Wireless earbuds · Ranked #19 of 31 · Best stylish budget earbuds

Nothing Ear (3a)

80
Well liked
Average of 6 professional reviews
4 of 6 recommend it · broad agreement
Where the 6 reviews landedRange 70–90

Exact average 80.0 · all scores printed by the outlets

Nothing Ear (3a)Image: Nothing

6 professional reviewers tested the Nothing Ear (3a), and 4 recommend it. Most praised: design and sound quality. Most common complaint: call quality.

Reviewed by ZDNET, WIRED, Tom's Guide and 3 more

The catch: The call recording feature raises privacy concerns, and noise cancelling is mid-tier.

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What 6 critics said

Highest score first · all converted to 0–100
  1. 90
    ZDNETHands-on review · 2026

    Recommended to nearly everyone as a fun, well-priced earbud whose sound and features rival pricier models, with only the design and some subscription features as caveats.

    Read ZDNET review
  2. 80
    WIREDHands-on review

    A stylish, comfortable and fun budget earbud with enjoyable sound and a great app, held back by mid-tier noise cancelling and a subscription for transcription.

    Read WIRED review
  3. 80
    Tom's GuideHands-on review · 2026

    Impressive, good-value earbuds with great design and EQ-fixable sound, though the reviewer is seriously troubled by call recording that can run without the other person being alerted.

    Read Tom's Guide review
  4. 80
    Trusted ReviewsHands-on review · 2026

    A well-judged upgrade with good fit, improved noise cancelling and rich app features, easy to recommend for style fans though stronger-value rivals exist.

    Read Trusted Reviews review
  5. 80
    TechRadarHands-on review · 2026

    They sound good for the money, but the reviewer is uneasy about the heavily marketed call-recording feature and its privacy implications, and finds stamina a little disappointing.

    Read TechRadar review
  6. 70
    The VergeHands-on review · 2026

    Great-looking, tunable $99 earbuds that sound good enough, but sudden adaptive noise cancelling shifts and poor call behavior in noise show the usual Nothing bugginess.

    Read The Verge review

"Est." means the outlet printed no score, so we estimated one from its verdict and checked our estimates against ratings outlets print. How we check estimates

What critics praise most

Design4 of 6
Sound quality3 of 6
Noise cancelling2 of 6

What critics dislike most

Call quality3 of 6
Battery life2 of 6

Other wireless earbuds critics rate highly

Sony WF-C710NImage: Sony
Top pick, narrowlySony WF-C710N4 reviews · critics agree94
EarFun Air Pro 4+Image: EarFun
Best budget earbud soundEarFun Air Pro 4+4 reviews · broad agreement91
Apple AirPods 5Image: Apple
Best for open-fit comfortApple AirPods 55 reviews · critics agree90
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 2Image: Jabra
Jabra Elite 8 Active Gen 24 reviews · broad agreement88

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Common questions

Is the Nothing Ear (3a) worth it?

Critics are divided: 4 of 6 recommend it. The call recording feature raises privacy concerns, and noise cancelling is mid-tier.

Do critics agree about the Nothing Ear (3a)?

Broad agreement: scores range from 70 (The Verge) to 90 (ZDNET), a spread of 20 points across 6 reviews. Most reviewers land fairly close together.

What do critics dislike about the Nothing Ear (3a)?

Call quality (3 of 6 reviews), Battery life (2 of 6 reviews).

What is the best alternative to the Nothing Ear (3a)?

The Sony WF-C710N (critic score 94), top pick, narrowly.