The Nothing Ear (open) marked Nothing's return to an open-ear design after the Ear (stick) in 2022. Instead of sealing the ear canal like traditional in-ear TWS earbuds, Ear (open) uses an open-ear design that allows users to listen to audio while remaining aware of their surroundings. Nothing positioned the product for activities such as running, cycling and commuting.^[1]

Ear (open)'s model number is B182 and Pokémon codename is Flaaffy.

Nothing announced Ear (open) on 24 September 2024, with pre-orders beginning on the same day and general sales starting on 1 October. The product launched in White at £129 / $149 / €149, with a limited drop at Nothing Store Soho on 28 September.^[2,3]

Regional availability followed shortly afterwards. In India, Ear (open) was priced at ₹17,999, with sales beginning on 1 October 2024 through Flipkart.^[4] In Japan, Ear (open) was priced at ¥24,800, with pre-orders beginning on 27 September and general sales beginning on 1 October through nothing.tech.^[5] In Indonesia, Ear (open) became available through the Erajaya Group on 10 January 2025 at Rp2,499,000.^[6]

On 11 May 2026, Nothing introduced a Blue colourway of Ear (open), expanding the original White finish. The Blue variant retained the same hardware and software features as the original model and was priced at $99 / £89 / €99 at launch.^[7] In India, the Blue variant became available from 11 May 2026 at ₹9,999 through Flipkart.^[8] In Japan, the Blue variant became available from 14 May 2026 at ¥19,800 through nothing.tech.^[9] In Indonesia, the Blue variant became available from 8 June 2026 at Rp1,699,000 through Erajaya Group.^[10]

Ear (open) uses an open-ear design with flexible ear hooks that sit around the ears instead of silicone ear tips. Each earbud weighs 8.1 g and contains a 14.2 mm dynamic driver with a custom diaphragm. The earbuds measure 51.3 mm × 41.4 mm × 14.4 mm, while the charging case measures 125.9 mm × 44.0 mm × 19 mm and weighs 63.8 g. Each earbud contains a 64 mAh battery, while the charging case contains a 635 mAh battery. Both the earbuds and charging case are rated IP54 for dust and water resistance. Ear (open) provides up to 8 hours of playback on a single charge, or up to 30 hours with the charging case. A 10-minute charge provides up to 2 hours of playback. Charging is provided through USB-C, with no wireless charging support. The open-ear design uses Nothing's Open Sound Technology and Sound Seal System with directional speakers to direct audio towards the user's ears while allowing surrounding sounds to remain audible. Ear (open) also features Clear Voice Technology for calls and Bass Enhance for low-frequency reproduction.^[1]

Ear (open) uses pressure-based pinch controls on the earbuds. Users can perform functions such as play or pause playback, skip or return to previous tracks and access other functions through customisable pinch gestures. The controls can be customised through the Nothing X.

Ear (open) can be connected to and customised through the Nothing X. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC and AAC audio codecs. Ear (open) also supports Dual Connection, allowing the earbuds to maintain connections with two compatible devices, as well as Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair.^[1]

The Nothing X app provides an Advanced Equaliser with eight-band frequency control and profile sharing, alongside Bass Enhance, Low Lag Mode, customisable controls, Find My Earbuds and firmware updates.^[1]

Ear (open) also supports ChatGPT integration on compatible Nothing phones, allowing users to access ChatGPT through supported controls and the Nothing ecosystem.^[1]