Nothing Ear (2024) Review: The Fun Value Pick With Fit Caveats

Nothing Ear (2024) is the pair you notice when premium earbuds feel too expensive and cheap earbuds feel too dull. Nothing’s promise is simple: transparent design, a proper Nothing X app, advanced EQ, LDAC/LHDC support on compatible Android devices, dual connection, pinch controls, wireless charging, and a price that leaves real money in your pocket.

That is why it sits at #4 in the main wireless earbuds guide as the value-controls pick. The reason to keep reading is not whether the feature list is clever; it is whether the seal, ANC, calls, and reliability stories will bother you more than the app and sound tuning delight you.

The happy-owner version is genuinely appealing. One owner wrote, “They are very comfortable & stay in fine for me,” while still admitting the seal can leak bass unless the buds sit just right (Reddit r/Earbuds). Another compared them with Sony’s WF-1000XM5 and said the soundstage was “very wide,” with tighter sub-bass, while also saying “the ANC is nowhere near as good as the Sony” (Reddit r/NothingTech). That split is the whole review.

At the writing snapshot, the Amazon-new listing for ASIN B0CXPSBKVR was $109 on 2026-05-06. Use the product links here to check today’s price, seller, color, condition, and availability—and to support KB4UB if this helps you avoid the wrong pair.

• Comfort, fit, and retention: 6.7/10. Silicone tips and light stems are easy to try, but fit/comfort reports are split enough to test early.
• ANC and transparency: 6.8/10. The 45 dB ANC claim is attractive for the price; real-world quiet still trails the leaders.
• Calls and microphones: 6.3/10. Fine for casual use, but the evidence does not make Nothing a safe noisy-street or work-call headset pick.
• Case, battery, and charging: 7.8/10. USB-C, wireless, and reverse charging are useful wins, though ANC-on totals are less dramatic than the biggest battery headline.
• Connection and app: 8/10. Nothing X, dual connection, Fast Pair, Swift Pair, LDAC, and LHDC are unusually rich at this price.
• Sound and daily controls: 8.2/10. Advanced EQ, codec support, and pinch controls are the heart of the recommendation.
• Durability and support: 6.3/10. Price helps, but scattered charging, connectivity, and warranty stories keep the long-term score cautious.

Read the score as bargain-with-taste, not bargain-without-risk. Nothing gives you more control than most earbuds near this price, but it asks you to accept more uncertainty than Bose, Sony, or Apple.

The best part of Nothing Ear is that it does not feel cut down to hit the price. The app is the centerpiece: EQ, personal sound, control customization, codec choices on compatible devices, low-latency/Nothing-phone extras, and dual connection give tinkerers more to play with than most midprice buds.

The daily convenience list is stronger than the price suggests, too. You get USB-C charging, wireless charging, reverse charging from compatible phones, Fast Pair, Swift Pair, Find My Earbuds, and a compact transparent case that looks like a choice instead of another anonymous pebble. If you mostly listen at home, in an office, or on walks where maximum ANC is not the job, the sound-and-controls value can feel like the steal.

Fit and ANC are the dividing line. Some people find the buds comfortable for hours; others say the body does not sit deep enough to seal, which hurts bass and noise reduction. One blunt owner still praised the internals—“The driver is great, app - amazing, sound - amazing”—but said the shape made outdoor use frustrating (Reddit r/Earbuds).

Connection and call behavior also need a first-week shakedown. One owner reported “massive distortion on all team and zoom calls using dual connection mode” and returned the buds (Reddit r/NothingTech). Another described a left bud that stopped charging just after warranty. Those reports do not mean every pair fails, but they do mean the return window, warranty path, and first few calls are part of the purchase test.

Nothing Ear (2024) is the pick when you want app control, EQ, codecs, and wireless charging for less money—not when you want the calmest, safest earbud in the category.

• Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen): Best overall. Bose is the better choice if useful quiet and broad buyer safety matter more than price and app tinkering.
• Sony WF-1000XM5: Best sound and app control. Sony is the more premium enthusiast pick with stronger ANC and a deeper reputation, though it costs more and has its own fit homework.
• Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro: Best for Galaxy phones. Samsung is better for Galaxy owners who want phone-specific features; Nothing is more open to Android tinkerers who care about price.
• Apple AirPods Pro 2 USB-C: Best Apple caveat pick. AirPods are easier for iPhone owners; Nothing loses much of its codec argument on iPhone.
• Beats Fit Pro: Best secure-fit deal. Beats solves a different problem with wingtip retention; Nothing is for controls, sound tuning, and design.

For the full ranking and feature table, go back to Best Wireless Earbuds in 2026.

Best for: Android buyers who want app controls, EQ, codec options, dual connection, wireless charging, and a more interesting earbud than the usual budget pair.

Skip if: You need top-tier ANC, guaranteed call reliability for work, an iPhone-native experience, or a secure fit without experimenting with tips.

Bottom line: Nothing Ear (2024) is the value-controls pick because it is genuinely feature-rich for the money. Buy it only if you are willing to test fit, ANC, calls, dual connection, and charging behavior right away.