Nothing's Ear 1 earbuds are designed to be seen, and seen through
Katle Colllns/CNET
London-based startup Nothing on Tuesday unveiled its first device: a pair of true wireless earbuds it's calling the Ear 1 that feature a novel semitransparent design. Founder and CEO Carl Pei, previously of OnePlus, had already revealed that the earbuds would contain notes of transparency -- something that turned out to be very much the case when the company lifted the lid on its design this week.
Liquid silicon tips sit on the main black-and-white body of each 0.17-ounce (4.7-gram) earbud, attached to which are flat stems with transparent veneers that reveal the microphones, magnets and other inner workings of the device. As we hoped when we posted pictures of the Nothing Ear 1's case last week, one bud has a black dot and one has a red dot -- colors that correspond to markings within the case itself, making it easy for you to pop them into place for charging.
At less than a year old, Nothing joins the likes of Essential, NextBit and Nest in being a company started up by a seasoned consumer tech pro. It's a tough business to get into, but in an interview with CNET earlier this month, Pei said that he believes given that wireless earbuds are a fast-growing market segment, there's room for Nothing to grab a slice of the pie while showing off the company's differentiated design, which is based on not including elements that go beyond the requirements or hiding components away from the naked eye.
It's a strategy that's attracted some big backers, including Nest founder Tony Fadell, as well as co-founder and CEO of Reddit Steven Huffman and GV (formerly Google Ventures), Alphabet's investment arm. Now it's up to Pei and his investors to hope that this bold bet on transparent design pays off, paving the way to the company's next product launch, which is in an entirely separate product category and is slated to take place before the end of 2021.
"We're definitely not going to be an audio brand," said Pei during Tuesday's launch event. "But we figured it was a great place to start."
When it comes to sound quality, another key backer has had significant input on fine-tuning the Ear 1's tech. Founding partners Teenage Engineering, a Swedish company known for making high-end, design-led synthesizers, worked on both the software and the hardware to perfect the sound, which is supported by 11.6mm dynamic driver. If you want to tweak the sound yourself, an iOS and Android app will allow you to take a little more control.
The Ear 1 will be available globally from Nothing's website and retail partners, and will be priced at $99 (£99, which converts to about AU$190). There will be a limited first drop of devices available on July 31 at 6 a.m. PT (9 a.m. ET), with the product going on general sale on Aug. 17.
