The Nothing Ear Open are on sale for $60 less than its asking price of $189. That means you can get these impeccable open earbuds that I’ve run many miles in for $129 during Black Friday Week.
ZDNET’s key takeaways
The Nothing Ear Open<!–> are the design-forward brand’s first open earbuds, available now for a discounted $129 on Amazon.
They feel amazing to exercise with thanks to their comfortable build and wonderfully loud sound, but they also would work well as an alternative to noise-canceling earbuds.
My only gripe is that the Multipoint Bluetooth didn’t always work.
Earbuds work best when you forget that they exist, even as they are in your ears or wrapped around your head. In actuality, a good earbud is a conduit for something else, like a good workout with bone conduction headphones or a locked-in eight hours of uninterrupted work at your chatter-filled desk job with noise-canceling earbuds.
So when I was sent the Nothing Ear Open–> earbuds, the latest from one of my favorite design-forward tech companies, I was eager to see just how much of a difference the headset would make on my afternoon runs and walks. The short answer? The Nothing Ear Open earbuds are a runner’s new best friend and exceed its price tag. For the long answer, keep reading.
This is Nothing’s first pair of open-ear headphones, which are designed less for noise cancellation and quiet listening and more for situational awareness and people on the go. If you don’t like how noise-canceling earbuds build up pressure within your ear and take you out of your environment, open earbuds may be a better choice.
First and foremost, open earbuds are great for exercise, but the best open earbuds work in many situations if they have loud enough sound and a comfortable build.
Also: Forget the Pixel 8a: Nothing’s $399 Android phone may be your best budget option
The Nothing Ear Open check both boxes. Let’s start with comfort, an essential factor of open earbuds. These are the lightest and most comfortable open earbuds I’ve tried, and much of this is credited to the flexible and lightweight ear hooks, which are wrapped in a sticky silicone. The earbuds hang from your ears in an unnoticeable way that bodes well for all-day wear.
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The speaker is positioned right above your ear without fully covering it, which keeps it open for sounds nearby to come through. There is absolutely nothing uncomfortable about these, especially on my runs or during my mat workouts when they stay around my ears and deliver pleasant sounds.