Nothing Ear (3) in the test – Super Mic, Super Sound, Super weird?

Design and workmanship

At first glance, the Nothing Ear (3) look familiar, but the details have changed quite a bit. The buds remain transparent but now feature subtle metal accents. Nothing had already introduced this design element with the Headphone (1), and it also suits the in-ears extremely well. This gives them a more modern and sophisticated look without losing the signature Nothing look.

The charging case has grown noticeably, weighing around 71 grams with the buds. This makes it almost 20 grams heavier than its predecessor. This is noticeable in your pocket, but in your hand, it feels more robust and premium. Aluminum surfaces give the case a cool touch and underline that Nothing has taken a step forward in terms of materials.

Noticeably new are the talk button and the small microphone opening on the side, allowing the charging case to do more than just charge. There's also now an eyelet for a lanyard, which allows you to quickly attach the case to a backpack or key chain.

The earbuds themselves have also grown slightly and now weigh around 5 grams each. Despite the slight increase, they sit comfortably in the ear, and minor adjustments to the angle make them even more comfortable to wear. On a flight to Ponta Delgada, I wore them for almost five hours straight without any pressure points developing.

The included ear tips, available in several sizes, ensure a secure fit, although I quickly got used to the standard tips. Even with rapid head movements or when I fell asleep on the plane, the buds stayed firmly in place. If you need a particularly tight seal, you can opt for memory foam tips.

By the way, the buds and case are IP54 certified, making them dust and splash-proof. So, a rain shower or a sweaty workout won't bother them.

Operation and App

The Ear (3) is still controlled via pressure-sensitive stems that respond with clear click feedback. This feels more precise than touch surfaces and prevents unwanted inputs. The Nothing X app allows you to freely customize the gestures. Whether changing songs, toggling ANC, or activating the voice assistant, every click can be assigned.

On the home screen, the app displays the battery levels of the buds and case, as well as the status of ANC and Super Mic. In-ear detection is a handy feature; it automatically pauses playback as soon as you remove a bud and restarts it when you put it back in. If you misplace your buds, you can have them play a beep using the Find My feature.

There are three levels of sound options. The equalizer is available in a simple version with presets and in an extended 8-band version. The generated EQ curves can be saved and loaded as profiles. Nothing also offers the "Personalized Sound" function. This is a hearing test that creates a customized sound profile for each ear based on the frequencies actually audible. The result is a customized sound profile tailored to your hearing ability, which makes an audible difference, especially with voices and finer details.

New is Spatial Audio, which is used for the first time in the Nothing in-ears. It artificially expands the sound spatially, making music or films more immersive. When you activate this function, the bass enhancer and equalizer are automatically deactivated. The app displays a notification. If you deactivate Spatial Audio, you must manually reactivate the previous settings, as they are not saved. The app also points out limitations in dual-connection mode, such as the Super Mic not being fully usable.

The noise cancellation can be flexibly controlled. In addition to the adaptive mode, which automatically selects the appropriate level, there are three fixed levels, a transparency mode, and the option to turn ANC off completely. This is useful in everyday life when you're switching between the office, traffic, and airplanes and need more or less isolation depending on the situation.

There's a Low Lag Mode specifically for gamers, which reduces latency. Even without this mode, the picture and sound worked flawlessly in our tests, whether streaming or playing on mobile. Firmware updates are installed via the app as usual.

Sound quality and ANC

With the Ear (3), Nothing has increased the size of the drivers from 11 to 12 millimeters and now uses a combination of a PMI membrane and an elastic TPU rim. This provides noticeably greater dynamics and more foundation in the bass. This was particularly noticeable on the flight to Ponta Delgada. Even with high background noise, the bass line remained rich without becoming boomy. Vocals and treble were clearer than with the predecessor, and the overall soundstage was wider.

The sound continues to be energetic, with powerful bass and present highs. In Michael Jackson's "Billie Jean," the iconic bassline comes through crisply, while the vocals remain cleanly in the foreground. In Led Zeppelin's "Stairway to Heaven," the Ear (3) impresses with a detailed reproduction of the acoustic guitar, before the electric guitars kick in with power and breadth in the second part. Electronic pieces also benefit; Daft Punk's "Lose Yourself to Dance" plays with a rich groove, the bass remains controlled and doesn't overpower the mids.

Those who prefer a more neutral sound can use the equalizer to help. Especially when combined with "Personalized Sound," details are audibly enhanced. For me, it seemed as if vocals were more emphasized and instruments were more clearly separated. In combination with LDAC, the high-resolution codec that the Ear (3) now supports as standard, acoustic pieces and complex arrangements appear more detailed, provided the source allows it.

 Spatial Audio was less convincing to me. Instead of an immersive 3D effect, I felt more like I was sitting in a box. The sound had an unnatural reverberation. However, I've also encountered this phenomenon with other headphones with spatial audio, which is why I rarely use the feature. While it might be interesting for movies, I prefer to stick with classic stereo with EQ when listening to music.

Nothing has also improved its noise cancellation. The Ear (45) are supposed to block out up to 3 dB. In the crowded Frankfurt terminal, I could barely hear the monotonous background noise. On the subsequent flight, the ANC evenly reduced the roar of the engines, allowing music and podcasts to pass through without any problems even at medium volume. Sudden noises like the clatter of drinks trolleys or conversations from seat neighbors are less consistently suppressed. A typical shortcoming of in-ear headphones, but one that remains noticeable here as well. While the adaptive mode responded reliably to changing environments, in very loud situations it felt little different than the highest setting.

Transparency mode, on the other hand, feels very natural. While waiting at the gate, I was able to understand announcements clearly without having to remove the buds. Quickly switching between ANC, Transparency, and Off can be done easily with a pinch gesture or the app.

Super Mic and telephony

The most striking new feature of the Ear (3) is the so-called Super Mic, which is built into the charging case. The talk button on the side activates the microphone, allowing you to talk directly into the case instead of through the buds. At first glance, it might seem a bit odd to talk with the case in front of your mouth. But in everyday life, it's surprisingly practical.

I made my first test calls at Frankfurt Airport. With the Super Mic activated, my voice sounded clearer and less digitized to the people I was talking to than when I was using only the microphones on the buds. While the ambient noise wasn't completely blocked out, it sounded noticeably more muted. Even in the dense crowd at the gate, I was easily understood.

On the plane, I used the Super Mic for short voice memos. This allowed me to speak more quietly than usual without the recording losing clarity. This is a useful feature, especially when you want to quickly save notes while on the go. If you're using a Nothing Phone, you can record the voice memos directly in Essential Space and have them automatically transcribed.

Even without the Super Mic, the Ear (3) delivers strong call quality. Each earbud contains three microphones that work in conjunction with a Voice Pickup Unit (VPU). This VPU detects vibrations in the jawbone and ensures that your voice is better separated from ambient noise. Phone calls over the Ear (3) sound clean, and wind noise and passing cars were reliably filtered out during my conversations in the Azores. Compared directly to their predecessors, voices sound less tinny and significantly more natural.

However, the feature doesn't work without limitations. In our test, some apps didn't automatically recognize the Super Mic and continued to use the buds' microphones. It worked perfectly with WhatsApp and Zoom, but I had to use some extra help with my smartphone's default voice memo app.

Battery and running time

Nothing has upgraded the batteries of the Ear (3). Each bud now has 55 mAh, while the case provides 500 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this should provide up to 10 hours without ANC or 5,5 hours with ANC. With the case, the runtime is extended to up to 38 hours. With LDAC, the battery life is reduced, as usual, since the codec draws more power.

In my practical test on my five-hour flight to Ponta Delgada, a pair of Buds with active ANC and LDAC lasted almost the entire time. It stopped working just before landing. This means the Ear (3) easily covers a medium-haul flight. After a short charging break in the case, they had enough power for the transfer from the airport to my accommodation.

 Fast charging is also back on board. Ten minutes of cable connection was enough for around ten hours of music enjoyment in our test (buds plus case, AAC, ANC off). The buds fully charge in about 70 minutes, while wireless charging takes around two hours. So, if you often forget to recharge in your daily routine, a quick pit stop will easily get you through the day.

Compared to their predecessors, this is a noticeable improvement. Where the Nothing Ear with ANC enabled still gave up after a good four hours, the Ear (3) now deliver a solid five. The case has also become more efficient, achieving slightly longer total runtimes despite the same capacity. However, the Super Mic draws additional power from the case. Those who use it regularly should keep this in mind.

For absolute power users, there are models on the market that last even longer. However, for commuters, weekend trips, or a flight across Europe, the battery life of the Ear (3) is easily sufficient, and combined with the practical Qi charging, the power concept fits well into the overall package.