Ear (3)

Hello! Im just writing this in search for some advice on some new earbuds. So im a Pixel user, which is whats causing the complications, Im torn between the Nothing ear 2024s which have a great app, good sound, full compatibility, and the Galaxy buds 3 pro, which have significantly better ANC, transparency, and sound quality, but a more clunky experience where i may miss out on certain features. I need the stem shape as it fits me really well, And i can get both for more or less the same price. But i miss out on some features with the galaxy buds as i dont use samsung phones. I just want to find out what features i will lose or miss out on by using galaxy buds with a pixel, will i still get fast pair, and support? Or do i miss out alot and is it not worth it? Also, what do you think is worth getting? Because I like a rich sound with deep bass, but also some clear crip upper, Im really torn, As each has benefits, but i feel like i care alot about ANC and transparency, but I also care alot about Fast pair, and not feeling constantly like im losing alot of features that im paying for. Thank you!

I received these yesterday and I will be selling them on. I have purchased a lot of earbuds and have tested nearly all of the major brands but have struggled to find a perfect pair for me. I'm an android user and have a Samsung galaxy phone which does really preclude me from using airpods pro. I did buy a pair of Airpods pro 2 which I liked but the battery wasn't great and the feature that make it great for apple users are not existent on android. I like the Transparency mode and ANC but ultimately moved them on. I tried the APP3 which for me had better battery life but I found them too uncomfortable and ANC was not 2x better, I also noticed a hiss when transparency mode was on and as I like to sleep with earbuds I found they stick out a bit more that the APP2 so had to sell them on. I have tried the AZ100 which I liked very much but they are too big for my very small ears So yesterday I tried the Nothing ear 3 for the first time... Garbage, that's all I can say about them. The ANC does practically nothing but change the sound signature, the battery is very short and the transparency is just ok. The only thing I did like is the super mic, but this is 2025 and I make about 5 calls a year. I like the design but sadly I had to send them back.

I tested Sony WF-1000XM5 vs Nothing Ear 3 to see which one I preferred. I first bought the Sony but wasn't completely convinced, so I bought the cheaper Nothing too so I could test side by side. Here is a quick write up of my findings because I would have appreciated this kind of review when I was researching. I listed each aspect that's important to me then rated each out of 5. A lot of this stuff is subjective like the look, feel, price sensitivity, sound preference (I'm not great at judging sound quality). There's lots of other factors that may be important to you which I did not account for like equalizer settings, ChatGPT/Alexa integrations, etc. I just didn't care about those things. # Sony vs Nothing Earbuds Comparison |Feature|Sony|Nothing|Notes| |:-|:-|:-|:-| |Sound|4.75|3.25|The Sony's were the clear winner when it comes to sound quality - not to say the Nothings are bad.| |ANC|5|2 + 1|Sony was the clear winner for noise cancelling. This was the most compelling point to me of the Sony's. I added a +1 for Nothing because I prefer their ambient sound when not using ANC, but I didn't think that deserved its own category.| |Controls|3.75|3.75|Both of them let me control volume, ANC, and next/last from the earbud itself which is what I cared about. Both of them allow customizing the controls via app, but both of them are disappointingly limited on the customization. The Sony's are definitely more intuitive - just tap. The Nothings are harder to get used to because you have to press on the right spot with the right sensitivity, but I think I slightly prefer them now that I'm getting used to them - though I'm not sure if it's occasionally finicky or if I just am not 100% used to the controls yet.| |Fit/Feel|2.5|4.5|The nothings just felt better in my ears, very light. And they fit my ears better.| |Price|2|4|The Sony's were roughly double the price at the time I purchased ($222 vs $115)| |Look|2.75|3.75|I slightly prefer the look of the Nothings| |Microphone|4.5|3|I called someone and had them rank how each of them sounded| |**Total**|**25.25**|**25.25**|Annoyingly they turned out to be an exactly equal score. | My overall feeling was that the Sony's are the better listening experience; the sound and ANC are obviously better. On the other hand, I preferred feel of the Nothings and felt that I could wear them for a longer period of time more comfortably. They also felt better for moving around and stuck in my ears a little better, that's important since I will use them at the gym. Ultimately I went with the Nothings because I value the feel more than the sound/ANC. I need something I can take to the gym and comfortably wear in any setting for extended periods of time. I still thought the sound of the Nothing was good. If my use case was mainly using them on airplanes/transit or other noisy situations, or if I wanted the most pure listening experience, then I would definitely choose the Sony's.

I bought the Nothing Ear last February 2025 and honestly, I really enjoyed using it for the first few months. The sound was great, the design was nice, and I used it every day. But less than a year later, the left earbud started draining in under an hour. From a full charge, it would drop to zero way faster than the right side. I expected at least a full year or two before anything like this happened, especially for something I paid full price for. The part that really disappointed me wasn’t even the defect , it was the support. I reached out to Nothing, and they told me to contact the seller. The seller admitted they don’t offer any warranty for Nothing products. When I went back to Nothing with this, they simply told me the reseller is unauthorized, so my unit isn’t eligible for warranty at all. Their final answer was that I could send the earbuds to Hong Kong for a *paid* repair, which means I’d have to pay for the repair itself, plus shipping, and possibly tax. That makes no sense for a product that failed within the first year. I’ve been a fan of Nothing for a while, so this whole experience is disappointing. I wasn’t expecting global warranty , just fair support for a clear early defect. Instead, it feels like there’s no protection for customers who accidentally buy from a third-party seller that Nothing still allowed to operate openly. I really liked the Nothing Ear, but after this experience, I’m not confident buying another Nothing audio product anymore.

**BUDGET: $300ish (can expense via work)** My existing Sennheiser MTW4s died and I'm in the market for new headphones and between three options. I care primarily about **sound quality** and **premium look and feel**. I mainly listen to EDM (UKG, ambient/atmospheric), hip hop, and alt/indie rock and I value good instrument separations and a balanced sound (you can hear impactful base, rich mids and clear treble without anything overpowering too much). What would you recommend out of the options? * **Sennheiser MTW4:** * I know them, they sound good, and the case/build quality is good * I kind of want to try something new (I've had several generations of the MTW) * It's the middle-of-the-road, safe pick * **Nothing Ear 3:** * Design looks incredible, heard great things about the app/sound personalization, and it's the cheapest * May not sound as good as the others? * Also not sure if the build quality holds up to the design -- is it a cheap plastic that looks cool or a premium product with a great design? * **Technics AZ100:** * Supposed to be the current best sounding headphones? * Have heard mixed reviews about the build quality and look/feel. Does the case feel premium? Do the earbuds "look good" in your ear/in the case? * What colorway do you have and do you like it? Anyway, any help would be super appreciated from folks who own these :)