Looking for a sub-$100 pair of active noise cancelling earbuds? On Tuesday, Nothing—a startup from OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei—revealed some key selling points to its first product. The upcoming Bluetooth earbuds will only cost $99.
The same earbuds, dubbed Ear (1), will also have a high-end feature—active noise cancellation (ANC)—via three high-definition built-in microphones, the company said in an email.
As a result, the upcoming product promises to arrive as one of the more affordable active-noise cancelling earbuds on the market. Other products from well-known brands, including Apple’s AirPods Pro, can cost over $200.
Samsung, on the other hand, did release the Galaxy Buds Live, a more affordable pair of Bluetooth earbuds with ANC. It’s selling for as low as $108, but the ANC is shoddily implemented, making it feel almost nonexistent, according to our review.
We’ll have to see if Nothing can pull off ANC without any major compromises. The startup plans to reveal all during a July 27 online event. In the meantime, the company has been trying to build up the hype with teaser videos and pictures.
Pei also sat down for an interview with TechCrunch, where he said the features on the Ear (1) product will be similar to the AirPods Pro. The earbuds are also going to stand out, thanks to the unconventional see-through design. In March, Nothing revealed a prototype for the Ear (1), which adopted a transparent casing. However, the final product is going to look “sexier,” according to Pei.
Pei’s former employer, OnePlus, is also giving the wireless headphones market a go with the OnePlus Buds. They retail for $79, but do not feature ANC.
