Nothing Ear (Open)

The Nothing Ear (Open) are the best excuse to ignore your coworkers while still hearing them call your name. Killer fit and connectivity for the active crowd, but bass heads and commuters should look elsewhere.

We were genuinely surprised by the bass. Open-ear designs usually sound thin and tinny, but the titanium-coated driver here actually delivers some thump. It's not going to rattle your skull, but it's present and punchy enough to make workouts fun. The real standout in our database is the connectivity, sitting at the 97th percentile. Multipoint switching between a laptop and phone is seamless and fast, which is a bigger quality-of-life upgrade than most people realize. Call quality is solid too, with the AI noise reduction doing a decent job of cutting wind noise on a run, though it's not magic in a busy coffee shop.

Stacked against the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra, the Nothing Ear (Open) isn't even playing the same sport. Those are noise-canceling champs designed to create a private bubble. The Nothing is the anti-Bose. A more direct rival is something like the Shokz OpenFit, which plays in the same situational awareness sandbox. The Nothing undercuts many of those on price while offering a more stylish, if slightly less polished, overall package. If you're cross-shopping standard earbuds, the Samsung Galaxy Buds3 Pro will give you vastly superior sound and ANC for a bit more cash, but you'll lose that open-air awareness.

For $99, this is a strong value play if you're specifically hunting for an open-ear design. You're getting a best-in-class connectivity experience, solid battery life, and a fit that punches above its weight class. It's not the best-sounding pair of headphones you can buy for a hundred bucks, but it might be the best open-ear pair you can buy for the money.

The Nothing Ear (Open) are the earbuds you buy when you're sick of being sealed off from the world. They don't try to beat Sony or Bose at their own noise-canceling game. Instead, they lean hard into letting the outside in, and for the right person, that's a revelation. The fit is shockingly good for a hook-style bud, and the sound is way better than you'd expect from something that doesn't plug your ear canal. Just know what you're signing up for: these are for hearing your surroundings, not blocking them out.

If you're looking for immersive, noise-canceling sound to drown out a plane engine or a noisy commute, this isn't it. Go get the Sony WF-1000XM6 or Bose QuietComfort Ultra instead. These are purpose-built for the opposite experience.

Buy these if you're a runner, cyclist, or office worker who needs to hear what's happening around you without sacrificing decent sound. The fit is secure enough for burpees, and the awareness is a genuine safety feature outdoors. If you want to zone out on a plane or train, these are the wrong tool for the job. But for their specific niche, the Nothing Ear (Open) nails the assignment.