Carl Pei’s Nothing has revealed two new wireless earbuds at an event in Tokyo. It calls the Ear, the more expensive model of the two with prices starting at $149 and £129, a refinement of its older model the Ear (2). The Ear retains the brand’s transparent design and looks very similar to the previous model. But it’s powered by a new custom 11 mm dynamic driver and comes with a dual chamber design that allows it to deliver clearer sounds compared to its predecessor.

It also features a new smart active noise cancellation (ANC) algorithm that can check for noise leakage between the earbuds and the ear canal and then add more noise cancellation accordingly. Plus, it can automatically apply the level of noise cancellation needed — high, medium or low — appropriate for the environment the user is in. Nothing says the model’s noise cancellation rated at 45 dB is almost twice that of the Ear (2), as well.

When it comes to battery life, the Ear’s was also designed to last longer. It can last for up to 40-and-a-half hours after a full charge with its charging case, or up to eight-and-a-half hours of non-stop playback. In addition, the model comes with a new mic that enables less obstruction and interference, support for LHDC 5.0 and LDAC codec for high-resolution streaming over Bluetooth and the ability to quickly switch between connected devices.

Meanwhile, the Ear (a) is the more fun and more affordable model between the two new releases. It’s the first Nothing model that isn’t just black or white — though those colors are also available — with one version’s non-transparent parts and case colored in vivid egg yolk-yellow. Even though its prices start lower than the Ear at $99 and £99, it also features the same ANC technology and the brand’s new smart ANC algorithm that can check for sound leakages. It even supposedly has a better battery life than its more expensive sibling and can last for up to 42-and-a-half hours of music playback after a full charge with its charging case.

Both Ear and Ear (a) are now available for pre-order from Nothing’s website. They’ll start making their way to buyers and will be available for general purchase on April 22.

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Nothing is churning out new earbuds at a faster clip than smartphones. The company just introduced the Nothing Ear and Nothing Ear (a), priced at $149 and $99, respectively. Together, they mark Nothing’s fourth and fifth products in the headphone category. First came the original Ear 1, which stood out for its partly transparent design but suffered from bugs and inconsistent audio performance. Then, Nothing went after a different audience with the open-style (and oddly named) Ear Stick. And a year ago, the company shored up reliability and sound quality concerns with the Ear 2. Now it’s back for another go-round. 

And guess what? Yep, they still look pretty much exactly the same.

The Nothing Ear and Ear (a) both preserve the design that debuted in 2021, with the improvements again focused on day-to-day performance. On the flagship Ear buds, the sound profile was tweaked once more and includes new personalization options, and their battery life has been extended by 25 percent. And there’s a new Bass Enhance setting for giving the low end some extra kick when desired. 

Meanwhile, the more affordable Nothing Ear (a) adds a splash of color to a Nothing device for the first time: they’re available in yellow in a hue that’s rather close to the adorable Playdate. But the earbuds themselves look just like the pricier Ears, right down to the components you can see through the transparent part of the stem. And they feel identical to the Ear 2 once you put them in. They’re comfortable, but Nothing only includes three sizes of silicone tips, which doesn’t always cover the full spread of ear sizes.

And the similarities extend to how they function. Both have the same strength of active noise cancellation and are able to muffle out up to 45dB of noise, which is twice what the Ear 2 were capable of. Both pairs of earbuds are IP54 dust and water-resistant, although the Ear’s case is more resilient, with a IP55 rating compared to IPX2 rating for the smaller Ear (a) case. Spending more on the Nothing Ear also nets you wireless charging. But in terms of feel, I prefer the more compact Ear (a) case, which the company says was inspired by “everyday pill packets.” It’s more fun! Nothing has improved voice call performance and AI voice isolation on both sets of buds, as well.

Where the Nothing Ears win out is in audio fidelity and the level of customization you can apply to it. Nothing says the Ear has its “most advanced” driver system yet, which uses a ceramic diaphragm “rarely seen in audio products” for improved richness. It also partnered with a company called Mimi for a hearing test in the Nothing X app that creates a personal sound profile for your unique hearing traits. I’ve mostly stuck with the “advanced” EQ, which lets you adjust a graphical interface and create profiles for different musical genres. Once the Nothing Ears are out, you’ll be able to share your preferred presets with other owners (and import theirs) by way of QR code. 

So far, I’ve been very satisfied by how the Nothing Ears sound. The Ear 2 were already on the mark, so these aren’t too different. Can they compete with every trick that Apple, Samsung, Google, and others are offering? No. There’s no head tracking spatial audio, for example.

But from an audio quality perspective, they’re going toe to toe with earbuds from companies with far more resources. And that’s not to say that the Ear (a) sounds bad by comparison. It’s honestly in the same ballpark, so you’re not sacrificing much if you really want Nothing’s colorful buds.

And you’re still getting multipoint, Fast Pair (for Android), Microsoft Swift Pair, and a low-latency gaming mode in the cheaper buds. That’s a lot of stuff crammed in for $99. Battery life has also been totally sufficient, lasting for over five hours on both buds with ANC enabled or well over eight hours if you can go without it. 

So as it stands right now, both of Nothing’s new earbuds are a very solid value. And they’ll become more capable in the months to come: the company plans to add ChatGPT integration to its smartphones and earbuds, which will let you query the AI through voice when on the move. I think earbuds are a more compelling vehicle for these interactions, so I’m excited to test how it all comes together once that update is available.

Photography by Chris Welch / The Verge

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Cytiva introduced its Xcellerex magnetic mixer at the annual Interphex meeting in New York City this week. The single mixing system has been specifically designed to address challenges faced by customers engaged in large-scale monoclonal antibody, vaccine, and genomic medicine manufacturing processes, according to Amanda Halford, president, bioprocess, Cytiva. Sized in 2000 and 3000 L capacities, the mixer offers several configurations to cater to diverse mixing processes, she adds.

“We’re tapping into our differentiated portfolio to solve a wide range of challenges for our customers,” continues Halford. “Our new magnetic mixing system is flexible and capable of meeting the many demands and constraints during buffer and cell culture media preparation. By reimagining the design, we’ve tackled some of the biggest obstacles to downtime.”

A major contributor to time and money losses are leaks. A minor leak can cause or lead to a major setback—it can mean a full working day lost for our customers, notes Jon Van Pelt, vice president, bioprocess single use technologies, Cytiva. When dealing with a 3000 L batch of cell culture media, the estimated financial loss can cost between $60k to upwards of $100k. That’s just the material and labor. It doesn’t factor in the opportunity cost and other effects caused by not having media available for your cell culture processes, continues Van Pelt.

Mixer biocontainer

To help prevent leaks, the system includes a mixer biocontainer incorporating user-centered design elements aimed to bolster durability and improve ease of use. This evolution in design results in enhanced safeguards, providing added protection against leaks throughout shipping, storage, and operation, says Halford.

Another constraint during the development of drug therapies is the quality and time it takes to mix a batch. Mixing floating powders, like cell culture media, can be a challenge with many of the mixing systems currently available, maintains Halford, pointing out that most of these systems have underpowered impellers and with a circular or cubicle shape that is less than ideal, particularly for large production volumes. Powder tends to float on the surface of the liquid, making it difficult to mix evenly into the fluid or leading to prolonged mixing times.

The new mixing system has an impeller that when combined with the mixer’s hexagonal shape creates a vortex, enhancing the interaction at the liquid surface, according to Van Pelt. This vortex effectively pulls down the floating powders into the main body of the liquid to allow for a more efficient and shorter mixing process, he explains.

“Process engineers and scientists, who currently experience problems with tight facility constraints or complicated installation of large-scale consumables, will benefit from its compact size, allowing it to fit into tight facility spaces without compromising on capacity or requiring the need for facility expansion,” says Van Pelt. “We are always listening to our customers—solving issues to more quickly get life-changing therapies to patients.”

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