Nothing Ear (3a) leak reveals tempting price, unexpected new color
Beyond its eye-catching design, the Nothing Ear (a) has solid performance.
- Nothing is reportedly working to launch its new affordable earbuds, the Nothing Ear (3a), soon.
- The Ear (3a) were recently spotted on a certification database, and some information about them has leaked since.
- The earbuds could come in a new pink colorway.
- The Ear (3a) are rumored to be priced roughly €99 (~$115) in Europe.
Nothing, the tech brand founded by former OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, was launched with the intent to simplify tech. However, its products have one of the most confusing naming schemes you’ll encounter among mainstream brands, and its audio products are even more confusing. For instance, Nothing’s second-gen truly wireless earbuds, the Ear (2), came after the Nothing Ear (1), but were followed by the Nothing Ear (without an accompanying number). The Ear was succeeded last year by Nothing Ear (3). Apart from the first and second generation, each of these also got an “a” variant to signify affordability. After the Ear (a), Nothing is reportedly working on the ally for the third (technically the fourth, if we don’t count the sidegrades such as the Ear Open or Stick) generation of earbuds.
After launching the Ear (3) last year, Nothing is reportedly preparing to bring a more affordable version, the Ear (3a). Last week, the Nothing Ear (3a) was spotted on the database of SDPPI, the Indonesian electronics certification body, by The Tech Outlook. Making our job easier, the certification conveniently also lists the product’s name alongside its model number.
While the listing did not reveal much about the specifications, a more recent leak from the French tech blog Dealabs adds to our knowledge. According to the report, the Nothing Buds Ear (3a) would be available in four colors: white, black, and yellow, along with the surprising addition of pink. The earbuds are expected to cost €99 (~$115), a modest €10 increase over the previous Ear (a) — yes, not the Ear (2a). That is because the latter doesn’t exist.
In the US, the Ear (a) was launched at $99, so we could expect a more rounded-off pricing, such as $109 or $119. This is just a speculation, and we could see entirely different pricing. Whether it would be lower or higher than the Euro-to-USD conversion rate is worth watching.
The Nothing Ear (3) also brought an unusual feature, i.e., a “Super” mic on the charging case that could be used for calling or taking notes, which were also transcribed automatically. The feature, although impressive in theory, failed to truly live up to our expectations during our Nothing Ear (3) review. Additionally, given the extra cost that it might incur for the brand, Nothing could likely omit it from the Ear (3a) altogether.
We’re short on details about the drivers on the Ear (3a), their noise-canceling capabilities, and other features, including battery life. However, it is speculated to come with wireless charging support for the case. There’s no launch date in sight either, but we’ll ensure to update you once we know.
