Nothing Ear (open) Open-Ear Headphones, Earbuds with Earhooks, BT 5.3, Clear Voice Technology with 2 Mics, Fast Charging, Compatible with iPhone & Android -White

I bought these because I'm an avid cyclist who is often on trails where road traffic is not a consideration. For years I've stuck with one headphone in my right ear so that I could maintain situational awareness, but when I saw these my curiosity was piqued.In short, they're great for cycling. The sound quality is good - I finally have stereo sound! Although I can still hear the wind as I'm riding the music is still very clear. The headphones are comfortable - although it took me a few tries to get used to where they should be placed. Coming from PowerBeats Pro 2 where you can tell if it's in the right position because it's blocking your ear canal these took a little getting used to. Once they're in position they stay in place.Although I'm not using these for calls, I did a sound test by calling a friend (not from the bike) and they said they could hear me clearly through the built in microphones. I was shocked at how far the connection holds - I had to take a pit stop and left my bike downstairs and the connection only started to drop when I was up three floors and behind a few doors.I think they're great for cycling and other activities where you don't want to block the world out. One caveat for cyclists, although you can hear the world they do look like you're riding with headphones - so other cyclists may not give you the usual "On your left" courtesy heads up because they don't think you'll hear them.

Let's clear the air for those who seem to be confused about the design goal/purpose "Nothing Ear (Open)", these are 'Specialty' EarBuds.They're optimized for Maintaining SA (Situational Awareness) while delivering clear & excellent audio w/o blocking ANY outside sound.It's PURPOSELY designed to not seal your ear canal or be inserted into your ears; that's BY DESIGN!Go watch the original YT videos about these and why they were created, the CEO of 'Nothing' explains what problems they were designed to solve.So anybody telling you that you have to insert these into your ear canals are HIGHLY misinformed as to their design goals & usage.You ARE SUPPOSED to leave them hanging right outside of the ear canals, you ARE "NOT supposed to insert them into your ear" for ANY reason.If you want EarBuds that seal your ear canals, "Nothing" offers other EarBuds for those purposes, please go look at them.Now, lets get back to the review.I'm coming from using the "Nothing Ear Stick". Those were good EarBuds that mimiced the design of the original Apple AirPods.Those still touched the openings in your ear and sealed the larger openings right outside w/o any silicone being shoved into the smaller ear openings.For me, that blocked out too much noise for my tastes, I wanted MORE SA (Situational Awareness).I don't want audio Transparency Modes, I just wanted the real thing; w/o lag from the EarBuds internal processing.This literally solves that problem for me and does a great job at it.The Battery life is pretty good.Initial tests in phone calls led to good Battery Usage.15% Ear Open Power ~= 1.0 hr Talk Time.Reaching the Marketing Claims of 8 hr per Ear Open unit seems very realistic w/o recharging.Pure PodCast Listening is easier on the batteries, I'm able to get many hours w/o having to charge the Ear Opens.I've only drained the case battery down to 65% despite having over 8 hours of podcast listening + Long conversations over the phone.I haven't recharged it after the initial charge to full for the case + Ear Opens.BTW, I got these 2 days before the official Release Date of Sep 30.I got them on Sep 28, thanks Amazon!So I've got extra time to use them. This marks the First Week of using them during my Every Day routines.Comfort wise, I LOVE it, the Audio Drivers sit right outside your Ear, nothing gets shoved into the larger or smaller orifices in your ear.I can hear everything around me & maintain SA.Nobody seems to be able to hear what's being broadcasted as well, if they really wanted to hear something, their ear has to be right next to your Ear Opens.At that point, you've got other issues if somebody has their ears so close that your heads are about to collide.So far, I'm loving my first week of using these Ear Opens, I like them more than my Ear Sticks, which were already excellant.While driving the audio quality is clearer & louder, despite not having any seal into my ear, and I can hear everything around me as well.So it solves my problem of maintaining SA while out about on the street, or while driving.Audio call quality is pretty good, nothing to write home about.It's clear enough, but don't expect it to mimic any professional level microphones.It's good enough for it's class of EarBuds, especially at it's price.There is a small rattle in the case, I wish there was something they could do to solve that.I'll improvise a solution in the mean time.Over-All, these are AWESOME EarBuds.I definitely recommend the "Nothing Ear Open" for those who want to maintain SA (Situational Awareness) while out & about doing every day routines or working or driving around.

I have two problems unfortunately. 1, I have larger ears so they were already too high up from the ear hole and two I don't have the bump that holds in normal ear buds. This made for a fit that I had to keep adjusting multiple times over the course of a few songs to keep them from splaying outwards. they would have been the biggest bummer for me at the gym :<As for the headphones overall, they are fantastic. Heres some short notes form what i got to try.Audio sounds great and full when situated in the correct position and fires into the ear vs something like the SHOKZ Open Fit Air that fire across the ear opening. Best i can describe it is that it feels like the music's in your head vs you standing 3 feet from some speakers. While still being able to hear quite a bit around you, they oddly enough they don't get as quiet as I would have wanted in a set of open buds like the Shokz Open Fit Air or even my older Plantronics Backbeats. But they Can get LOUD but after about 70% all the bass goes out the window as the treble comes in. so don't expect big bumpin beats at high volumes.ControlsPinch Controls were responsive and hard to accidentally do once they are on (taking them out i accidentally pressed them a few times but thats a learning curve thing). takes a bit to get used to pinch but should be fine a few hours in. The controls also give you enough options needed to never have to touch the phone, 4 actions in total per side and can be customized to different settings with the app to have the same control do something else on the other bud leaving you with about 6-8 controls depending on what you pick. The Shokz air however leave alot to be desired in that regard with 2-3.Volumeas i mentioned above, They are fairly loud. On the lowest setting (when in the right spot) they are loud enough that you'll barely hear your own humming. and can crank up well beyond comfy so id imagine they'd work great outside or in a loud gym. Just keep in mind as you go higher in volume the bass falls off a good bit so don't expect it, kind of a downside of the open ear tech since no ear seal but at lower volumes these things are fairly bumpy! way better than the shokz in that regard.MicIs okay.. kinda tiny and a little lackluster but will get the job done. I wouldn't try talking out in the wind though from how it sounded. The shokz mic are great! but not something ill be on much for workout headphones anyway so ymmv.CaseIts a bit odd that they went side by side since its not much thinner than the other ear buds cases. kinda looks like a pencil holder when in your pocket so maybe avoid the tight pants. Nice magnets, easy pairing button, no wireless charge only usb c. Case has a dust and water rating unlike others.appLots of options and these have a find my bud option DONT HAVE THEM NEAR YOUR EAR OMG but can def find them from across a room when you hit the button. Multi point paring means easy switch between pc and phone with out having to do anything. (shokz air has it too I love this feature). There is a low lag mode for gaming but i didn't get to try that out.TL;DRIf you can wear normal earbuds and are not on the larger ear side snag a set. They are nice, and if they fit you I'm very jealous. Ill be wearing these shokz open fit airs for now till a larger size comes out i hope.(P/S i had to send mine back since I cant wear them so if you see open box version it may be mine that I opened tried on and put back, get that deal!)