The Nothing ear 3 is visually different, just like every other Nothing product. This takes BT ANC one step further with a Super Mic in the charger case for calls and voice notes on Nothing phones.

The tap-to-talk feature is very cool as you raise the case, dictation style and speak to the hand. Just remember that the talk button has multiple functions too.

So, let’s get on with this unusual and striking set of Buds.

Nothing ear 3 base specs (as claimed)

Firmware: 1.01.1.59 App 3.4/10 – test 19/10 to 8/10/25/ Note the correct name is Nothing ear (3), but that has SEO issues, so we drop the brackets.

Website
Price: $299 for white or black
12-month warranty
In-ear canal silicon tip, Pod-design with transparent pinch control stalks
Stalk touch controls
5.2g
12mm driver 20 Hz – 40kHz
Spatial Audio processing
55mAh battery in each bud and 500 mAh in the USB-C case. Approx. 70 minutes charge. Or 10 minutes for 10 hours.
Qi 2.5W capable on a flat pad approx. 2 hours charge
Playback ANC On/Off: 5.5/10 hours
Case adds 16.5/28 hours (ANC On/off)
ANC up to 45dB at 5000Hz
Three mics per bud (ANC and voice Beamforming)
Two mics in the case
BT 5.4 AAC, SDBC, LDAC 24 bit/96kHz for Android (Google Fast Pair), Microsoft Swift Pair and iOS.
Low lag mode
IP54 buds and case
Case mic is Nothing Essential Space compatible
Case has a lanyard loop

The App

Custom 8-band EQ with profile sharing
Personal sound profile (audiodo)
Dynamic bass enhancement
Customisable controls
Find my earbuds
Dual connection
Ear tips fit test
Firmware updates

Comfort – Pass

These oblong-shaped buds fit in the ear concha, and the silicone ear tips don’t have a deep in-canal fit. You get four sets of oblong (S/M/L) silicone ear tips.

They stay in your ears for walks and moderate stand-up exercise. They did, however, fall out if the stalk was accidentally brushed.

After a couple of weeks of casual use, we can say that these are moderately comfortable (for our ears). The ANC relies on both AI and ear seals. We found it necessary to go up one tip size, which initially felt too big. Our eight-hour test saw us remove them three times.

ANC – Pass+

It has low, mid, high, and adaptive.

20-50Hz low bass: <20dB
50-100Hz mid bass: 17 to 30dB
100-200Hz high bass: 30 to 33dB
200-400 low mid: 15dB
500 to 1000Hz mid: 15 to 30dB
1000 to 4000 upper mid: 33 to 36dB

From there, it does not provide ANC, which is typical of ANC headphones.

The high setting reduces low-frequency sounds. The combined ANC and isolation are less effective with mids (vocal range).

Transparency – Pass+

This allows external sounds and adds sufficient side tone to hear your voice.

Wind reduction – Pass

There is no specific wind noise reduction, and you will need the high ANC setting.

Leakage: Pass+

For the most part, these provided good sound leakage prevention except for high-frequency music.

Hand-free: Pass

Overall, the experience is good with clear and intelligible speech. Callers commented that my speech was clear but a little thin.

Super Mic: Pass

Nothing calls it Super Mic. It focuses on your voice and cuts through all other noise (up to 95 dB) for complete clarity on calls and voice notes.

The idea of dual mics in the case is both novel and innovative. The execution leaves a little to be desired and is probably firmware fixable.

It has two uses, and the first, Transcribe, is the best if you have a Nothing Phone. You can press once, and it will record in Nothing’s Essential Space. That can then be transcribed (speech to text) with excellent accuracy.

For longer conversations, press twice. It works with Zoom, Teams, Google Meet, WhatsApp, and more.

There is also a walkie-talkie press-and-hold to talk option in the app.

It is nowhere near the content creation standard.

Battery test: Pass+

While Nothing claims more time, that is at 50% volume. Over the test period, at closer to 70%, we got:

ANC 4.5 hours (LDAC) to 7.5 hours (SBC/AAC)
35 hours total with the case recharge
Charge 50-60 minutes

They do not have an auto-off, and you need to place them in the case to switch them off.

It is Qi 2.5W charge capable (not MagSafe), but you need a flat pad capable of the low wattage. An Apple Watch charger works.

Low Latency – Pass

For LDAC only. It ensures good lip-sync. SBC and AAC had minor lip-sync in videos.

Sound – Pass

These have a native Bright Vocal (bass recessed, mid/treble boosted) – for vocal tracks and string instruments, but can make them harsh.

It was not what I expected, as these are supposed to be V-shaped and bass/treble-forward, but the native white noise generator is never wrong (and I retested several times). My only explanation is that the earbud test rig doesn’t work well with these oblong buds. Update: Notebookcheck confirms the raw frequency with very strong treble.

What you have is a very complex EQ and presets that can recess frequencies (cannot boost them) and a 6-level bass enhancement (which recesses mid and treble). Add an ear test and an ear fit, and you may get a sound signature that suits you.

Overall, they are quite listenable but not in the same class as Sennheiser Momentum 4 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra Gen 2. But then they are over $100 less.

Spatial Audio – Pass

When activated and with appropriate content, it does present a forward-centric, wider sound stage, 3D spatial experience.

CyberShack’s View: Nothing Ear (3) shows style over perhaps substance

We must remember that these are $299 buds and that they offer an excellent feature set. They are also strikingly different, as the Nothing crowd demands.

If I were a Nothing fan (and I like what they are trying to do), I would buy them and their phones. If not, people will continue to buy brands like Sennheiser, Sony, Bose, B&W, JBL and more and be very happy.

Nothing Ear (3) Ratings

These rate well on features, value and design, but less so in the other more mundane performance areas!

Features: 85. They have all the necessary features and a comprehensive app.

Value: 90. Provided the other major brands are not having a cut-throat sale, these are good value.

Performance: 80. Not class-leading in any area, but not too far behind.

Ease of Use: 75. There is quite a lot of work to get a custom EQ that suits you.

Design: 90. It is for the Kool Kids!

Pro

$299 for features above its value

Qi and USB-C charge case and fast charge

Good, rather than superb listening experience

Huge EQ flexibility

Different, distinctive design

Con

Super Mic needs more work

ANC is not class-leading

Battey’s life is shorter and more like 4.5 hours LDAC/ANC

Volume reduces as you load bass-heavy EQ

CyberShack Verdict

8.5

Features

8.5 / 10

Value

9 / 10

Performance