Nothing Ear (3a) Wireless Earbuds Review: Style Meets Value
Nothing Ear (3a) Wireless Earbuds Review: Style Meets Value
Nothing Ear (3a) 无线耳机评测：颜值与性价比的碰撞
WIRED WIRED 评价
Stylish design. Comfortable AirPods-like fit. Enjoyable, bass-rich sound. Call recording can be genuinely useful. Responsive controls. Superb app you might actually want to use. 优点： 时尚的设计。舒适的 AirPods 式佩戴感。悦耳且低音饱满的音质。通话录音功能非常实用。响应灵敏的触控。令人爱不释手的出色配套 App。
ANC is a few rungs below the best. Static Spatial Audio is dreadful. Pro Transcription requires a subscription after the trial. 缺点： 主动降噪（ANC）表现逊于顶级产品。静态空间音频效果糟糕。专业转录功能在试用期后需要订阅。
With well over 2,000 different pairs on Amazon, we’re approaching peak earbud. Standing out—for the right reasons—in this identikit landscape isn’t easy, but Nothing’s design language remains as appealing as it did when it first launched the Ear (1) in 2021. 在亚马逊上，无线耳机的选择已超过 2,000 款，市场几近饱和。要在这种同质化严重的领域中脱颖而出并非易事，但 Nothing 的设计语言依然保持着自 2021 年推出 Ear (1) 时那般迷人的魅力。
But this is 2026, and your wireless earbuds need to do more than look good and sound great. Take your pick from real-time translation (Apple AirPods Pro 3), AI prompting (Google Pixel Buds Pro 2), adjustable noise canceling (Bose QuietComfort Ultra), heart-rate monitoring (Beats Powerbeats Pro 2), and even UV self-cleaning cases (LG Tone Free Fit TF8). 但现在已经是 2026 年了，无线耳机的功能不能仅限于外观好看和音质出色。如今的选择琳琅满目：实时翻译（Apple AirPods Pro 3）、AI 提示（Google Pixel Buds Pro 2）、可调降噪（Bose QuietComfort Ultra）、心率监测（Beats Powerbeats Pro 2），甚至还有紫外线自清洁充电盒（LG Tone Free Fit TF8）。
Ear (3a) is Nothing’s eighth earbud launch, and while it doesn’t look that different from its predecessor, the Ear (a), it has been upgraded with a new case, larger 12-mm driver, and some unique recording functions. Ear (3a) 是 Nothing 推出的第八款耳机产品。虽然它看起来与前代产品 Ear (a) 差别不大，但它升级了全新的充电盒、更大的 12 毫米驱动单元，并加入了一些独特的录音功能。
Refined Design
精致设计
The transparent detailing, bright colors—a bold pink joins yellow, black, and white options—and compact case give Nothing far more personality than most earbuds, regardless of price. They lack the executive class of the premium Sony WF-1000XM6, but that’s the point. They’re fun, youthful, and eyecatching. 透明的细节处理、明亮的配色（除了黄、黑、白，还新增了大胆的粉色）以及小巧的充电盒，赋予了 Nothing 耳机远超同价位产品的个性。它们或许缺乏索尼 WF-1000XM6 那种高端商务感，但这正是其卖点所在——它们有趣、年轻且引人注目。
And unlike many earbuds under $100, they’re well made. The ample use of plastic often gives the game away, but the Ear (3a) feels significantly better than its competition, even down to the case, which is reassuringly solid and slips nicely into a pocket. 与许多百元以下的耳机不同，它们的做工非常扎实。虽然大量使用塑料材质通常会显得廉价，但 Ear (3a) 的质感明显优于竞争对手，即便是充电盒也给人一种稳固可靠的感觉，且能轻松放入兜里。
Fit is another strength. I have used AirPods Pro for years and have yet to find earbuds with better fit and interface, but Nothing’s stem design comes close. As with previous models, the pinch controls are responsive and intuitive. Skipping tracks, pausing music, and switching noise-canceling modes rarely requires a second attempt. You can customize the stem controls via the app too. There’s also a fit check test in the app that assesses the seal in your ears to ensure you’ve chosen the right size silicone tips. 佩戴感是另一大优势。我使用 AirPods Pro 多年，至今还没找到佩戴感和交互体验更好的耳机，但 Nothing 的柄状设计已经非常接近了。与前代产品一样，捏合触控响应灵敏且直观。切换曲目、暂停音乐和切换降噪模式几乎从不需要第二次操作。你还可以通过 App 自定义柄部触控功能。App 中还提供了一个贴合度测试，通过评估耳塞的密封性，确保你选择了合适尺寸的硅胶耳套。
It’s a tiny detail, but Nothing has added a LED strip to the case. One, two, or three white dots give an immediate indication of the remaining battery, while a red light warns when the charge is below 20 percent. It is a very simple but useful addition. 这是一个微小的细节，但 Nothing 在充电盒上增加了一个 LED 灯带。一、二或三个白点可以直观地显示剩余电量，而当电量低于 20% 时，红灯会发出警告。这是一个非常简单但实用的改进。
Say What?
录音功能表现如何？
Ear (3a)’s most unusual feature is Audio Snapshot. If you pinch both earbuds simultaneously, the earbuds will either start recording your call (if you’re on one) or up to 60 seconds of whatever you’re listening to or watching. It can also be set to capture the previous 30 seconds of audio, with the idea being, you hear something important/inspirational/funny/thoughtful and you can capture it for later. Both use the 32 MB of storage built into the earbuds, so you can record content without touching your phone. Ear (3a) 最不寻常的功能是“音频快照”（Audio Snapshot）。如果你同时捏住两只耳机，它们就会开始录制通话（如果你正在通话中），或者录制长达 60 秒的当前正在收听或观看的内容。它还可以设置为捕捉过去 30 秒的音频，这样当你听到重要、励志、有趣或发人深省的内容时，可以将其保存下来。这两项功能都利用了耳机内置的 32MB 存储空间，因此你无需触碰手机即可录音。
These recordings are uploaded to the Nothing X app, where you can listen, share, and transcribe them. There are two levels of transcription service, Standard, which runs locally on your phone, and Pro, which uses cloud-based AI processing. Pro Transcription comes included for three months after purchase, with an allowance of 120 minutes each month, though it requires a Nothing X account to use. The brand hasn’t announced how much Pro Transcription will cost after the free trial. 这些录音会上传到 Nothing X App，你可以在其中收听、分享和转录。转录服务分为两个等级：标准版在手机本地运行，专业版则使用基于云端的 AI 处理。购买后可免费使用三个月的专业转录服务，每月限额 120 分钟，但需要注册 Nothing X 账户。品牌方尚未公布免费试用期后的收费标准。
I tested Pro Transcription using notoriously impossible-to-decipher lyrics from R.E.M., and it did a surprisingly good job. Mumble rapper Playboi Carti, not so much. But listening to music isn’t the feature’s ideal use, but it’s there for those insightful vignettes. 我用 R.E.M. 乐队那些出了名难以辨认的歌词测试了专业转录功能，结果令人惊喜。虽然对于模糊说唱歌手 Playboi Carti 的歌词表现一般，但听音乐本就不是该功能的理想用途，它更适合用于捕捉那些充满洞见的片段。
Call recording proved much more useful. Make or receive a call, press the earbuds simultaneously, and it will record your conversation. Recordings can last for up to two hours, which surprised me, given there’s only 32 MB storage built in. I often receive important calls when I’m on the move, so being able to easily record any conversation is genuinely useful. There is a spoken warning telling the other person they’re being recorded, but do remember that recording consent laws differ from region to region. 通话录音功能则实用得多。在通话时同时按压耳机，即可录制对话。录音时长最长可达两小时，考虑到内置存储仅 32MB，这让我感到惊讶。我经常在移动中接到重要电话，因此能轻松录制任何对话确实非常有用。系统会发出语音提示告知对方正在录音，但请记住，不同地区的录音许可法律有所不同。
These recorded files are downloaded to the Nothing X app and transcribed. Listening back, call recordings are compressed and not good enough to broadcast professionally, but that’s not really the point. Either way, I typically use Otter.ai to transcribe my interviews for work, so I was pleased to see that Nothing recordings could be downloaded as WAV files and used outside the app. 这些录音文件会下载到 Nothing X App 并进行转录。回听时，通话录音经过了压缩，音质不足以达到专业广播级别，但这并非重点。无论如何，我通常使用 Otter.ai 来转录工作采访，所以我很高兴看到 Nothing 的录音可以下载为 WAV 文件并在 App 之外使用。
Sound Driver
音频驱动单元
The Ear (3a) has a new 12-mm driver with a lightweight foam (PMI) center and flexible plastic (TPU) edge. Nothing says the drivers offer five decibels more bass and a more detailed sound signature. Ear (3a) 采用了全新的 12 毫米驱动单元，中心采用轻质泡沫（PMI）材质，边缘采用柔性塑料（TPU）。Nothing 表示，该驱动单元提供了多出 5 分贝的低音，并带来了更细腻的音质表现。
After testing, I can confirm they sound good, with plenty of detail, solid bass extension, and generous soundstage. They’re not setting the hairs on my neck on end, but they’re energetic and enjoyable across genres. 经过测试，我可以确认它们的音质表现不错，细节丰富，低音下潜扎实，声场开阔。虽然它们可能不会让你感到惊艳到起鸡皮疙瘩，但在各种音乐类型中都表现得充满活力且悦耳。
They sound as good, if not better than the $170 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro and have more detail and depth than the $89 EarFun Air Pro 4+. They’re no match for the $249 Apple AirPods Pro 3, but there’s not $150 worth of difference between them. 它们的音质表现与 170 美元的 Soundcore Liberty 5 Pro 相当甚至更好，且比 89 美元的 EarFun Air Pro 4+ 拥有更多的细节和深度。它们确实无法与 249 美元的 Apple AirPods Pro 3 相提并论，但两者之间并不存在 150 美元的差距。
Compared to the original Ear (a), which has an 11mm driver, the (3a) has a fuller, more defined bass frequency. 与采用 11 毫米驱动单元的初代 Ear (a) 相比，(3a) 的低频表现更饱满、更清晰。
The default sound balance is lively, and you might want to tweak it using the app’s eight-band equalizer. Fiddling with the frequencies makes a noticeable difference too. Other audio features like Spatial Audio are much less pleasant. There is no head tracking, and I… 默认的音质平衡非常活泼，你可能需要使用 App 中的八段均衡器进行微调。调整频率带来的变化也非常明显。其他音频功能（如空间音频）的表现则不尽如人意。它没有头部追踪功能，而且我……