So you‘re looking to upgrade your earbuds game and debating two of the hottest options on the market – the Nothing Ear 1 or Apple‘s AirPods Pro. Both deliver quality sound and great features without the hassle of wires. But with very different histories and price points, how do you decide?
That‘s why I put together this comprehensive head-to-head guide examining all aspects of these two impressive wireless earbud models including:
- Key background on Nothing‘s newcomer pedigree vs Apple‘s dominance
- How sound quality and hardware stack up
- Comfort and design contrasts
- Battery life and charging expectations
- Control and voice assistant capabilities
- Final verdicts on which is the better pick depending on your needs
By the end, you‘ll have all the info needed to determine whether the fantastic budget value of the Nothing Ear 1 or the premium features of the AirPods Pro are the right wireless earbuds for your uses cases. Let‘s dive in…
Nothing Who? Understanding the New Earbuds Player vs Established Apple Reign
Before we get to evaluating the headphones themselves, it‘s helpful to level-set on where each company is coming from. That context sets expectations on their respective design priorities.
Founded just two years ago in 2020 by Carl Pei (a co-founder of OnePlus), Nothing emerged onto the crowded consumer tech scene touting a new approach. The London-based outfit promised transparent design and seamless connectivity across products. Pei assembled an experienced team including designers from Apple and Dyson.
Their bold first product was the Nothing Ear 1 unveiled in July 2021 – active noise cancelling earbuds boasting premium features at just $99. That pricing massively undercuts rivals from Bose, Sony and yes – Apple‘s market-leading AirPods. It was an aggressive gambit to disrupt the wireless audio segment. Let‘s see how it turned out…
In the other corner stands Apple – you‘ve likely heard of them before :-). Since the launch of the iPod in 2001, Apple has dominated digital music playback. 2007‘s iPhone married that portable audio with the smartphone revolution.
So Apple brought significant device integration experience into crafting the AirPods Pro in October 2019. The $249 price created a new premium tier targeting both iPhone owners and higher-end earbud shoppers. The AirPods Pro promised quality enhancements like active noise cancellation and waterproofing lacking in earlier AirPod generations.
Given those backgrounds, the Nothing Ear 1 positions as the hungry upstart trying to carve out space by undercutting established players like Apple on pricing. But can it compete on quality? We now turn to comparing all the specifics…
Sound Quality and Specs Comparison
At the end of the day, headphones live and die on how good they sound. Let‘s unpack how these two options stack up on audio experience and hardware capabilities:
| Audio Specs | Nothing Ear 1 | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Driver Type | 11.6mm dynamic driver | Custom high excursion Apple driver |
| Frequency Response Range | 20 – 20,000 Hz | N/A |
| Audio Codecs | SBC, AAC | ABC, AAC |
| Tuning | Teenage Engineering | Custom Apple tuning |
Reviewers agree both the Ear 1 and AirPods Pro produce excellent, well-balanced sound quality across music genres – not surprising given the tuning partnerships involved.
Nothing‘s drivers have the frequency response range to cover all the highs and lows your various playlists can throw at them. Spec-wise, that 11.6mm dynamic driver is on par with more expensive competitors like the Sony WF-1000XM4. There‘s also a bass boost mode that‘s nice for EDM or hip hop fans wanting a little extra thump.
The Ear 1s offer lively audio with tight bass that stands up against much pricier options. Wired described them as having " namedroppable sonic statures – they stand toe-to-toe with the best true wireless earbuds made by Apple, Sony, Sennheiser". That‘s high praise!
Meanwhile, the custom driver and amplification in the AirPods Pro enables clean audio with punchy bass, which WhatHiFi calls "deep, controlled and suitably dramatic". The dynamic head tracking and special sauce from Apple‘s hardware/software integration kicks things up another notch.
So where do things stand? Both satisfy with great general sound quality. But the AirPods Pro pulls ahead for movies and video specifically thanks to special support for spatial audio that creates an incredibly immersive listening environment. It‘s amazing for watching films or playing video games where surround sound helps transport you right into the action. Wearing AirPods Pro to binge Netflix shows is an absolute joy.
Advantage: Draw for music; AirPods Pro for video & spatial audio
Design and Comfort Face-Off
Another vital evaluation criteria for devices you‘ll be wearing for hours on end is how comfortable they are. Let‘s explore how the Nothing Ear 1 and AirPods Pro compare on fit and finish:
| DesignFactors | Nothing Ear 1 | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Weight | 4.7g per bud | 5.4g per bud |
| Bud Dimensions | 30×21.9×24.7 mm | 30.9×21.8×24 mm |
| Case Dimensions | 58x58x23.7 mm | 45.2×60.6×21.7 mm |
| Bud Material | Translucent polymer plastic | Glossy white plastic |
| Eartip Sizing | 3 tip sizes | 3 tip sizes |
The most eye-catching design differentiator is aesthetics – the Nothing Ear 1 delivers a funky transparent casing providing a peek at the underlying circuitry powering these buds, unlike anything else available. You can spy the microphones and drivers tucked away in there! The smooth half-in ear shape should fit most ears well for long hauls. And they managed to squeeze that into an extremely light package – some of the lightest buds you can buy.
The AirPods Pro still sport that iconic golf tee all-white style (no scuffing or yellowing issues!) and glossy finishes. The bigger change from earlier AirPod generations is switching to silicone tips that seal the ear better. You get three sizes to customize a secure fit. And Apple managed to trim down the weight noticeably compared to predecessors.
Both earbuds meet IPX4 water/sweat resistance certification so you can confidently wear them to the gym or out for a run without water damage issues. The secure fit also ensures your tunes won‘t cutting out unexpectedly.
Comfort depends greatly on having the right eartip seal (both include small/medium/large options). Beyond that, it‘s down to whether you prefer the half-in ear design of the Ear 1 vs fuller in-ear extension of the AirPods Pro. Overall, both deliver quality construction that can withstand active lifestyles.
Advantage: Toss up based on style preferences
Battery & Charging Comparison
Beyond great sound and comfort, convenient charging is a must to keep your new wireless earbuds powered up on the go. Here is how battery life expectations and recharging options size up:
| BatteryFactors | Nothing Ear 1 | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Battery Life (ANC on) | 4 hours music | 4.5 hours music |
| Battery Life (ANC off) | 5.7 hours music | 5 hours music |
| Case Battery Life | 30 additional hours | 24 additional hours |
| Charging Method | USB-C, Qi wireless charging | Lightning, Qi wireless charging |
| Charging Speed | 1hr listening in 10 mins | 1hr listening in 5 mins |
On their own, both earbud models deliver very solid battery life – about 4-5 hours per full charge depending on usage. That‘s plenty for workout sessions, long meetings, flights or otherwise.
Where they differentiate is on total battery capacity when factoring in the charging cases. The Nothing Ear 1 case packs 30+ hours of additional listening time – enough to cover even the longest of road trips or full work weeks. Meanwhile the AirPods Pro case gets you 24 extra hours before needing an outlet. Both utilize convenient Qi-standard wireless charging in addition to physical cables.
The AirPods Pro case does have a slight edge when you need to quickly top up before heading out. Just 5 minutes in the case gets you an hour of extra listening vs 10 minutes for the Ear 1. But that difference is negligible for most scenarios.
Expect to fully charge both models about once a week under normal usage. The quick charge support means you can often get by with just popping them in the case for 15 minutes while getting ready rather than needing a full lengthy recharge each day.
While the slim differences in battery metrics fall within the margin of error for real world usage, the Ear 1 maintains an advantage on paper. Nothing packed an insane amount of overall listening time into their budget buds!
Advantage: Nothing Ear 1
Control & Assistant Differences
Interacting with playback, calls and notifications needs to feel natural as you go about your tasks or workouts. Here is how that area shakes out for these wireless earbuds options:
The Nothing Ear 1 feature touch panels on both earbuds allowing you to tap, slide, press and hold to:
- Play / pause music
- Skip tracks forward / back
- Summon voice assistants like Siri or Google Assistant
- Adjust volume
- Take calls / end calls
Response is very snappy thanks to low latency audio processing. The smooth surface and sensation clicks make it pleasing to interact with.
Over on the AirPods Pro, core controls rely on the force sensor built into each stem. You can configure presses to handle play/pause, skip tracks, calls etc. There‘s also a set of mics listening for you to say "Hey Siri" at any time to cue up playlists or ask questions.
And Apple gives you specific ways to toggle between normal listening and noise cancelling modes – hold the force sensor to enable transparency and hear ambient sounds, press again to re-enable noise cancelling. This tactile feedback for cycling through modes makes it very intuitive.
Both allow convenient hands-free access to summon voice assistants. But Siri holds a big advantage here given tight integration with other Apple devices and services to do things like read incoming messages, schedule reminders on your calendar, or get directions. Android owners will have better luck with Google Assistant access.
So the Ear 1 controls cover all the basics with more versatility. But AirPods Pro offers a more unified experience for iPhone owners willing to live exclusively in Apple‘s walled garden.
Advantage: Toss up depending on ecosystem embeddedness
Cost Comparison: Are AirPods Pro Worth the Premium?
We come to the final head-to-head category – pricing and overall value. Here is the quick rundown:
| Pricing | Nothing Ear 1 | AirPods Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Retail Price | $99 | $249 |
Given the nearly on-par performance across sound, battery life and core features, the Nothing Ear 1 punches way above its weight class relative to the crowded wireless earbuds market. You would be challenged to find comparable active noise cancelling earbuds from Sony, Bose, Beats or others at anywhere close to $99.
But Apple has legions of fans willing to pay premium prices for the brand cache and tight ecosystem integration. So is that 2.5x higher price tag worth it?
For iPhone power users wanting deepest Apple integration, the answer is probably yes. You unlockspatial audio for movie watching, transparency mode to let ambient sounds filter through, and Siri just works better.
For everyone else simply seeking great wireless earbuds for music, the more budget-friendly Nothing Ear 1 get you 95% of the way there. Unless you really value those Apple-exclusive features, the Ear 1 deliver style and substance without breaking the bank.
Advantage: AirPods Pro for Apple-centric; Nothing Ear 1 for value
The Verdict: Which Should You Buy?
We‘ve covered a LOT of ground comparing these industry-leading wireless earbud models across must-have categories. Let‘s wrap up with specific recommendations based on different use cases:
👉 For iPhone owners wanting deepest Apple integration – Get the AirPods Pro to unlock spatial audio for films, transparency mode for situational awareness, hands-free Siri access and instant pairing. Live that ecosystem magic despite the higher price tag.
👉 For Android users or those less invested in a closed ecosystem – Embrace the superb value proposition of the Nothing Ear 1 to still get modern features like noise cancelling and great battery capacity at literally half the price. Customizable touch controls give you plenty of playback control.
👉 If you‘ll use earbuds heavily for commuting and travel – The AirPods Pro give you the best noise cancelling and most portable charging case, though Battery Life tradeoffs are minimal. Both are perfectly capable commuting companions.
👉 For tuned-in audiophiles wanting the best musicality – The lively sound stage on the Nothing Ear 1 may edge out Apple‘s warmth slightly. But you can‘t lose either way on pure audio fidelity for wireless buds.
At the end of the day, I give the AirPods Pro a slight win for users that prioritize Apple device synergy and don‘t mind paying the premium price that commands. For everyone else, don‘t sleep on the Nothing Ear 1 – you get 90%+ of the functionality at 50% of the price!
I hope this comprehensive feature-by-feature breakdown has helped you gauge whether the hot new Nothing Ear 1 upstart or established Apple AirPods Pro titan make for the right wireless earbuds for your personal needs! Let me know if any other questions come up.
