Nothing’s Latest Wireless Earbuds Offer a Funky New Feature

Nothing has been doing some really unique things with its devices, be it the Nothing phone or the true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds. Last year, with the $179 Nothing Ear 3 wireless earbuds, the brand added a mic inside the charging case for clearer voice capture in noisy environments. Now it’s mixing things up yet again with the new Ear 3a, a $99 pair of wireless earbuds with dedicated onboard storage for audio capture.

The Ear 3a buds use 12mm dynamic drivers and support Sony’s LDAC codec, which delivers higher-bitrate wireless audio on compatible Android phones. They also have active noise cancellation and a battery life of up to 42 hours per case charge. That’s about four charge cycles for the earbuds, which offer 10 hours of playback with active noise cancellation turned off.

But back to the weird stuff. Each Ear 3a bud can capture and store audio independently of a user’s phone. The Audio Snapshot and Call Recording features let you save short clips—up to a minute of media or up to 2 hours of conversation—by pinching the stem. Once you’re near your phone again, these clips go to the Nothing X app, where you can replay, trim, share, and convert them to text using AI transcription tools.

Nothing also includes a three‑month trial of the Pro transcription tier, offering extra recording minutes and faster audio processing. But don’t be fooled: If you think you can be sneaky about recording your calls, know that the Ear 3a inform other parties when you begin recording using a distinct tone.