Nothing Ear (3a) Arrives with ANC and 42-Hour Battery

The subway rush, the office hum, the world at full volume—Nothing wants you to tune it out. The UK brand quietly introduced the Nothing Ear (3a) alongside the Phone (4b), and these earbuds lean hard into noise control and battery endurance.

Small tweaks, louder bass, smarter mics

At a glance the Ear (3a) keeps the familiar silhouette of its predecessor but upgrades the fit with a new XS silicone tip option. Inside each bud sits a 12mm dynamic driver; Nothing says the tuning delivers about 5 dB more punch than the earlier Ear (a). That’s a subtle nudge for bass lovers who prefer clarity over boom.

Active noise cancellation reaches up to 45 dB. There’s Transparency mode for when you need to hear announcements or a conversation. Spatial Audio support rounds out the listening features, while three microphones per earbud pair with AI noise reduction to keep calls clean and reduce background clutter.

Here’s an odd but clever flourish: the earbuds include 32 MB of onboard storage and a built-in audio recorder. You can capture up to one minute of audio directly to the buds, with the last 30 seconds saved retroactively. Think quick voice memos without a phone in hand.

Battery performance shifts with how you use them. With ANC switched on, expect roughly six hours on the earbuds alone and about 25 hours including the case. Turn ANC off and you’re looking at roughly 10 hours per charge and up to 42 hours total from the case. Fast charging is practical too: a five-minute top-up promises around an hour of playback.

Connectivity is modern: Bluetooth 6.0, Google Fast Pair, and support for SBC, AAC and LDAC codecs. The charging case adopts a rounder shape than before and the status light has been refined. Colour choices include Black, Pink, White and Yellow. The Ear (3a) is priced at €99.

If you want long stretches of music without hunting for a charger, the Ear (3a) makes that its headline promise.

They’re not a reinvention. But for listeners who value stronger bass, long battery life and clearer calls, the Ear (3a) is a concise update—practical, slightly bolder, and ready for the daily commute.