staff@slashgear.com (Chris Burns)
2024-04-25 10:12:52
www.slashgear.com
The battery case for the Nothing Ear (2024) is more impressive than that of the (a). The Ear case has IP55 dust and water ingress protection (dust protected, water jet protection — higher than spraying, less than immersion) while the (a) case only has IPX2 (no protection vs dust, water protection limited to dripping water).
On the other hand, both earbuds (the buds, not the cases) have the same IP54 rating — dust-protected, splashing water-protected. Buds have the same ruggedness, but the case on the (a) is ever-so-slightly less protective than the Ear (2024).
The most major change between the cases is in wireless charging. You can charge up to 2.5W with the Ear earbuds in their case, while the (a) buds in their case are limited to USB-C. Both cases can charge with USB-C quite speedily — Nothing suggests that 10 minutes of charge will give the buds 10 hours of playtime.
Both buds last longer than their predecessors — the Buds (2)’s “up to 36 hours” is ramped up to 40.5 hours for the Ear (2024) and 42.5 hours for the (a). On that note — playback (without ANC) is quoted at 8.5 hours for the Ear and 9.5 hours for the (a) (both including the charge case’s internal battery, which is 500mAh for both models). Our testing suggests that both the Ear and the Ear (a) last approximately 7-8 hours — that’s counting the battery in the earbuds and a fully charged battery in the case for reloading.