Nothing Ear (3a) Can Help You Record Calls, Meetings, Lectures

Nothing has introduced the Ear (3a), a new pair of wireless earbuds positioned between the affordable Ear (a) and the flagship Ear (3).

The earbuds offer built-in audio recording, active noise cancellation, LDAC support, and up to 42 hours of total battery life for $99. They are available now through Nothing’s website.

Design And Colors

The earbuds retain Nothing’s recognizable transparent design but introduce a rounder appearance.

Buyers can choose between pink, yellow, black, and white color options. Nothing has also added an extra-small ear tip size to improve comfort and fit for more users.

Built-In Audio Recording

The main addition is Audio Snapshot, which allows users to save short sections of audio directly through the earbuds.

The Ear (3a) includes 32MB of built-in flash storage. Users can pinch both earbuds simultaneously to capture audio they are currently hearing, such as part of an online lecture or a voice message from a friend.

The feature can also save audio from shortly before and after the gesture, reducing the chance of missing the important section before recording begins.

Saved clips automatically transfer to the Nothing X application, where users can replay, edit, share and transcribe them. The app can also turn selected lines into shareable quote cards and make previous recordings easier to find.

Call And Meeting Recording

The Ear (3a) can record up to two hours of calls or meetings.

Users can begin recording by pinching both earbuds instead of reaching for their phones. The recording transfers to the Nothing X app once the call ends or the user manually stops it.

Nothing says other participants will receive a privacy notification while call or meeting recording is active.

Audio And Noise Cancellation

Nothing has equipped the earbuds with new 12mm dynamic drivers, which the company says deliver deeper bass and more detailed sound than the previous model.

The Ear (3a) supports LDAC wireless audio streaming, spatial audio and an eight-band equalizer available through the Nothing X app.

Active noise cancellation can reduce external sound by up to 45dB. Nothing claims changes to the ANC algorithm and acoustic mesh provide better performance across a wider range of frequencies.

According to the company, overall noise-cancellation performance has improved by 17.1% compared with the previous earbuds.

Battery And Pricing

The Ear (3a) can provide up to 10 hours of playback from the earbuds when active noise cancellation is disabled.

Combined with the charging case, total listening time reaches up to 42 hours. Keeping ANC active reduces the total battery estimate to 25 hours.

The Nothing Ear (3a) is available now for $99.