
For anyone who may have been as disgruntled with the previous generation of Pixel Buds as I was and may be looking for an alternative, the Pixel Buds A-Series are great. So far as I can tell, theyโve completely fixed the cutouts that Google couldnโt overcome with past iterations, and theyโre comfortable in the ear, for the most part (donโt fall asleep wearing them!).
However, if Google has simply lost your ear and youโre no longer listening to what theyโve got to say about what the best bud around may be, then Nothingโs ear (1) earbuds could prove to be a fantastic alternative on the market. More importantly, they now offer something that many Google fanboys have long wished for in the competitionโs products as a means of expanding their accessory options.
In a tweet this week, Nothing โ the startup founded by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei โ revealed that the Ear (1) earbuds can now access Google Assistant (and Siri)! Released just 7 months ago, these oddly designed transparent buds were already direct competition to Googleโs offering, especially because theyโre sitting at just $99 USD โ the same as the Pixel Buds A-Series, but now with direct access to the AI assistant on the go, they should make your ears perk up a bit more than before.
The Nothing ear (1) earbuds offer a splash-resistant design that reveals all of its internals as though youโre watching a phone tear down, wireless charging (A-Series ditched this!), Bluetooth 5.2 for better audio and battery, and even a โfind my earbudsโ style feature that causes them to emit a loud sound so you can find them buried in the couch.
This is Nothingโs first product, and despite its mantra that states tech should fade into the background, these are obviously very loud in their design. Regardless, theyโre a comfortable fit, and offer about the same level of noise cancelation as Appleโs Airpods, while providing more clarity and richness of sound depending on who you ask.
When I saw that Google Assistant was being added via a triple tap to the earbudโs stem, I was a bit surprised as Nothing has previously stated that they werenโt going to add any digital assistant whatsoever. If you already own these and youโd like to give Google Assistant a go, just make sure youโre on firmware version 0.6700.1.86. If you want to pick up a pair of ear (1) earbuds, just visit Nothingโs website and add them to your cart!
