One of the signature features of Nothing’s Ear (1) wireless earbuds is the design. The earphones feature transparent cases that give them an original look in an industry that’s getting more and more crowded. Add in the relatively low $99 price, and you end up with a unique device. You get active noise cancelation for a lower price than the competition in a package that looks nothing like most AirPods alternatives. And if that’s not enough, Nothing went ahead and introduced another Ear (1) option. Joining the white model, the black Ear (1) retails for the same $99. And you can pay for it with cryptocurrencies if you like, including the meme crypto you keep seeing in the news: Dogecoin.
The black Nothing Ear (1) earphones
Launching a new color for a product that’s main design feature is the transparent enclosure seems counterintuitive. You can’t have both colors and transparency in a product. But the Nothing Ear (1) isn’t completely transparent.
Only the stem comes with transparent plastic covers that show some of the earphone’s internals. The actual bud, the part that goes inside the ear, comes in white in the original model. That’s where you can apply the color change. And that’s how you end up with the new $99 black Ear (1) headphones that Nothing just unveiled.
The black/transparent combination might make more sense for some buyers who care about how their wireless earphones look. Transparency aside, the white Ear (1) look like black and white wireless earphones from a distance. You have to get closer to them to notice the transparency. If that’s been bothering you, then the black/transparent option will fix it.
As expected, a black/transparent case will go with the new Nothing earphones.
Doge payments now accepted
Aside from the color change, nothing changes for the black Ear (1). You still get the same features like the white model. And the price stays in place. That’s $99 for the black Ear (1), which will go on sale on December 13th.
Also, Nothing claims its wireless earphones are carbon-neutral, with certification company SGS having helped the startup neutralize its carbon footprint.
More exciting is that you can pay with cryptocurrencies for the white and black Ear (1) models. It’s not just doge that Nothing supports, as the payments system will also accept bitcoin, ethereum, and stable coin USDC.
Paying with either bitcoin or ethereum might not make much sense due to the wait time and commissions involved in processing transactions. Doge might be a better alternative, although it’s not perfect. While the addition of crypto payments to Nothing’s online store is a notable development, it also somewhat contradicts the carbon neutrality claims.
Minting bitcoin and ethereum requires plenty of energy. Nothing is aware of the paradox, pointing The Verge to the Crypto Climate Accord. That’s an effort for the crypto industry to produce net-zero emissions by 2030.
Payments and environment aside, it’s unclear how much stock of black Ear (1) Nothing will have in stock. The company is labeling the black model as a “limited edition” for the time being. But it could make it a permanent addition to its lineup in the future.
