Nothing has just teased a new product launch on Twitter, but what could it be? Based on leaks and a little theorizing, we believe it will be a new pair of earbuds.
The Nothing ear (1) has had a pretty successful year in the market and after the Nothing phone (1), now could be the time to refresh the true wireless earbuds in a way you probably didn’t anticipate.
The insects are back
I’ll be honest — we’re going off a very vague tease here to make this prediction, but when tied with a recent leak and seeing Nothing’s track record, we can start to tie some threads together. It all starts with this tweet, teasing something “coming soon.”
Animals in Nothing promo campaigns are nothing new — I have a postcard with the parrot Nothing phone (1) picture on my fridge because I bloody love parrots. However, there could be a theme starting to show here.
In this picture is a Glasswing Butterfly, and the last time they used an insect for promotion is for the Nothing ear (1). If Nothing is going down the “different species mean certain product categories,” then that could mean we’re getting some new earbuds.
We’re all anticipating a Nothing watch (1) to come and round off a pretty neat mobile ecosystem, but rumors and leaks have remained pretty quiet around this, so I wouldn’t bet on this coming until at least next summer.
Maybe ear (2)? Maybe not
This all leads to the ultimate question — could we be getting the Nothing ear (2), which fixes our qualms and gives us better battery life, a sleeker case, and deeper EQ customization? Maybe. However, something else seems more likely.
There was a leak in July around the launch of the phone (1) talking about an updated version of the current earbuds, named the Nothing ear (1) Stick. It was temporarily live on Amazon before being hastily taken down, according to tipster Ishan Agarwal.
If the Amazon leak is right, we should see the launch of “Nothing ear (1) Stick” version next week too with the phone (1).- No Silicon Tips (Like standard AirPods)- New, Compact Case design- Same Price (€99)- Maybe difference in battery life or no ANC?#nothing pic.twitter.com/CueH4dvX4EJuly 7, 2022
They were listed at the same price as the ear (1) of €99, but come with two key changes:
- A new, far more compact case design.
- No silicon tips (similar to AirPods 3).
Other features weren’t captured by the leak, but I’d have a couple of questions about these. Will these feature active noise cancellation (ANC), given the lack of silicon tips? And if not, why are they the same price as what would be a superior pair of ear (1)s with noise cancellation?
Outlook
Whatever happens, it turns out that the fall is going to continue to be the time we get a tonne of new tech, and Nothing is joining the party.
The ear (1) Stick would hit a section of the market that a lot of companies fail to hit — the earbud users that really don’t like the intrusive feel of the silicon tips. But it’s left to be seen whether this is a reality.
