Nothing Ear (1)

On paper, the Ear (1) outpace almost all the competition at the price point simply by virtue of including premium features like ANC and wireless charging. In practice, the good-but-not-great audio quality and battery life hold these back a little, as do a few bugs and a divisive design - but there are still few rival buds that offer this much for this little.

The Nothing Ear (1) make quite the comeback from last year's release, with superior sound and better noise cancellation than before. Comfortable to wear and distinctive, they're worth your time at last.

A good set of true wireless headphones, which deliver a strong overall performance and a distinctive design on a relatively modest budget. The audio is pleasingly precise, Active Noise Cancellation works well, and they are very comfortable to wear whether you’re being active or at rest.

The Ear 1s are the new hypebeast earbuds and have a fun air of freshness. But right now, their individual parts — sound quality, noise cancellation, etc. — fall short of excellence and leave plenty of reason for sticking with one of those “boring” established players.

The Nothing Ear (1)’s transparent design will grab your attention, but it’s the comfy fit, balanced sound, useful features and low price that will hold it.

Nothing's Ear (1) true wireless earphones are one of the most visually interesting pairs on the market, and back up their good looks with solid audio performance and above-average noise cancellation for an affordable price.

That said, if you’re after a pair of refreshingly different, but instantly recognisable headphones that work consistently well, sound great, have excellent noise cancellation, good call quality and excellent fit, it’s clear that you no longer need to spend more than £99.

Nothing ventured, nothing gained: Nothing Ear (1) has the specifications to become a budget headphone contender, but the sound is a good step below class-leading.