mass: 5.2g each
• Driver size: 12 millimetres
• Case size: 56 x 55.5 x 22.3mm
• Charging case weight: 61 grams
• Case charging: USB-C

Good Audio and Decent ANC

Included are multiple options of ear tips for a secure fit and effective isolation.

The earphones support Bluetooth version 5.4 with the standard SBC and AAC audio formats, as well as the superior LDAC for those devices that can use it. They can additionally pair to two devices at the same time, but doing so made the Super Mic to be slower to activate.

Nothing’s earlier earbuds have consistently performed great for the price, with a pleasant easy-listening audio profile, ample clarity, and solid definition of frequencies. The Ear 3 follow the tradition but have a more expansive sound in general with quite a lot of bass by default. It is nice and tight without overpowering the other parts of the frequency spectrum, but the outstanding mobile application on your smartphone has plenty of adjustment settings for users who prefer something a more subtle.

The noise cancelling does a decent job dampening the general ambient sounds and low rumbles of the commute, and manages the annoying high-pitched noises such as keyboard taps or conversations better than earlier Nothing earphones. But they don’t achieve the equivalent performance of noise cancelling of the top-tier earbuds, such as the slightly higher-priced AirPods Pro 3.

The transparency mode is likewise quite effective, appearing quite natural, but both modes can manage wind noise effectively.

Environmental Impact

A microphone in the charging case is adjacent to the USB-C port, with an LED that lights up in green when the microphone is active.

Nothing states the batteries in the earbuds and case will retain at least 80 percent of their initial capacity for 500 full charge cycles. The earbuds are not repairable but individual post-warranty replacements are offered through support.

The charging case contains recycled aluminum and tin, but the company does not provide recycling programs. It calculates the earbuds’ carbon footprint to be 2.87 kilograms.

Price

The Ear 3 are priced at £179.

For comparison, the Ear cost €119/$119/A$199, the Headphone 1 is priced at £299, the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are priced at £219, the Galaxy Buds 3 Pro cost £219, and the AirPods Pro 3 cost £219.

Conclusion

Nothing has tried something I’ve never seen before in a pair of earbuds, placing a mic and press-to-talk control into the case. It is a novel idea and would be ideal for an recording or video microphone substitute. Unfortunately, the microphone doesn’t quite meet such standards.

But for those of us who are not professional creators, it works well for phone calls, recording voice memos, or speaking to your device’s virtual assistant, somewhat like a contemporary version of a voice recorder for your phone. Personally, I don’t envision utilizing it very often.

The earphones are another excellent offering from Nothing, which combine good sound, reasonable noise cancelling, solid endurance, and a comfortable fit into something far more interesting to see than your typical plain buds.

The increase in cost into the £180 bracket pushes them dangerously near to some of the top-performing earbuds in the market, to which they can’t quite hold a candle. And like so many others, the devices cannot be fixed, losing them a point in environmental ratings.

Advantages: Super Mic, interesting design, good sound and noise cancelling, secure {fit|