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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Design
- Sound
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) vs Nothing Ear
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Nothing Ear
Tested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 14, 2025 09:02 PM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.comTested using Methodology v1.8
Updated Feb 13, 2025 12:29 AM
SEE PRICE
Amazon.com
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
TypeIn-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- AirPods Pro (2nd generation) (White)
- AirPods Pro (2nd generation) (USB‑C) (White)
- Ear (Black)
- Ear (White)
Our Verdict
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Nothing Ear
The Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) and the Nothing Ear are both capable stemmed earbud designs. The Apple use touch and slide controls compared to the Nothing's pinch controls. You get Spatial Audio and the H2 chip with the Apple buds but a shorter continuous battery life and fewer app features to customize the sound profile. Their noise isolation is more effective, too. Both the Apple and Nothing have generally flat mid-ranges that suit a wide variety of audio, though the Nothing app provides more control that is available for both Android and iOS, unlike the Apple. While both are well-built with IP ratings for the case and buds, the Nothing have a slightly higher rating for their case. If you have iOS devices, the Apple headphones provide a more seamless experience with better ANC but less tweakability and a shorter battery life. However, the Nothing make more sense for Android users because you can use all the features.
Main Differences for
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
7.4
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.6
6.8
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.9
9.4
Full Comparison
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-ear
In-ear
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Closed-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.5
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
0 lbs
Controls
8.2
7.7
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Good
Feedback
Great
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
Yes
Microphone Control
Mute/Unmute
No
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
On/Off
Talk-Through
On/Off
On/Off
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
9.6
9.5
Portability Picture
L
1.2" (3.0 cm)
1.3" (3.2 cm)
W
0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
H
0.9" (2.3 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
Volume
0.99 in³ (16.20 cm³)
1.22 in³ (20.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
9.0
8.0
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
1.8" (4.5 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)
W
2.4" (6.1 cm)
2.2" (5.6 cm)
H
0.9" (2.2 cm)
0.9" (2.2 cm)
Volume
3.67 in³ (60.10 cm³)
4.21 in³ (69.00 cm³)
Build Quality
8.0
8.0
Build Quality Picture
Stability
7.5
7.5
Stability Picture
Headshots 1
Angled Picture
Side Picture
Headshots 2
Front Picture
Rear Picture
Top
Top Picture
In The Box
In The Box Picture
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
600 Hz
1,100 Hz
Bass Amount
0.1 dB
2.3 dB
Treble Amount
-5.2 dB
-1.9 dB
Frequency Response Consistency
9.3
8.3
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.15 dB
0.34 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.9
9.4
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
0.4 dB
2.3 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
0.23 dB
2.19 dB
Mid Bass
-0.55 dB
2.45 dB
High Bass
0.41 dB
2.41 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.4
8.4
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.56 dB
1.62 dB
Low Mid
1.04 dB
2.19 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.43 dB
-0.27 dB
High Mid
-2.26 dB
0.98 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
4.6
6.8
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
5.4 dB
3.43 dB
Low Treble
-5.55 dB
-0.92 dB
Mid Treble
-4.73 dB
-3.13 dB
High Treble
-8.22 dB
-6.69 dB
Peaks/Dips
8.5
7.9
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
0.93 dB
1.21 dB
Dips
1.04 dB
1.56 dB
Imaging
9.3
8.5
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.08
0.51
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.65
1.99
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.44
0.91
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
1.03
1.55
Passive Soundstage
0.8
1.1
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (Std. Dev.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
0.9
2.7
Acoustic Space Excitation
1.9
1.9
Virtual Soundstage
5.0
0.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
On/Off
No
Speaker Modeling
On/Off
No
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
On/Off
No
Virtual Surround
Personalized Spatial Audio
No
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.1
7.3
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.224
0.479
WHD @ 100
0.086
0.163
Test Settings
Firmware
7B21
1.0.1.54
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Adaptive EQ
Balanced
ANC
On
High
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Silicone (small)
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
9.1
7.4
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
Yes
Overall Attenuation
-24.48 dB
-18.97 dB
Bass
-20.83 dB
-16.40 dB
Mid
-26.68 dB
-18.25 dB
Treble
-26.47 dB
-22.89 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
9.6
7.4
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-23.48 dB
-17.84 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-21.63 dB
-17.62 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-25.52 dB
-18.93 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
ANC Wind Handling
ANC Wind Handling Graph
ANC Wind Noise
Leakage
8.3
8.3
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
31.85 dB
31.76 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
5.3
6.2
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
216.68 Hz
783.39 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
4.98 dB
3.6 dB
HFE
3,466.89 Hz
6,736.4 Hz
Weighted THD
57.033
0.368
Gain
-4.91 dB
-11.56 dB
Noise Handling
6.4
7.7
SpNR
10.15 dB
26.21 dB
Noise Gate
No
Always On
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.0
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
5.5
8.0
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
7.0
6.6
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
5.9 hrs
7.5 hrs
Additional Charges
4.0
3.7
Total Battery Life
29.5 hrs
35.3 hrs
Charge Time
0.9 hrs
0.8 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
Standby mode
No
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
Lightning
USB-C
App Support
6.5
7.5
App Picture
App Name
iOS Interface
Nothing X
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
No
Yes
macOS
Yes
No
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
No
Graphic + Presets
ANC Control
On/Off
Adjustable
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
Yes
No
Connectivity
Wired Connection
0.0
0.0
Cable Picture
Analog Audio
No
No
USB Audio
No
No
Detachable
No
No
Length
N/A
N/A
Connector
No Wired Option
No Wired Option
Latency - Analog
N/A
N/A
Latency - USB
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency Connection
No Wired Audio
No Wired Audio
Bluetooth Connection
8.0
8.7
Bluetooth Version
5.3+H2 chip
5.3
Multi-Device Pairing
Yes (Apple Ecosystem)
2 Devices
Quick Pair (Android)
No
Yes
Quick Pair (iOS)
Yes
No
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
Latency - SBC
160 ms
207 ms
Latency - aptX
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality)
N/A
N/A
Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency)
N/A
N/A
Latency - LDAC
N/A
366 ms
Recorded Latency
Recorded Latency Codec
SBC
SBC
AAC Support
Yes
Yes
Wireless Connection (Dongle)
0.0
0.0
Line Of Sight Range
N/A
N/A
Latency - Dongle
N/A
N/A
Recorded Latency
N/A
N/A
PC Compatibility
Analog
No
No
Wired USB
No
No
Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PlayStation Compatibility
PS4 Analog
No
No
PS4 Wired USB
No
No
PS4 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
PS5 Analog
No
No
PS5 Wired USB
No
No
PS5 Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Compatibility
Xbox One Analog
No
No
Xbox One Wired USB
No
No
Xbox One Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Analog
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Wired USB
No
No
Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless
No
No
Base/Dock
2.2
2.2
Type
Charging Case
Charging Case
USB Input
No
No
Line In
No
No
Line Out
No
No
Optical Input
No
No
RCA Input
No
No
Dock Charging
Yes
Yes
Power Supply
Lightning
USB-C
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation)
Nothing Ear
Comments
Apple AirPods Pro (2nd generation) vs Nothing Ear: Main Discussion
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