Screenshots for your ears: The Nothing Ear (3a) has been tested
9/7/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Nothing’s budget headphones are almost as good as their more expensive sister model in terms of sound quality and noise cancellation. Despite their low price, they come with a new additional feature called ‘Audio Screenshots’.
The Nothing Ear (3a) are good earphones, but they’re also an audio notebook. I can use them to record clips of up to 60 seconds from the podcast or music I’m currently listening to. Even entire phone calls can be recorded and transcribed later.
Recording and transcribing
I start recording with the Ear (3a) simply by pressing the stems of both earbuds simultaneously. This is a new gesture in the typical operation of Nothing’s in-ear headphones, which have always responded to being pressed together. If I’m listening to music, a podcast or something similar, they record it for the set duration: this is called an ‘audio snapshot’ in English. If I’m on a phone call or video call, they even record it for up to two hours. The people on the other end of the call are then informed via a brief announcement that recording is starting. Nothing calls this function ‘ «’ Call Recording».
There is 32 megabytes of storage available in the earbuds for the recordings. However, the final storage location is the smartphone. I can access the recordings via the Nothing X app, from which I can also share the WAV files. I need to log in to the app using my Nothing account in order to start recording at all. However, I cannot use the earphones as a microphone to record my surroundings or myself.
For the audio snapshots, I set a duration of between 30 and 60 seconds in the app. The headphones strictly adhere to this duration and cannot be stopped early. I can also choose to have the recording start up to 30 seconds in the past. To do this, the headphones continuously store data in the cache. I don’t have to rewind when an important part comes up. However, this function naturally puts a greater strain on the headphones’ batteries.
I can select the sound quality for the audio snapshots. Without further details, the options are ‘ «’ (Standard)» and ‘ «’ (Pro)». Even in Pro quality, the recordings sound more muffled than the original audio. However, everything is still understandable, and that’s the most important thing. The recordings aren’t intended to offer the best sound quality, but rather to serve as audio notes and a source for transcription.
Nothing offers three options for transcription. The standard models, which work offline, are free and require downloads of approximately 250 and 140 megabytes. I can choose between slow and accurate, or faster and not quite as accurate. The third option, «Pro», combines speed and accuracy, and is a paid service. However, when you buy the Ear (3a), 120 minutes per month are included for the first three months to try it out.
The standard, accurate model takes just under 20 seconds for a 30-second recording. The transcription is decent, but far from perfect. The Pro version is barely any faster, but delivers significantly better results.
Even though the audio snapshots are a niche feature, I like these little extras that Nothing has added to its headphones. Even if I find them of little use when trying them out – such as the «Super Mic» on the Ear (3) – I recognise that the manufacturer is trying out new things. When it comes to the audio snapshots, I can imagine that more people will find a use for them than for the «Super Mic».
Better than its predecessor, hardly any worse than the more expensive version
Compared to its predecessors Ear (a), the Nothing Ear (3a) offer numerous changes and improvements: for instance, they now support Static Spatial Audio and the drivers measure twelve millimetres in diameter instead of eleven. Noise cancellation has been upgraded to «Wideband ANC», but the noise reduction remains at 45 decibels. The app now also features an advanced equaliser, allowing you to adjust eight frequency bands. Nothing has also upgraded the Bluetooth version to 6.0, up from 5.3 in the previous model.
The Ear (3a)’s batteries are slightly larger at 55 mAh instead of 46 mAh and last about half an hour longer without ANC. The case is now, like the earbuds, splash-proof to the IP54 standard. A status light consisting of three LEDs illuminates differently in pairing mode compared to when installing updates or charging the earbuds. If you have small ears: the package includes a fourth, smaller ear tip for the earbuds.
The drawbacks compared to the more expensive Ear (3) are manageable:
- The housing and earpieces are made entirely of plastic, with no stainless steel or aluminium. I can live with that.
- The Ear (3a)’s ANC is only adaptive and not «Real Time Adaptive», which is negligible for me in everyday use.
- The «Super Mic» is gone, and I don’t miss it.
- Nothing has fitted a «custom dynamic driver» into the Ear (3), whilst the Ear (3a) only features a «custom driver».
Good sound, decent noise cancellation and familiar controls
The differences in quality between the Nothing Ear (3) and the Ear (3a) can be measured, but when listening, they’re so minor to me that they don’t make a difference in everyday use. In my opinion, the sound quality isn’t worth opting for the more expensive model.
The Ear (3a) impress me with their clear reproduction of voices. When listening to music, the treble and mid-range are nuanced and clearly audible. The bass is a little weak, but this is to be expected for this type of earphone.
Source: Kim Muntinga
The active noise cancellation makes the surroundings noticeably quieter. This means I can listen to podcasts on a busy main road, for example, without having to turn the volume up to an uncomfortably high level. However, they don’t isolate me quite as completely as the significantly more expensive Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro.
When it comes to controls, Nothing sticks to its tried-and-tested approach. I have to press the earbud stems: once, several times or hold down. I can customise the exact button assignments in the Nothing X app. There, I can also adjust the sound using two equaliser presets with different levels of detail, as well as import presets from others or export my own and make them available to others.
In a nutshell
There's no reason to spend more money on headphones
For most people, the Nothing Ear (3a) is perfectly adequate. For them, it's not worth spending more money on in-ear headphones. Their sound and noise cancellation are better than very cheap models and only slightly lag behind more expensive devices, so the extra cost is rarely worth it.
With audio snapshots and the recording of calls and video calls, Nothing has once again come up with a feature that sets the Ear (3a) apart from other headphones. The recording works well, but you ultimately have to pay for a usable transcription.
Pro
- good sound, usable noise cancellation
- many improvements over previous model
- Audio snapshots can be helpful
Contra
- free transcription still mediocre
Header image: Kim Muntinga
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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