Carl Pei and his brainchild brands have been known to be market disruptors. It started with OnePlus, whose devices were marketed as flagship killers, and then it moved on to Nothing, where Pei and his crew decided to take on the heavyweights in the audio industry to start with. After registering their presence with authority, in the audio space, with the Nothing Ear (1), the brand moved on to make the Nothing Phone (1), which also quickly rose to prominence. Now, they have released the second iteration of the Nothing Ear TWS earbuds, the Nothing Ear (2).
I published my review of Nothing Ear (2) last month. Since then, me and my fellow audio reviewer, Dhriti, have spent some more time with Nothing Ear (2). Both of us have daily drive the Nothing Ear (1) in the past, and I personally found them to be working great with my Apple iPhone 12 Mini. So, a thought came to our heads – Could the Nothing Ear (2) provide better value for money than the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Gen)?
I put both the Nothing Ear (2) and the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) through our test process again. However, this time, instead of testing them as individual products, I put them in a head-to-head comparative testing process. And, the results were interesting. Continue reading this article to find out, if the Nothing Ear (2) can give you better bang for your buck than the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) –
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) vs Nothing Ear (2): Build Quality and Design
One of the first things many people look at when buying a pair of TWS earbuds is their build quality. So did I when comparing the Nothing Ear (1) and the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). Let’s start with the design.
When Apple makes a product, it sticks with its basic design for at least a couple of generations. Same is the case with the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). These earbuds came with essentially the same design as the 1st Generation AirPods Pro, sporting a pill-shaped design, sturdy, and satisfying hinge. Nothing seems to have taken a page out of Apple’s book, as they too maintained the same design of the Ear (1) that had helped its rise to prominence and carried it forward to the Ear (2). There are subtle changes on case and the earbuds, but they essentially look the same as their predecessors.
If you were to compare the case and the earbud design of the two, the Ear (2) hands down looks more attractive. That is until you start using them on a daily basis. The glossy plastic on the case starts picking up scratches, and the novelty of having a pair of earbuds with a transparent case gets covered in scratches and scuffs.
This is where AirPods get a slight lead. They have a monotone, white body, with a glossy finish. However, given that they have the same colour through and through, the scratches and scuffs that these earbuds pick up are hidden for the most part. It is only when you pick them up and closely inspect them, you realise that they have taken a beating after days of continuous use.
Talking about the case design, the materials used in the cases of both the earbuds hold their own, especially when you factor in the price. Both the cases and earbuds feel sturdy and you can put them through some really rough use, and they will last. Trust me when I say that, because I have a reputation at the Test Centre to be one of the most ruthless users of gadgets. And, that reputation has come in from some demonstrations. Brands, don’t worry, I don’t break stuff. I push your products to their limits for the sake of science ; )
As you would see in my reviews of both products, the earbuds are comfortable, and they offer a great fit. So, no point talking about it much over here. To get the best fit possible, with either the AirPods or the Ear (2) all you will need to do is pick the right-sized ear tips, and you’ll be set.
Apple’s case pocketability is unmatched though. The AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) is the smaller package of the two. Their rounded edges, with literally no squaring on the case, makes sliding them in and out of the pockets really easy. The Nothing Ear (2) are also not bad at all. They are slightly larger than the AirPods and have squarer edges. But, that does not work against the Nothing Ear (2) as much as we’d expect it to.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) vs Nothing Ear (2): Features
Both the Nothing Ear (2) and the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) are great products in their own right. They bring a solid selection of features to the table, but their compatibility across platforms is something that I paid special attention to when comparing the two devices against each other. I will keep on talking about this.
Starting off with IP ratings. The Nothing Ear (2) comes with an Ingress Protection (IP) rating of IP55. On the other hand, the AirPods come with an IPX4 rating. A win for Nothing here. Next, in terms of the controls, Nothing tried to come close to the AirPods, switching out their touch-sensitive controls to pinch controls on the stem of the earbuds, much like on the AirPods. However, their implementation needs some polishing. While the AirPods were flawless in my time of use, even when I had slightly wet hands, the Nothing had a few misses here and there, which meant that they lost out.
While on the topic of controls, you cannot trigger Google Assitant on Android devices if you are using AirPods. There are workarounds using apps and third-party services. But, there is not inherent solution to this issue. However, if configured, the Nothing Ear (2) can trigger Siri on iPhones. And, in their own stronghold, both the devices are able to trigger assistants.
In the charging department, Nothing Ear (2) gained all the lost ground. Much to the dismay of the users of the AirPods, Apple has stuck with the Lightning connector on the device. Now, if you are someone who is not a part of the Apple ecosystem, you will need to carry an extra cable around. On the flip side, if you're using the Nothing Ear (2) and even if you are in the Apple Ecosystem, the chances of you having a USB-C cable are almost certain. Apple’s own iPad and MacBooks (some) use USB-C to charge. And, if you do not have any Apple products, then the chances of you having a USB-C cable are even higher. Both devices support wireless charging, so there’s one common ground over there.
When it comes to codec support, Apple yet again loses out against Nothing Ear (2). While the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) comes with the support of only SBC and AAC codecs. There’s no support for aptX or any other codec capable of delivering high-quality audio. While AAC works great with Apple devices, you have to compromise on sound quality as soon as you move to any other device.
On the Nothing Ear (2), that is not the case. Not only does it support LHDC (which is at par, if not better than aptX), but also it has support for AAC. This means that no matter if you are on an Apple device or some other brand, you will get support for high-quality audio.
In terms of the app, Nothing Ear (2) is miles ahead of Apple. If you read through my review of Nothing Ear (2), you’d have realised that I loved every bit of the app. Nothing is perfect. Not talking about the brand here. There are a few kinks which Nothing can iron out, but they have made an app which other brands can take inspiration from. On Apple’s side, there’s no dedicated app on the iPhone. There’s a dedicated section in the settings menu where you can play around with the settings.
Being a rational consumer, you will expect that Apple would have made an app for Android users as well. However, they have not. If you are connecting your AirPods to an Android device, you are stuck with the default settings. And things like Spatial Audio and Ear-tip fit tests are concepts that do not even exist on that side of the wall.
The on-ear detection on the Nothing Ear (2) was on point regardless of the platform I was using them with. On Apple’s side, it worked seamlessly with Apple devices. However, once I switched over to an Android device, there were hitches in the play pause, and I could often notice an abnormal lag. At this point, as I mentioned in the review as well, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) uphold their tag of being the ultimate Apple TWS earbuds. Apple being the keyword here. As soon as you switch platforms, things start dwindling for them.
Lastly, let me talk about connectivity. Here too, the same trend continues. The connectivity between the AirPods and Apple devices is unmatched. But, as soon as you move to devices that do not sport the half-eaten fruit logo, you are faced with unnecessary issues. Nothing Ear (2) on the other hand, on both the Apple and non-Apple side of things, handle multi-point connectivity much better than the AirPods. And, if you are sticking to an Android device, most of the time, their fast-pair works as well as that of the AirPods on Apple devices.
If you read through, then you’d have already guessed the winner for this part of the comparison.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) vs Nothing Ear (2): Performance
In this section, for the comparison, I shook things up a bit. In our regular reviews, we have battery life factored in as a separate score. Over here, I have added it in this section itself. So, keep that in mind while reading through. Let’s get started.
In terms of the sound signature, if you look at the graphs, you will see that the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) beat the Nothing Ear (2) outright. They have a more balanced sound than the Nothing Ear (2), which the purists would prefer. On the Nothing Ear (2), we get a boost in the bass frequencies. But that is balanced out by the boost in the highs. While this does introduce sibilance, which can induce headaches and general fatigue, for some, when listening to the earbuds for longer periods of time, when you are listening to these earbuds, you will have very few things to complain about.
If you are a purist, then you will prefer the sound of the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). If you are a bass lover, then you will love the sound profile of Nothing Ear (2). Once you factor in the price, though, things get a bit more balanced. The Nothing comes pretty close to the AirPods. Only if the bass boost was not as prominent, then they could have even beat the AirPods Pro in terms of the sound signature scores.
When it comes to battery life, the AirPods had the Nothing Ear (2) beat very easily. In our tests, we found the battery life of the Appel AirPods (2nd Generation) at 50 per cent volume and ANC turned on, to be 5 hours. On the other hand, the Nothing Ear (2), with the same settings, clocked in 4.5 hours of battery life. This gave the AirPods a lead. However, that lead was brought down when we factored in the charging consistency of these two devices.
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) had a difference of about 4 to 6 per cent between the earbuds on many occasions. This is not just during the testing for this comparison. I have been using the same pair of AirPods for about 6 months now, and right since the first month, there has been a battery level consistency issue between the two buds. Nothing Ear (2) on the other hand, have been used for a shorter period of time. However, from the get-go, they have shown better consistency when it comes to the retention of charge by the earbuds.
Both earbuds come with active noise cancellation (ANC) baked in. When comparing the ANC performance of the two earbuds, as I did earlier, I factored in the price. The ANC on the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) is one of the best there is. Be it a noisy office or a traffic jam, or an aeroplane seat, you will get an uninterrupted listening experience.
On the Nothing Ear (2), coming from the Nothing Ear (1), there have been changes made which have improved the ANC on these earbuds. The difference in performance is very noticeable coming from the Nothing Ear (1). However, in extremely noisy environments like a traffic-filled road, you will be able to hear the sounds of the horns and other shrill sounds coming from the vehicles plying on the road. But for the price, the Nothing Ear (2) performs well.
Lastly, let’s talk about the microphone. The microphone on the Nothing Ear (2) does a good job in isolating your sound from all that is going on in the background. In moderately noisy environments, like a busy office, you will find your voice to be clear and true to reality. However, when you move into noisier environments, you start getting some noise in, but the biggest letdown is the change in voice. In our testing, we found our voices to be slightly tinier compared to reality.
On the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation), this was never an issue. The microphone performed well, and on very rare occasions we did notice background noise becoming a hindrance to the speech of the person on the other side of the calls.
The competition in this section was close. However, with 0.1 points, Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) came out on top.
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) vs Nothing Ear (2): Verdict
Getting ahead in two of the three categories, the Nothing Ear (2) proved to be the better value for money device when compared to the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). While being a great pair of earbuds, the Apple AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) are caught in a conundrum of the ecosystem preservation policy by Apple.
They bring in great sound, a great set of features, and an experience that is arguably the best in the industry. But, all that is there only in the ecosystem. As soon as you step out of it, you are hit with a gust of compatibility issues. Half the features are rendered useless, and there’s practically no chance of customisation. At that point, you are better off buying any other pair of earbuds, tune them using a third party EQ and use them. The Nothing Ear (2) on the other hand, are versatile. Their app works seamlessly across platforms, they offer better connectivity and an overall better experience than the AirPods.
So, can we label the Nothing Ear (2) as the official AirPods Pro (2nd Generation) killer? Yes and No. If you are looking for a value-for-money pair of TWS earbuds that work well across platforms, has conversation-starting looks and features that are on point, then yes, the Nothing Ear (2) is better than the AirPods Pro (2nd Generation). It is only if you are bound in the ecosystem that the AirPods gain an unassailable lead.
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
