Nothing Ear (3) lands: familiar look, new metal flair, and Super Mic tech for clearer calls

Nothing has just launched its next-gen flagship TWS earbuds, the Ear (3).  For the first time, Nothing is integrating metal components into the transparent design, and the new earbuds bring precision acoustics and a Super Mic in the case. 

Nothing Ear (3) design: unmistakably Nothing 

Nothing keeps its design language with the Nothing Ear (3), offering you its signature transparent look. Now you also get polished metal accents to spice things up. 

There’s a custom Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) antenna that improves signal sensitivity and radiated power, which should help the earbuds maintain a strong connection.

In the meantime, the charging case is made from 100% recycled aluminum, while nano injection molding removes the need for glue between the metal and plastic elements, which makes for a seamless and compact unibody. 

As for durability, the earbuds and the case are IP54-rated which provides resistance to dust, sweat, and light rain.

Super Mic on the Nothing Ear (3) and Noise Cancellation 

Super Mic is a new dual-microphone system that’s housed in the charging case of the Nothing Ear (3). This system focuses on your voice and cuts through surrounding noise up to 95 dB, which ensures clear calls in even noisy environments.
Super Mic is activated by pressing the TALK button on the case. Call clarity is also enhanced with three directional microphones in each earbud, complemented by a bone-conduction Voice Pick-up Unit or VPU. This VPU detects micro-vibrations of your jaw and ear canal and converts them into electrical signals, which help with precise voice pickup. 

On top of all that, you also have a multi-channel AI environmental noise-cancelling system to isolate your voice and suppress noise. According to Nothing, this achieves wind noise reduction levels of over 25dB. 

When you’re not on a call, you can capture Essential Space ideals by recording from the charging case by pressing the same button. This voice note gets synced to Essential Space and is automatically transcribed (if you have a Nothing Phone). 

Nothing Ear (3) sound 

You have real-time Adaptive Noise Cancellation and now an upgraded 12mm dynamic driver for rich and natural sound. According to Nothing, you can now enjoy a 20% larger radiating area in comparison to the previous generation, which pretty much means bass response is boosted by 4-6 dB and treble by up to 4 dB. 

These improvements should ensure cleaner highs, rich mids, and an overall wider soundstage. 

Upgraded battery in each bud

Nothing has also upgraded the battery in each earbud, now equipping them with a 55mAh battery each. This, according to the company, means you can enjoy up to 10 hours of listening, while with the case, this goes up to 38 hours. They also support fast charging, and a 10-minute USB-C charge can provide up to 10 hours of playback. The earbuds also support wireless charging for extra convenience.

Meanwhile, Ear (3) supports Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC for stable audio, while a low-latency mode reduces delays to under 120 milliseconds, which is great if you’re gaming or watching videos. 

The earbuds support Google Fast Pair, and they can also be connected to iOS devices and Windows PCs. The Nothing X app gives you customizable controls. 

Price and availability 

The Nothing Ear (3) costs $179 and is available in black and white. Pre-orders start on September 18 at nothing.tech, and the device is hitting the stores (in some regions) officially on September 25. 

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