Nothing Ear (3a): call recording and Audio Snapshot at $99

Nothing launched the Ear (3a) on July 7 at $99 in the US and £79 in the UK — putting call recording and high-quality audio streaming in the same budget package. The earbuds arrive alongside the new Phone (4b) and sit below Nothing's flagship Ear (3) in the lineup. For anyone shopping against Galaxy Buds or Sony's WF-C710N, that price point is worth a look.

The specs

Each earbud carries a 12mm dynamic driver, a step up from the previous Ear (a). LDAC codec support means Android users with a compatible phone can stream at up to 990 kbps — a feature that rarely appears below the $150 mark. Static spatial audio is included, though there's no head-tracking. A three-microphone array per earbud handles active noise cancellation rated to cancel sounds up to 45 dB. Bluetooth 6.0 with multipoint lets you stay connected to two devices at once, and the earbuds carry an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance.

Battery life varies by codec and ANC mode. With AAC and ANC off, you get up to 10 hours; with ANC on, that drops to 6. Switch to LDAC and expect 6 hours without ANC or 4.5 hours with it on. There is no wireless charging — something to weigh if you're used to that convenience on higher-end buds.

Audio Snapshot and call recording

The headline feature is Audio Snapshot. Nothing fitted 32MB of onboard storage so you can record up to one minute of audio — a meeting snippet, a street address, a quote — directly on the earbuds without touching your phone. The clip syncs automatically to the Nothing app afterward.

Ear (3a) comes with everything you need to party. Well... almost everything. But for less than entry, two drinks and a ride home, it’s definitely better value.

Ear (3a)
Available now. pic.twitter.com/ZHHFcDZDv1

— Nothing (@nothing) July 7, 2026

Call recording goes further: the Ear (3a) can store up to two hours of phone calls locally. Transcription is included free for 120 minutes per month; beyond that, a paid subscription kicks in. At this price, no direct rival from Samsung or Sony offers local call recording with transcription built in, per Gagadget (International).

Availability

The Ear (3a) launched July 7 in four colors — black, white, yellow, and pink, the first pink earbuds Nothing has released. In the US, availability is primarily online; Best Buy is the likely physical retail option given Nothing's limited US store footprint. UK buyers can order directly through nothing.tech.