Ear (a)

Launched alongside the Nothing Ear, Ear (a) was the first product in Nothing's audio range to use the “a” designation. It was positioned as a more affordable alternative to Ear, retaining features such as active noise cancellation while omitting features including wireless charging and LHDC 5.0 support. Ear (a) also introduced Yellow as a new colourway to Nothing's true wireless audio range, alongside Black and White. Its charging case uses a slimmer rectangular design with rounded contours.

Ear (a)'s model number is B162 and Pokémon codename is Cleffa.

Nothing launched Ear (a) globally on 18 April 2024, with the product priced at £99 / $99 / €99. Pre-orders began on the same day, with online sales starting on 22 April. Ear (a) was initially available in Black, White and Yellow.^[1] A limited drop of both Ear and Ear (a) was also held at Nothing Store Soho on 20 April.^[2]

Regional availability followed shortly afterwards. In India, Ear (a) was priced at ₹7,999, with pre-orders beginning on 18 April and sales beginning on 22 April through Flipkart.^[3] In Japan, Ear (a) was priced at ¥14,800, with limited sales beginning on 19 April ahead of the wider release.^[4] In Indonesia, Ear (a) was priced at Rp1,699,000, with retail availability beginning on 22 May 2024 through the Erajaya Group.^[5]

Ear (a) uses an 11 mm dynamic driver with a PMI + TPU diaphragm. The earbuds measure 30.9 mm × 21.7 mm × 24.3 mm and weigh 4.8 g each, while the charging case measures 47.6 mm × 63.3 mm × 22.7 mm and weighs 39.6 g. Each earbud contains a 46 mAh battery, while the charging case contains a 500 mAh battery. The earbuds are rated IP54 for resistance to dust and water splashes, while the charging case has an IPX2 rating. Ear (a) provides up to 9.5 hours of playback on a single charge with ANC disabled, or up to 42.5 hours with the charging case. With ANC enabled, playback is rated at up to 5.5 hours on a single charge or 24.5 hours with the charging case. A 10-minute charge provides up to 10 hours of playback with ANC disabled. Ear (a) supports USB-C charging but does not support wireless charging. The earbuds feature active noise cancellation (ANC) of up to 45 dB, along with Adaptive ANC and Transparency Mode.^[6]

Ear (a) uses the same pressure-based pinch controls as Ear. Users can press the stems to perform functions such as play or pause playback, skip or return to previous tracks, adjust volume and activate other functions. The available gestures can be customised through the Nothing X.

Ear (a) can be connected to and customised through the Nothing X. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. Ear (a) is Hi-Res Audio certified and supports LDAC for high-resolution audio transmission under supported configurations.^[7] Unlike Ear, Ear (a) does not support LHDC 5.0. Ear (a) also supports Dual Connection, allowing the earbuds to maintain connections with two compatible devices simultaneously, as well as Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair.

The Nothing X app provides an equaliser with several presets, including Balanced, More Bass, More Treble and Voice, as well as custom controls for Mids, Bass and Treble. The app also provides firmware updates, customisable pinch controls, Low Lag Mode, Find My Earbuds and other device settings.^[8]

In July 2024, Nothing released Ear (a) firmware version 1.0.1.45, which improved call quality, enhanced the low-battery prompt tone, reduced playback delay when using AAC and SBC codecs, and improved sound when using Game Mode on Nothing phones.^[9] In October 2024, firmware version 1.0.1.46 added a pitch gesture for triggering the AI News function on compatible Nothing phones.^[10]

Early community reports documented inconsistent ANC and Transparency Mode behaviour, as well as battery consumption concerns. These reports varied between users and were discussed through Nothing Community review threads.^[11] In February 2026, Nothing released firmware version 1.0.1.51 with bug fixes.^[12]