What you need to know
- Nothing Ear 3a features Audio Snapshot with built-in storage.
- The headphones can also record phone calls and meetings.
- New 12mm drivers, 45dB ANC, and Hi-Res Audio support are included.
- Price starts at just $99.
Nothing makes some of the best wireless headphones on the market, and the company today unveiled its latest pair, the Ear 3a, with a new feature that seems particularly relevant in the age of AI.
The main feature of Nothing Ear 3a is the 32 MB built-in storage. Nothing says this allows users to record what it calls audio snapshots, essentially allowing you to save everything being heard through the headphones at any given time. The feature captures audio before and after the activation gesture, creating an “audio screenshot” without you having to take out your phone.
Recordings automatically sync to the companion app, where you can play, edit, share, and transcribe them.
The storage also allows you to record calls and meetings directly on the headset. Users can start recording with a simple gesture and capture conversations up to two hours long. With privacy in mind, other participants are notified each time a call or meeting is recorded.
On the audio side, the Ear 3a has a new 12mm dynamic driver designed to deliver stronger bass and improved details. The headphones also support high-resolution wireless audio up to 24-bit/96kHz and an 8-band equalizer that you can customize right in the app.
There are also ANC upgrades. The Ear 3a now offers up to 45 dB of wideband ANC, and Nothing claims a 17.1% improvement in overall noise cancellation coverage compared to the previous generation.
In terms of design, they’ll look familiar to anyone who’s used the Nothing headphones before. The case maintains the brand’s signature transparent aesthetic, while the headphones come in four colors: black, white, yellow and a new pink finish.
The Nothing Ear 3a are priced at $99, which puts them in direct competition with the Google Pixel Buds 2a and the Samsung Galaxy Buds FE.
Android Central’s opinion
At this point, I stopped getting excited about the ANC improvements and larger drivers. But built-in storage that records and transcribes what you’re listening to? That’s something I would actually use every day, especially when my attention span is basically non-existent right now.
