After several leaks and unofficial sightings, Nothing has finally launched its next generation of premium TWS, the Nothing Ear (2). Coming with several key improvements on various fronts, the latest offering from Nothing comes with a slightly premium price tag similar to the OnePlus Buds Pro 2. In this article, we’ll dive into a comparison and look at how the Nothing Ear (2) differs from the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with regard to price, design, audio, battery, and more.
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Nothing Ear (2) vs OnePlus Buds Pro 2: price in India
The Nothing Ear (2) has been unveiled in India at a price tag of Rs 9,999, making it the most premium TWS the brand has to offer.
The OnePlus Buds Pro 2 (review), on the other hand, were launched in February during the Cloud 11 event at a price of Rs 11,999. OnePlus also offers the Buds Pro 2R at Rs 9,999 which is a more affordable version of the earbuds that lacks wireless charging and head tracking functionality.
Nothing Ear (2) vs OnePlus Buds Pro 2: design, audio, connectivity, battery, and more
With pricing details covered, let’s take a quick glance at how the Nothing Ear (2) and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 differ from each other in terms of design, audio, connectivity, and other key aspects.
Design
Both Nothing Ear (2) and OnePlus Buds Pro 2 carry a similar design language as their predecessors. While the earbuds from Nothing feature a semi-transparent stem with a small red and white dot and “NOTHING ear (2)” branding, the Buds Pro 2 on the other hand comes with a dual finish design with the stem partially covered in metal.
Coming to the charging cases of both the TWS, the Nothing Ear (2) rocks a squarish case that is completely transparent and could be prone to scratches in the long run due to the plastic material’s nature. Meanwhile, OnePlus has gone for a traditional look with the Buds Pro 2’s charging case which comes with a matte texture for a smooth in-hand feel. Unlike Ear (2), the lid of the Buds 2 Pro protrudes slightly outwards.
As for the weight, the Nothing Ear (2) earbuds weigh 4.5 grams each while the case weighs 51.9 grams. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2’s earbuds weigh 4.9 grams and its charging case weighs a tad lighter at 47.3 grams as compared to Nothing Ear (2).
Audio
Earphones are primarily defined by their sound output in various music scenarios. This is where drivers come into play that are tuned to deliver precise audio for a satisfactory listening experience. As for the audio drivers on Nothing Ear (2) and OnePlus Buds Pro 2, the former features an 11.6 mm dynamic driver while the latter carries an 11 mm woofer along with 6 mm tweeter dual drivers. Both earbuds come with 3 microphones and a frequency range of 5kHz and 4kHz on the Ear (2) and Buds Pro 2 respectively.
Active Noise Cancellation is present on both earphones which is rated up to 40dB on Nothing Ear (2) and up to 48dB on OnePlus Buds Pro 2. Users will be able to utilise Transparency Mode as well on either of the TWS. Apart from that, the OnePlus earphones are tuned in partnership with Dynaudio and also come with a special mode called Soundscape Tuning that is co-developed with the iconic music composer, Hans Zimmer.
Connectivity
Coming to the connectivity options, the Nothing Ear (2) sports Bluetooth version 5.3 and has several codecs in tow including AAC, SBC, and LHDC 5.0 and comes with a wide range of transmission protocols such as BLE, SPP, HFP, A2DP, and AVRCP. The OnePlus Buds Pro 2, on the other hand, also carry Bluetooth version 5.3 with support of LHDC, AAC, SBC, and LC3 codecs.
For easy connectivity with Android phones, both earbuds feature Google Fast Pair which links the audio devices with your Google account. Nothing goes one step ahead by providing Microsoft Fast Pair. Another similarity the Nothing Ear (2) and Buds Pro 2 share is the support of dual connection that allows users to connect to two devices at the same time for maximum convenience.
Battery
Nothing has fitted in a 33mAh battery on each of the buds of the Ear (2) while the charging case contains a 485mAh capacity battery. As for the OnePlus Buds Pro 2, the earbuds carry a 60mAh battery, and its case bears a tad larger 520mAh battery as compared to Nothing’s offering.
Nothing claims its earphone can last up to 36 hours with the case while each bud can last for 6.3 hours on a full charge with Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) turned off. Alternatively, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 with its larger batteries can run up to 39 hours with the case and 9 hours with the earbuds alone. This is also with ANC mode turned off. These numbers may differ with different modes and volume levels.
Coming to the charging speeds, the Nothing Ear (2) can provide 8 hours of playback time with just 10 minutes of charge while with the same charging duration, the Buds Pro 2 is able to give 10 hours playback. Besides that, wireless charging has also been baked into both the TWS.
Other features
The Nothing Ear (2) comes with several standout and key features that can be accessed through the Nothing X app which include various noise cancellation modes, Personal Sound Profile creation, Ear Tip Fit Test, Low Lag Mode, Find My Earbuds, and Customise EQ among others features. Users can also assign gestures to the earbuds on a single, double, or triple press via the app. The Ear (2) are IP54 rated as opposed to IP55 dust and water resistance on the Buds Pro 2.
On the other hand, the OnePlus Buds Pro 2 users can download the HeyMelody app on their non-OnePlus smartphone to access a plethora of features such as Zen Mode Air to listen to relaxing sounds, switch between noise cancellation modes, Spatial Audio with Head Tracking and the option to tweak touch controls of the earbuds.
