Nothing Ear (3) review: stylish earbuds that talk back

If you've ever entertained the idea of buying a pair of the best earbuds, you've probably heard of Nothing. Carl Pei's brand sits at the ever-exciting cross-section of fashion and technology, and its range of audio equipment has been a standout for years now.

Renowned for offering incredible value for money, the brand has offered a suite of different options over the last few years. It even launched the Nothing Headphone (1) a few months ago, in conjunction with the good folks at KEF.

Now, we're back with the Nothing Ear (3), which is said to take some of the goodness from those over-ears. Can they stack up? Let's find out.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Price and Availability

The Nothing Ear (3) is available for £/€/US$179 / AU$299.

The buds were officially unveiled on the 18th of September 2025. The official on-sale date is the 25th of September 2025.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Features and What's New

The big headline feature here is the inclusion of a new microphone built into the case. Dubbed the Super Mic, that allows users to enjoy a more premium audio experience that what you'd get from the buds alone.

That case has also had a sweet redesign, complete with a gorgeous aluminium design on the lower portion. Not only does that look sleek – and tie in with the design of the Headphone (1) and the Nothing Phone (3) – it adds a reassuring amount of weight to the device.

A 12mm driver can be found in the buds, which should offer decent response across the frequency spectrum. Charging is also respectably spec'd – 55mAh in the buds and 500mAh in the case ensures up to 10 hours of listening and some seriously fast charging.

A five minute charge, for example, is good enough to snag an hour of operation from the buds only, while 10 minutes on the case and buds offers a whopping ten hours of usage.

Elsewhere, the AI-powered Adaptive noise cancellation from the Headphone (1) is employed here, offering up to 45dB of cut. There's also a trio of mics on either side of the device, to help with that.

Gym fans are catered for as well, with IP54 water and dust resistance on offer.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Performance

I've been blessed to test both the Nothing Ear (2) and the Nothing Ear before this, meaning I've already got a pretty good handle on what to expect. If you're in the same boat, there shouldn't be too much of a surprise here.

In fact, the only thing which really caught my attention right off the bat was the weight of the case. That aluminium, as well as the microphone built into the case, gives a really reassuring heft – just enough that you'll notice it, not so much that you'll feel like there's an anvil in your backpack.

Audio quality is truly excellent here. There's a great depth to the audio quality which gives a three-dimensional effect, and lends a lot of space to your favourite tracks and videos.

In fact, the base audio is so good at rendering the 3D soundscape that I really didn't notice too much difference when switching to Spatial audio. Further testing may highlight the differences a little more, but having too many great audio options is never a bad thing.

What I was less enamoured with was the active noise cancellation. The promise of AI-powered Adaptive modes and a 45dB reduction is all well and good, but I never got it to work acceptably in practice.

It definitely does some reduction, but it's not enough to cut out even the mildest of background noise entirely. Anything loud and it's game over – you'll want something more substantial if you're often in loud environments.

It's a pity, because the rest of these buds offer so much, but it's also not really on at this price point. When Nothing was making buds for a hair over £100, you'd forgive something like this. These are pushing towards £200, though, and that makes it more of an issue. You could pick up buds with much more to offer in this sense for not too much more cash.

Last, but certainly not least, is the new Super Mic. That is – frankly – a genius move, and one which I thoroughly commend. Microphones on earbuds are rarely great quality, and this offers an elegant solution. My pre-release software had encountered a few bugs here – and it's not widely supported by third-party apps at launch – but I'm excited for what's to come.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Verdict

There's a lot to enjoy about the new Nothing Ear (3) earbuds. Audio quality is stellar, and the design really does feel like the best iteration of the brand's design language.

It's not perfect – the ANC isn't as good as you'd expect from buds at this price point – but I do think it's an overall package that is worthy of your attention.

Whether you're a fan of the styling, or just want a better solution for recording your voice, you can do a lot worse than these buds.

Nothing Ear (3) review: Also Consider

If you're on a slightly tighter budget, but still want the Nothing styling, check out the Nothing Ear. Those preceded the Ear (3), and offer killer audio for less cash.

If you need ANC performance which is a class or two above that on offer here, check out the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Earbuds. Those retailed a lot more expensive than the Ear (3), but deals can routinely be found which put them in the same price bracket.