Wired has reviewed Nothing's Ear (3a) wireless earbuds, the company's eighth earbud release, praising their standout design and strong value in an increasingly crowded market of over 2,000 earbud models sold on Amazon alone. The £/€/$99 buds build on the previous Ear (a) model with a new case, a larger 12mm driver and distinctive recording features, earning an 8/10 rating for their style, comfort and sound quality, despite noise cancellation and spatial audio falling short of rivals.

Reviewers highlighted the earbuds' transparent, colourful design (including a new pink option), a secure AirPods-like fit, responsive pinch controls, and a well-made case with a simple LED battery indicator. The most novel feature is "Audio Snapshot", which lets users pinch both earbuds to record up to 60 seconds of audio or a call, using 32MB of onboard storage; recordings can then be transcribed via the Nothing X app, either locally for free or through a cloud-based "Pro" service offering 120 minutes monthly for three months, with pricing after the trial yet to be announced.