Tech
Nothing could surprise drop a successor to its Ear (1) earbuds
While everyone is busy getting hyped for the Phone (1), a new leak shows off what could be a successor to the company’s Ear (1) wireless earbuds.
Somebody get Nothing some Flex Seal because the leaks have been flowing. Most recently, Twitter user Mukul Sharma shared a first look at what looks like Nothing’s next pair of earbuds, the Ear (1) Stick.
The leaked earbuds have a couple details that differentiate it from Nothing’s Ear (1) earbuds that came out last year, but overall share a very similar profile. The leaked images also show a cylindrical case instead of the square case, while still sporting Nothing’s signature transparent design.
The leaker does have a track record of releasing early info about the Phone (1), having spotted a pre-emptive Amazon listing that offered prices and specs. According to the listing, the Phone (1) will come in 8GB/128GB and 12GB/256GB variants. The listing showed the entry level model listed at €470, or roughly $490, while the higher end version was priced at €550, or around $570. The listing also showed off a very attractive-looking black colorway of the Phone (1).
Potential Phone (1) pricing — The Amazon link had the option for a bundle with the Phone (1) and the Ear (1) that totaled €567, or roughly $590. Since the listing was paired with Nothing’s Ear (1) earbuds, it could mean that the leaked Ear (1) Stick won’t be ready in time for the smartphone’s release on July 12. Since the Amazon link is already gone, we should note that the prices might differ on release.
The mid-range pricing of the Phone (1) does make sense though, since Nothing’s Carl Pei confirmed to Input that it would use a mid-range chipset, the Snapdragon 778G+, for performance, power consumption, and cost reasons. Staying in the mid-range price point hints that Nothing is looking to compete with the likes of Google’s Pixel 6, but not with other flagship smartphones like the Galaxy S22 Ultra that have top-of-the-line specs.
Similar style — For the Ear (1) Stick, it’s only an alleged leaked photo we’re going off of, so we don’t really know the specs or how different it is from the Ear (1). Visually, the leaked earbuds from Nothing don't look too different from the first generation, but you can see a change of the branding on the stem and two dots that could potentially be magnetic. We’re also hoping that there are some upgrades with the charging case since there’s at least a clear visual difference there.
Without a lot to go off of, it’s difficult to say for sure if the new wireless earbuds will be a significant upgrade, but they’ll definitely represent a chance for Nothing to redeem itself after the rocky launch of its Ear (1) earbuds, which saw a slew of quality control issues.
