Nothing Ear (3) tested: better phone calls with a microphone in the case
18.9.2025
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
Nothing has come up with something special for its latest in-ear headphones: a microphone in the case of the Nothing Ear (3) is designed to take voice quality to a new level when making calls.
Manufacturers of in-ear headphones are finding it increasingly difficult to improve their models. The optimisations are barely recognisable to the general public. That's why other things are taking centre stage in order to stand out from the competition: the charging cases of the headphones. While JBL puts a display and controls on it, Nothing tries it with a microphone. The so-called «Super Mic».
Phone calls at 95 decibels
Optically, there are only minimal changes to the Nothing Ear (3) earphones compared to their predecessors. However, the case, which the manufacturer calls «Etui», is even more so. The lower half is no longer made of transparent plastic, but of recycled aluminium. The case is protected against splash water to IP54. In addition, the microphone is located next to the USB-C port for charging, as well as the Talk button around the corner. I use this to activate the Super Mic when making calls and can also use it for other things.
The main aim of the Super Mic is to minimise background noise during phone calls. It is said to be able to block out noisy environments of up to 95 decibels. That's the equivalent of people shouting, a food processor or heavy traffic. Accordingly, I stand on a busy street in Hamburg and make phone calls while the lorries roll past.
The result is impressively good. Without the Super Mic, the other person can't hear me at all. The traffic is too loud. When I press the Talk button on the Ear (3) housing, this changes abruptly. I can be understood and can continue talking on the phone without having to move to a quieter environment. As usual, the active noise cancellation ensures that I can understand everything that is said to me.
If I don't want to hold down the Talk button permanently during a longer call, I can also activate the Super Mic by pressing it twice. A green LED next to the microphone shows me that it is active. To ensure good intelligibility, I must not hold the case more than 15 centimetres away from my mouth when speaking.
There is one important restriction: the Super Mic currently only works officially for conversations - i.e. phone calls or video calls. The usability in other apps - for example for voice messages - is different or at least not optimised. The only thing to do here is to try out what works and what doesn't. The microphone cannot be used when recording videos. Here, the smartphone usually uses the internal microphone. The Ear (3) with its case is therefore no substitute for a clip-on microphone.
There are two MEMS microphones in the Ear case (3). The abbreviation stands for Micro Electro Mechanical Systems, which means that they are very small microphones. They use «Beamforming», a technology that focusses signals on a specific location in order to separate the voice from ambient noise. During the recording, the case is connected to the earphones via Bluetooth. These in turn transmit the voice to the smartphone. The earphones are therefore connected to two devices. Therefore, no further «Dual Connection» is possible when using the Super Mic.
Aside from phone calls, I can use the Talk button to activate the voice assistant on my smartphone and talk to it. Alternatively, I can use newer smartphones from Nothing stored in «Essential Space», where an AI curates them for me.
Source: Samuel Buchmann
The Talk button has one disadvantage: I usually have the case in my trouser pocket and it's not always alone there. It can happen that the button is pressed during movement. Not bad, but annoying if my music is often interrupted for a short time.
Good sound, excellent ANC
Nothing also promises some improvements in terms of sound, but these are more of a theoretical nature. I don't notice any difference in the audible sound compared to the predecessors. However, that's not a bad thing, as the previous Nothing Ear sound very good.
The drivers are one millimetre larger at twelve millimetres and are once again made of plastic. Nothing had opted for ceramic for the Ear. Polymethacrylimide (PMI) with a frame made of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU) for better bass - to be precise. I'm definitely pleased with the bass, which is powerful for in-ears but doesn't drown out anything. The mids are pleasantly emphasised and the highs come across well.
For better noise cancellation, Nothing has worked a little on the tips of the earphones. Their material should fit even better in the ear and let less noise through. In addition, the active noise cancellation takes away up to 45 decibels. This means I not only muffle background noise, but can also listen to a podcast at a comfortable volume on a busy street.
I want to hear my surroundings, I switch to transparency mode. This uses the earphones' microphones to record the surroundings and bring them into my ear. This allows me to hear approaching cars on my bike, for example, or to talk to other people without taking the earbuds out of my ear.
Nothing specifies a runtime of 5.5 hours for the Ear (3) with active noise cancellation. With recharging in the case, the runtime increases to up to 22 hours. Without ANC it is even 10 and 38 - with AAC as the codec. With LDAC, the battery life is shorter. Wirelessly, a full charge of the case and earphones takes 120 minutes, with a USB-C cable it takes 70 minutes. Just ten minutes should be enough power for ten hours of music playback.
An app for settings and with equaliser
As usual with Nothing, the Ear (3) is operated by pressing the earbud stems. Single or multiple presses and press and hold are available. If I don't like the default assignment, I can change it in the Nothing-X app.
I can also activate Spatial Audio in the app. The spatial sound is supported by the Ear (3) with corresponding material. I also switch on «Bass Enhance», which amplifies low tones in up to five stages. I use the simple or advanced equaliser to adjust the sound output more precisely to my preferences. Here I also choose between AAC and LDAC as the codec.
To find out whether the headphones fit well in my ear, I can carry out a fit test. If the shielding is not good, it is advisable to change the size of the tips.
In a nutshell
The Super Mic ensures better understanding when making calls
If you frequently make calls in noisy environments, the Nothing Ear (3) with the Super Mic should be on your radar. It masks ambient noise well and ensures better voice quality. The person you are talking to will thank you.
Beyond the Super Mic, however, the Ear (3) are very similar to their predecessors. The improvements in sound quality and active noise cancellation are minimal - and both were already very good with the Nothing Ear. You can definitely save some money here with the older model.
Pro
- Super Mic improves voice quality when making calls
- Good sound
- convincing active noise cancellation
Contra
- Upgrade only worthwhile for frequent callers in noisy environments
- Talk button is pressed unintentionally in pockets
Header image: Samuel Buchmann
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
Audio
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