Carl Pei reviews Apple AirPods Pro 2, compares them to Nothing Ear (2): which one does he recommend?

Highlights
  • Nothing CEO Carl Pei’s latest review is on the Apple AirPods Pro 2.
  • Pei talks about what he likes and doesn’t like about the earbuds and also compares it with the Nothing Ear (2).
  • Pei also gives his verdict on which wireless earbuds you should go for. 

Carl Pei, the CEO of Nothing has been quite actively on the company’s YouTube channel and he has even been reviewing products such as the iPhone 14 Pro, OnePlus 11 and Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. His latest review is on the Apple AirPods Pro 2 that launched in September last year. Pei talks about the things he likes and doesn’t like about the AirPods Pro 2 and also compares it with the Nothing Ear (2) that launched earlier this year in March.

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In the review video, Pei says that he has the entire AirPods lineup, and how the AirPods Pro 2 are a definite improvement over the first generation. The two things he points out that are good on the AirPods Pro 2 are better noise cancellation and transparency mode. He even goes to say that the AirPods Pro 2 are “one of the best noise-cancelling earbuds” he’s ever tried. 

Nothing Ear (2) vs AirPods Pro 2

Pei also brings out the Nothing Ear (2) and compares it with the AirPods Pro 2 in terms of design.

  • There’s a very visible difference here with the Nothing Ear (2) standing out for its transparent case and design while the AirPods Pro 2 has the minimalist white case.
  • He says that an AirPods case is easy to make but with the Nothing Ear (2), the process is very difficult because of a lot of transparent elements and how they have to make sure dust isn’t visible.
  • He also talks about the manufacturing facility which is centrally humidified so there’s no dust seeping in but even this doesn’t ensure a dust-free product, and Nothing ends up rejecting 20 to 30 percent of the earbuds.

While talking about the stem controls on the AirPods Pro 2 and Nothing Ear (2), Pei said the former’s better because of its algorithms that you don’t experience any mis-clicks. In terms of comfort, Pei is of the opinion that the Nothing Ear (2) is more comfortable since it’s lighter. The sound quality on the AirPods Pro 2 is something that he likes but calls it plain since it’s more neutral to appeal to the mass market. He does note the Spatial Audio on the AirPods Pro 2 but since there aren’t many songs with this tech he hasn’t been able to experience it much. 

Pei puts the Nothing Ear (2) above the AirPods Pro 2 in terms of sound quality also highlighting that it has Hi-Res audio. He also says that the transparent design makes the Nothing Ear (2) more unique than the AirPods. But noise cancellation and transparency mode are features that are better on the AirPods Pro 2. 

Nothing Ear (2) or AirPods Pro 2?

When asked about which one people should buy, Pei very subtly throws shade at how common the AirPods Pro 2 are by saying, “When you’re outside you see people wearing these white earbuds everywhere you go so if you’re happy being part of that crowd like everybody, then get these.”

He also mentions the $100 price difference saying that this can also be another factor but shouldn’t necessarily be the only reason to get the Nothing Ear (2). As expected, Pei also recommends the Nothing Ear (2) for Android users but that they’ve fine-tuned it for Apple products too and how the Nothing audio products are bought by iPhone users more.