Nothing Ear (Open) Review: Transparency Taken Literally

When I unboxed the Nothing Ear (Open), I was intrigued to find a pair of earbuds that are not sealed into the ear canal. And on top of that, a pair that costs as much as Rs 18,999 (they’re now selling at Rs 9,999 by the way), despite not offering ANC?

And moreover, a pair that has arrived in India an entire year after it was officially unveiled for the country? All this may sound a little dismaying, but when it comes to unique products like these, I rarely miss out on the opportunity to test them out on a daily basis.

As someone who spends a fair amount of time commuting in Mumbai and occasionally training in the gym, the appeal of earbuds that let you stay aware of your surroundings, yet deliver solid sound, felt strong. I’d already noted that they might take a bit of getting used to in terms of fit and wear style, but over a week of usage, I’ve gathered impressions on how they perform in real life.

Design

Visually and tactilely, the Ear (Open) make a strong first impression. The transparent stem, the minimalist white finish, and the hook-around-ear style band all contribute to a futuristic yet refined aesthetic. In particular, I found the transparent design inspiring and great to look at, with the internals being subtly revealed under the clear plastic.

This is Nothing’s trademark design choice, and it still manages to elicit a romantic reaction from plenty of tech nerds out there, myself included.

That said, I did take time to learn how to properly wear them over my ears. For me, the first fit attempt was a bit fiddly: the earbuds rest on the ear rather than plugging into the canal, so you must rotate the band behind and over the ear ridge for stability.

I found that when I first slipped them on, I wasn’t fully comfortable; after two or three adjustments, I found a sweet spot. Once you’ve got the fit down, the durability stands out. An IP54 rating means I was comfortable wearing them out in humid Mumbai and even lightly sweaty in the gym.

On the minor side: the case is a bit elongated (to accommodate the design), and when carried in a pocket, I noticed a slight rattle. But overall, the design is stylish, strong in durability and well-engineered.

Functionality

On the functional side, Nothing has packed quite a few useful features. The controls are simple: physical pinch-controls (one per earbud) allow play/pause, skip, volume up/down, etc.

In my experience, they were intuitive, and the tactile feedback is satisfying. Connectivity is solid as well. There’s Bluetooth 5.3, support for multipoint (so you can connect two devices simultaneously), and even a companion app (Nothing X) that allows for EQ customisation and control mapping.

Because the open-ear design means you are still hearing ambient sounds, they work well for outdoor use. Scenarios like walking, commuting, and training, where awareness is key, are the right occasions for slipping them on. I walked in traffic and the gym, and the ear-hooks stayed in place, and I felt aware of my surroundings while listening. That’s one of the big functional wins, considering that these earbuds have been designed to serve this function.

On the flip side: because it’s open-ear, you don’t get noise isolation or active noise cancellation. If you’re in a loud environment (say busy train carriage), you’ll still hear a lot of ambient noise. For some users, that’s a deal-breaker, but Nothing has other products to satisfy these customers.

The Ears (Open) are aimed solely at a particular crowd, which might be a rather small one, considering how long it took for the company to stock up the earbuds in India after announcing them, and how little publicity is being given to them as well.

Battery life

The battery life of the Ear (Open) impressed me, given their open-ear nature and what they aim to achieve. In my real-world usage, I was getting around 6 to 7 hours on a full charge before I noticed the battery warning.

Charging the case via USB-C is straightforward, although the absence of wireless charging is worth noting, if that’s something you care about. Because you’re not using ANC, the battery drain is less aggressive than sealed-in ANC models, which helps.

For a user like me, I found I could easily go a full day without worrying about a recharge.

Sound Quality

Here’s where things become more nuanced. Because the Ear (Open) are open-ear, the design inherently means more sound leakage, less passive isolation, and more ambient intrusion.

In my listening tests (genres ranging from electronic to rock to podcasts), I found the sound profile somewhat lighter in bass impact than sealed in-ear models.

However, for what this model is designed to do, the sound is commendable: the mids are clear, vocals well-rendered, and treble has good presence.

If I were comparing Ear (Open) to premium sealed earbuds, then this simply won’t match. But in the open-ear category, it delivers very well.