Nothing Ear 3 wireless earphones in the works, KEF-tuned audio expected

Nothing Ear 3 is set to launch soon with a return to the brand's original naming style, a refreshed transparent design, and expected upgrades in audio and ANC

Nothing has announced that it will soon launch its fourth-generation flagship wireless earbuds, which will carry the name Nothing Ear 3. The company had previously dropped the numbering convention with its last model, naming it simply Nothing Ear instead of Ear (3).

 

Explaining the return to numerical naming, the company posted on the Nothing Community platform that user feedback played a key role. Andrew Freshwater, head of Global Smart Products Marketing at Nothing, said, “We listened to feedback regarding naming and understood that it was important for users to return to the straightforward numerical order we had attributed to Ear (1) and Ear (2).” 

Nothing Ear 3: What to expect

Alongside the announcement, Nothing shared teaser images on X (formerly Twitter), giving a glimpse at the upcoming design. The photos suggest that Ear 3 will retain the brand’s trademark transparent aesthetic, revealing internal components. The images also highlight a shiny metallic surface, hinting at a potential new colour option in addition to the usual Black and White finishes.

 

According to a report from FoneArena, the Ear 3 may include a redesigned dual-driver system aimed at delivering improved audio performance. Other likely upgrades include stronger Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), a more natural transparency mode, and longer battery life. 

Nothing also recently partnered with UK-based audio brand KEF for its Headphone 1. That collaboration is expected to extend to the Ear 3, bringing KEF-tuned audio. For the Headphone 1, Nothing stated that KEF engineers tuned and audited the drivers, acoustic chambers, and supporting software at KEF’s labs to deliver a more natural and immersive sound. A similar level of tuning could be part of the Ear 3 as well.

 

For context, the Nothing Ear launched in April last year featured 11mm custom audio drivers and support for Clear Voice 3.0 technology. It offered up to 45dB of ANC, along with support for LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codecs to enable high-resolution wireless streaming. The earbuds also included ChatGPT integration, allowing OpenAI’s chatbot to be configured as the default voice assistant — provided the source device supports it.

 

As reported by FoneArena, the Nothing Ear 3 is expected to launch either by the end of this month or in early October.