The Nothing Ear 3A: Impressive $99 Earbuds with a Few Flaws

Since the launch of the Ear 1 in 2021 for $99, Nothing has made a name for itself with a distinctive visual style that defies the expectation that high-quality headsets must come with a hefty price tag. The new Ear 3A maintain the same transparent aesthetic as their predecessors, featuring a clear case and stem design complemented by a solid-colored body, now available in eye-catching pink, yellow, black, and white. Alongside this, Nothing has made strides in both active noise cancellation (ANC) and audio quality. However, the Ear 3A still exhibit some of the performance quirks that have affected previous models. While the $99 price point is appealing, be prepared for some minor issues with adaptive ANC and call quality.

The Ear 3A are equipped with 12mm dynamic drivers and support high-resolution audio through the LDAC codec, in addition to SBC and AAC. Their default sound profile leans heavily towards bass, which enhances low-end frequencies but can overshadow the midrange, including vocals and guitars. While bass enthusiasts may appreciate this emphasis, it might be excessive for many listeners. Fortunately, the robust EQ options in the accompanying app allow for significant customization. The app features a user-friendly interface with four presets, a custom 3-band EQ, and an advanced 8-band parametric EQ, along with user-curated EQ profiles.

In just under a minute, I was able to tweak the EQ to achieve a more balanced sound that suited my preferences. I adjusted the bass to slope down below 115Hz, boosted the mids between 220–540Hz, made a slight cut in the shouty frequencies around 2–3.5kHz, and added some extra highs above 6.6kHz for a more open sound. This adjustment brought Chris Robinson’s voice to the forefront in “Thorn in My Pride,” while his brother Rich and Marc Ford’s guitars gained a satisfying crunch as the song progressed. Even with the bass reduced, Johnny Colt’s bass line still provided solid support throughout.

ANC performance has seen improvements compared to earlier models, effectively canceling out lower midrange and bass sounds, making it great for filtering out low-frequency noise like air conditioners or airplane cabin sounds. For $99, they also handle higher frequencies reasonably well, though if you’re in a bustling coffee shop, you might still catch snippets of conversations. If the high ANC setting feels too intense, there are mid and low options that allow for a bit more ambient sound.

The adaptive ANC feature, however, introduced some minor issues during my testing. While walking around the neighborhood, I noticed that the ANC intensity would occasionally spike, letting in more ambient noise before reverting back to its previous level. This brief disruption, lasting only a couple of seconds, was disorienting. I tried to pinpoint what might have triggered these changes but couldn’t find a consistent cause. Unlike the gradual adjustments of pricier models, the Ear 3A’s adaptive ANC changes felt abrupt.

Another issue arose with call quality. During a conversation with a friend, he often couldn’t hear any background noise from my side, leading him to wonder if the call had dropped. When I spoke in quieter environments, my voice came through clearly. However, in noisier settings, while my voice remained natural, some ambient sounds leaked through, and if I started talking amidst significant noise, my voice sounded muffled due to the earbuds filtering out higher frequencies.

Both the ANC and call quality concerns could potentially be resolved with future firmware updates (my testing was done with firmware version 1.0.1.59). If you opt for one of the static ANC settings instead of the adaptive mode, or if you don’t plan on making calls in noisy environments, these issues may not be a concern.

The Ear 3A also feature 32MB of on-device storage, allowing for up to two hours of call recording or a one-minute audio snapshot. When starting a call recording, a notification plays to inform everyone involved. While recording important calls can be useful, the audio snapshot feature, which captures a minute of what you’re listening to at lower fidelity, feels a bit gimmicky.

I’m pleased to see the Ear 3A return to a sub-$100 price point after the $179 Ear 3. Nothing excels at pushing the boundaries of what’s possible at lower prices, and I find myself more forgiving of its minor flaws. Although the out-of-the-box sound wasn’t to my liking, the ability to make meaningful adjustments makes these earbuds more versatile than many competitors in the same price range.