Wireless earbuds come in all shapes, sizes and prices, meaning the choice when coming to buy a new pair can be overwhelming. Should you spend less than £50, or fork out close to £300 for what claims to be the best in the business? I think the answer – right now, at least – lies somewhere in between, and luckily it’s closer to that lower end spend than you might think.
UK tech brand Nothing makes excellent smartphones and tech accessories, and the firm has just announced its Nothing Ear (a) wireless earbuds will be discounted heavily for Black Friday. From 11 November all the way up to 1 December, the colourful but powerful in-ears will cost just £69, a £30 discount on their £99 RRP.
Even at full price, the Ear (a) are a force to be reckoned with. They’re currently sitting pretty at number two in Express.co.uk’s rundown on the best wireless earbuds, just behind the £229 Apple AirPods Pro 2.
I’ve tested all the earbuds in that list, some of which from the likes of Bose and Sennhesier cost hundreds, but I keep coming back to the Nothing Ear (a) for several reasons, and they’ve become my favourite go-to buds.
That’s because they pack an almighty punch for the price. Sound quality is great, with balanced levels no matter which device you use to play your tunes or podcasts, plus the active noise cancellation (ANC), while not class-leading, is more than enough to drown out office chatter, and has performed well at blocking out the loudest sounds on the London Underground. There’s even an adaptive mode that changes depending on your environment, a feature not normally found on headphones this cheap.
The buds support Hi-Res audio (your phone and streaming service need to support it too to get the full benefit), while the diddy charging case easily slips into my pocket to carry around all day. Perhaps most importantly of all, these buds are comfortable enough to wear for several hours at a time and come with different silicone tip sizes in the box to get the right fit.
I have access to many of the best earbuds out there, and the Nothing Ear (a) aren’t technically the best sounding, and nor do they have the best ANC. But the yellow colourway has far more style than most plain black buds, and the value for money really appeals to me. Nothing sells pricier £129 Nothing Ear buds with a few more features (down to £109 in the sale), but I prefer the Ear (a) as they have a smaller case and I really couldn’t tell a difference in sound quality when I tested them.
If you want to spend as little as possible but get the best wireless earbuds possible, this £69 Black Friday deal is hard to beat.
