AUTOPSY
MAR 2022MAXIMU MPC 59
BACKGROUND
The Nothing company now has something for the tech market,
in-ear headphones dubbed the ear (1)—yes, that lack of
capitalization is intentional. The partly see-through design gives
a glimpse of the headphones’ inner workings, but we’re sure
there are further treasures to be discovered with a teardown.MAJOR TECH SPECS
- Active noise cancellation (ANC).
- 5 hours of listening time with the earbuds, and 34 total hours
(ANC off) if recharged with a full case, according to Nothing. - Three high-definition mics and Clear Voice Technology.
- IPX4 splash and sweat resistance.
- Customizable equalizers, gestures, and Find My Earbud
function with the ear (1) app. - Bluetooth 5.
- A single earbud weighs 4.7g; the case with both buds is 66.8g.
KEY FINDINGS
- The Nothing ear (1)’s partly see-through charging case brings
to mind iMacs of yore. Unlike AirPods, the ear (1) buds lie flat in
their charging case. We’re already peering inside for a battery
and wondering if the invisible adhesive will become a nuisance. - We remove the silicone eartips and put a bit of pressure on the
ear (1) to get inside the opaque head with the help of a halberd
spudger. The first thing to catch our eye is adhesive. To
continue, we need to disconnect the in-ear portion from the
stem, which we manage without any heating or tearing. - The in-ear portion houses the driver assembly, while the
battery stays in the outer half. Besides the driver, we find a
microphone, positioned to detect in-ear noises for active noise
cancelation. The driver measures 11.6mm and the voice coil is
5.7mm in diameter. The last component of the in-ear portion is
the driver grille, quickly pushed aside with the help of a spudger. - We’re keen to check out the button cell but are stopped by two
cables. A soldered battery makes a repair more complex than
we’d like, so we remove its plastic brace. Embedded within is the
main magnet, which holds the earbud in its charging position. - We proceed to the see-through part and are surprised to lever
open the stem quickly. A little heat and prying grants access to
the remaining components. Inside, we find the flex cable for
gesture control, a protective cover for the board, and the board.
Some gentle tweezing disconnects the flex cable as before. - The adhesive isn’t any more troublesome in the charging case.
Some heat and a slice from an opening pick grants entry.
Separating the two halves of the battery housing is more of a
challenge—they’re connected by clips that seem to break easily. - Overcoming this reveals the single-cell battery inside the
charging case. In each half of the housing, we find a board held
in place by standard Phillips screws. The glued-in charging coil
separates easily from the housing but remains soldered to the
bottom board of the case. The bottom board holds the soldered
USB-C charging port, the pairing button, and some more chips. - This wasn’t exactly a piece of cake. Once inside, some critical
components would be replaceable if they weren’t soldered
together. There are a few repairs within reach of a determined
DIYer, but you’re unlikely to reseal those see-through bits tidily. - Repairability score: 1 out of 10 (10 is easiest to repair).
Repair-wise, Nothing has shot itself in the foot with its main
design feature. The motherboard is modular, but the
see-through construction, while visually awesome, is likely to
get mucked up when gluing it back together. The few repairs
that seem technically feasible are hobbled by soldered parts.
The Nothing ear (1)s come in a
partly see-through charging
case. Unlike Apple’s AirPods,
the ear (1) buds lie flat in their
charging case. Magnets and
ridges within the case keep the
contents from shaking loose.Since these are standard tips, they
should be replaceable with any
aftermarket tips you prefer. That’s
worth something (for Nothing).We’re happy to note that
the adhesive inside the
charging case battery isn’t
too stubborn, and no heat was
required to remove it.