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- Table of Contents
- Top
- Main Differences
- Sound
- Design
- Isolation
- Microphone
- Active Features
- Connectivity
- Comments
Nothing Ear vs Apple AirPods 4
Side-by-Side Comparison
Products
Nothing Ear
Apple AirPods 4
Tested using Methodology v2.0
Updated May 20, 2025 05:50 PM
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Updated May 05, 2025 03:14 PM
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TypeIn-Ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass AmountSlightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
Treble AmountSlightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound SignatureWarm
TypeEarbuds
Noise CancellingNo
EnclosureOpen-Back
WirelessTruly Wireless
TransducerDynamic
MicYes
Variants
- Ear (Black)
- Ear (White)
- AirPods 4 (White)
Our Verdict
Nothing Ear
Apple AirPods 4
The Nothing Ear and the Apple AirPods 4 have different focuses, so which is better depends on your needs and OS. The Nothing have active noise cancelling with an in-ear fit. Their app offers EQ, too. However, if you want Spatial Audio and prefer the Apple ecosystem, the Apple buds might be a better pick. They're open-backed, so you can always hear your environment, but can't block it out.
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White
Ear
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AirPods 4
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Ear
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AirPods 4
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AirPods 4
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AirPods 4
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AirPods 4
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Finding storeMain Differences forNeutral Sound
Neutral Sound
Threshold
Neutral Sound
7.4
Full Comparison
Sound
Sound Profile
Sound Profile
Normalization Frequency
1,100 Hz
900 Hz
Bass Amount
-1.1 dB
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
Treble Amount
-7.2 dB
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
Sound Signature
Warm
Frequency Response Consistency
7.8
9.2
Consistency L
Consistency R
Avg. Std. Deviation
0.93 dB
0.17 dB
Raw Frequency Response
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
9.4
9.5
Bass Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
2.3 dB
2.3 dB
Low-Frequency Extension
20 Hz
20 Hz
Low Bass
2.19 dB
-2.85 dB
Mid Bass
2.45 dB
0.28 dB
High Bass
2.41 dB
0.14 dB
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
8.8
9.2
Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
1.62 dB
0.94 dB
Low Mid
2.19 dB
0.44 dB
Mid-Mid
-0.27 dB
-0.89 dB
High Mid
0.98 dB
-0.71 dB
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
7.9
2.7
Treble Profile: Target Compliance
RMS Deviation From Target
3.43 dB
7.5 dB
Low Treble
-0.92 dB
-7.94 dB
Mid Treble
-3.13 dB
-6.19 dB
High Treble
-6.69 dB
-3.69 dB
Peaks/Dips
7.9
8.4
Peaks/Dips Graph
Peaks
1.21 dB
0.78 dB
Dips
1.56 dB
1.62 dB
Stereo Mismatch
7.4
Frequency Response Mismatch
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.6 dB
1.05
Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch
0.9 dB
0.8
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.6°
1.12
Cumulative Spectral Decay
CSD
PRTF
0.0
2.5
PRTF
PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Size (Avg.)
N/A
N/A
PRTF Distance
N/A
N/A
Openness
9.2
Acoustic Space Excitation
2.3
Harmonic Distortion
9.0
Harmonics Levels
WHD @ 94 dB SPL
0.09%
0.129
WHD @ 104 dB SPL
0.20%
0.067
Electrical Aspects
Impedance
Sensitivity @1kHz-1V
N/A
Bluetooth Max SPL
103.0 dB
Virtual Soundstage
0.0
5.0
Virtual Soundstage
Head Modeling
No
On/Off
Speaker Modeling
No
On/Off
Room Ambience
No
No
Head Tracking
No
On/Off
Virtual Surround
No
Personalized Spatial Audio
Test Settings
Firmware
1.0.1.54
7B19
Power
On
On
Connection
Bluetooth
Bluetooth
Codec
SBC, 16-bit, 44.1kHz
AAC, 16-bit, 48kHz
Test Instrument
Audio Precision APx517B
Audio Precision APx517B
EQ
Balanced
Adaptive EQ
ANC
High
No ANC
Tip/Pad
Silicone (small)
Default
Microphone
Integrated
Integrated
Imaging
9.0
Group Delay
Phase Response Mismatch
Weighted Group Delay
0.23
Weighted Phase Mismatch
1.6°
1.12
Weighted Amplitude Mismatch
0.6 dB
1.05
Weighted Frequency Mismatch
0.9 dB
0.8
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
8.6
Weighted Harmonic Distortion
WHD @ 90
0.09%
0.129
WHD @ 100
0.20%
0.067
Design
Style
Design Picture 2
Type
In-Ear
Earbuds
Enclosure
Closed-Back
Open-Back
Wireless
Truly Wireless
Truly Wireless
Transducer
Dynamic
Dynamic
Comfort
7.5
7.0
Comfort Picture
Weight
0.02 lbs
0.02 lbs
Clamping Force
0 lbs
N/A
Controls
7.7
5.8
Controls Picture
OS Compatibility
Not OS specific
Not OS specific
Ease Of Use
Good
Great
Feedback
Good
Good
Call/Music Control
Yes
Yes
Volume Control
Yes
No
Microphone Control
No
Mute/Unmute
Channel Mixing
No
No
Noise Cancelling Control
On/Off
No
Talk-Through
On/Off
No
Additional Controls
Voice Assistant
Voice Assistant
Breathability
Breathability After Picture
Avg.Temp.Difference
Portability
9.5
9.6
Portability Picture
L
1.3" (3.2 cm)
1.3" (3.3 cm)
W
1.0" (2.5 cm)
1.0" (2.5 cm)
H
1.0" (2.5 cm)
0.7" (1.8 cm)
Volume
1.22 in³ (20.00 cm³)
0.85 in³ (14.00 cm³)
Transmitter Required
No
No
Case
8.0
8.5
Case Picture
Type
Hard case
Hard case
L
2.2" (5.6 cm)
1.8" (4.6 cm)
W
2.2" (5.6 cm)
2.0" (5.0 cm)
H
0.9" (2.2 cm)
0.8" (2.1 cm)
Volume
4.21 in³ (69.00 cm³)
2.93 in³ (48.00 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
Isolation
Noise Isolation - Full Range
7.4
1.8
Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph
Noise Cancelling
Yes
No
Overall Attenuation
-18.97 dB
-4.05 dB
Bass
-16.40 dB
0.07 dB
Mid
-18.25 dB
-0.04 dB
Treble
-22.89 dB
-13.49 dB
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios
7.4
2.2
Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph
Airplane Noise Attenuation
-17.84 dB
-3.75 dB
Airplane Noise Isolation Audio
Office Noise Attenuation
-17.62 dB
-4.14 dB
Office Noise Isolation Audio
Street Noise Attenuation
-18.93 dB
-4.13 dB
Street Noise Isolation Audio
Noise Isolation - Voice Handling
Female Voice 1
Male Voice 1
Female Voice 2
Male Voice 2
Leakage
8.3
8.0
Leakage Audio
Overall Leakage @ 1ft
31.76 dB
33.86 dB
Microphone
Microphone Style
Integrated
Yes
Yes
In-Line
No
No
Boom
No
No
Detachable Boom
No
No
Mic
Yes
Yes
Recording Quality
6.2
6.4
Microphone Frequency Response
Recorded Speech
LFE
783.39 Hz
276.97 Hz
FR Std. Dev.
3.6 dB
5.77 dB
HFE
6,736.4 Hz
4,902.93 Hz
Weighted THD
0.368
1.682
Gain
-11.56 dB
28.06 dB
Noise Handling
7.7
6.7
SpNR
26.21 dB
37.48 dB
Noise Gate
Always On
No
Speech + Pink Noise Handling
7.5
7.5
Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample
Speech + Subway Noise Handling
8.0
5.5
Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample
Active Features
Battery
6.6
7.2
Battery Type
Rechargable
Rechargable
Continuous Battery Life
7.5 hrs
6.7 hrs
Additional Charges
3.7
4.0
Total Battery Life
35.3 hrs
33.5 hrs
Charge Time
0.8 hrs
0.5 hrs
Power-Saving Feature
No
Standby mode
Audio While Charging
Yes
Yes
Passive Playback
No
No
Charging Port
USB-C
USB-C
App Support
7.5
6.0
App Picture
App Name
Nothing X
iOS Interface
iOS
Yes
Yes
Android
Yes
No
macOS
No
Yes
Windows
No
No
Equalizer
Graphic + Presets
No
ANC Control
Adjustable
No
Mic Control
No
No
Room Effects
No
No
Playback Control
No
No
Button Mapping
Yes
Yes
Surround Support
No
Yes
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
8.7
7.4
Bluetooth Version
5.3
5.3+H2 chip
Multi-Device Pairing
2 Devices
Yes (Apple Ecosystem)
Quick Pair (Android)
Yes
No
Quick Pair (iOS)
No
Yes
Line Of Sight Range
334.65 ft (102.00 m)
259.19 ft (79.00 m)
Latency - SBC
207 ms
215 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
366 ms
N/A
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
0.4
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
No
Power Supply
USB-C
USB-C
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Ear
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Ear
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AirPods 4
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AirPods 4
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AirPods 4
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Nothing Ear
Apple AirPods 4
Comments
Nothing Ear vs Apple AirPods 4: Main Discussion
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