Carl Pei’s venture, Nothing, has launched a new variation of its Ear (1) truly wireless earbuds. A stark contrast to the original white and transparent variant, the new one sports matte black plastics and some transparent elements.

Pricing and Availability

The new black Nothing Ear (1) variant has been launched worldwide, bearing a price tag of $99, just like the original white version. Nothing mentioned that the new color is a “limited edition”. It also mentioned that it hopes to make the variant “a permanent addition to its range.” Since it went on sale, the company has sold over 220,000 units of the white variant. A special set of 100 units of the new black Nothing Ear (1)s will be custom engraved and sold at the Nothing Kiosk at Covent Garden, London starting on December 4.

Features and Specifications

The price probably remains unchanged because the new variant is identical to the white variant. Each 31mAh earbud offers up to 5.7 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation (ANC) turned off. Battery life drops to four hours when ANC is turned on. With the 570mAh charging case that can be recharged wirelessly, you get a total battery life of up to 34 hours. The earbuds have IPX 4 water resistance, in-ear detection, and touch controls.

Inside its transparent shell, the Nothing Ear (1) houses three high-definition mics and an 11.6mm dynamic driver. The earbuds connect to your smartphone, player, or computer via Bluetooth 5.2.

The start-up also claimed that it worked with third-party certification company SGS to assess its ecological footprint and become completely carbon neutral. Further, buyers can now purchase the Nothing Ear (1) with cryptocurrency. For starters, the company accepts Bitcoin, Ethereum, USD Coin, and Dogecoin in select countries, including the US, UK, Canada, and Japan.

Adopting cryptocurrency transactions seems to contradict the company’s carbon neutrality claim since cryptocurrency mining is highly energy-intensive.

Do you prefer the black variant over the original white one? Tell us in the comments section below.