The Nothing Ear (2) is the second generation of Nothing's true wireless earbuds and the successor to Ear (1). Announced on 22 March 2023, it continued the transparent design language established by Ear (1) while introducing revisions to its hardware and software, including Bluetooth 5.3, LHDC support, Dual Connection and personalised sound profiles.

Ear (2)'s model number is B155 and Pokémon codename is Azumarill.

Nothing launched Ear (2) globally on 22 March 2023, with the product priced at £129 / $149 / €149. Pre-orders began on the same day through nothing.tech. In-person sales began on 23 March at the Nothing Store Soho in London and selected Kith stores in the United States, France and Japan. Open online sales began on 28 March through nothing.tech and selected retail partners.^[1]

Regional availability followed shortly afterwards. In India, Ear (2) was priced at ₹9,999, with a pre-sale beginning on 25 March and open sales beginning on 28 March.^[2] In Japan, Ear (2) was priced at ¥22,800, with nationwide sales beginning on 30 March.^[3] In Indonesia, Ear (2) was priced at Rp2,399,000, with pre-orders beginning on 23 March and retail availability beginning on 3 April through Erajaya Group.^[4]

A black variant of Ear (2) was introduced on 6 July 2023, featuring a predominantly black finish on the earbuds and charging case while retaining the same hardware and features as the original white version. The black variant was introduced alongside Nothing X version 2.3.0 and Ear (2) firmware version 1.0.1.101.^[5]

In October 2023, Nothing partnered with CASETiFY to release an exclusive Nothing Mini Pouch for Ear (2), alongside Nothing-themed phone cases for selected iPhone models.^[6]

Ear (2) was later succeeded by Ear.

Ear (2) retained the 11.6 mm dynamic driver size used by Ear (1), while introducing revised driver materials and internal hardware. The earbuds measure 29.4 mm × 21.5 mm × 23.5 mm and weigh 4.5 g each, while the charging case measures 55.5 mm × 55.5 mm × 22 mm and weighs 51.9 g. Each earbud contains a 33 mAh battery, while the charging case contains a 485 mAh battery. The earbuds are rated IP54 for resistance to dust and water splashes, while the charging case has an IP55 rating. Nothing rated Ear (2) for up to 36 hours of total playback with the charging case, depending on usage conditions and whether noise cancellation was enabled. Ear (2) supports USB-C charging and Qi wireless charging. The earbuds support active noise cancellation (ANC) of up to 40 dB. Ear (2) also introduced personalised ANC, allowing users to adjust the level of noise cancellation according to their environment.^[7]

The black variant used the same hardware specifications as the original white variant and differed primarily in its exterior colour.^[5]

Ear (2) uses the pressure-based controls introduced with Ear (stick). Users can press the stem to perform actions such as play or pause playback, skip or return to previous tracks, adjust volume and activate the voice assistant. The controls can be customised through Nothing X, allowing users to assign different functions to the available press gestures.

Ear (2) can be connected to and customised through the Nothing X app. The earbuds support Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LHDC codecs. Ear (2) is Hi-Res Audio certified and supports LHDC transmission at up to 1 Mbps under supported configurations. Ear (2) introduced Dual Connection, allowing the earbuds to maintain connections with two compatible devices simultaneously. Additional features available through Nothing X include an Advanced Equaliser with a graphical interface providing control over frequency and Q Factor. Users can create multiple EQ profiles and share profiles through QR codes.

In April 2023, Nothing released Ear (2) firmware version 1.0.1.88, addressing sound distortion when using the LHDC codec, while also improving general audio latency, Adaptive ANC, connection status, call quality and in-ear detection.^[9]

The Advanced Equaliser was added to Ear (2) through Nothing X version 2.3.0 and Ear (2) firmware version 1.0.1.101 after the product's initial launch. The update also adjusted prompt sound volume, optimised battery life when LHDC 5.0 and Personal Sound Profile were enabled simultaneously, optimised call sound quality when using Active Noise Cancellation in Adaptive mode, improved noise reduction when using Active Noise Cancellation in High mode and improved the Bluetooth connection experience.^[5]

In 2024, Nothing released firmware version 1.0.1.102, which included performance and stability improvements. The update addressed issues affecting Bluetooth connections, noise cancellation, Transparency Mode, touch controls and battery behaviour.^[11]

Ear (2) also supports Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair for supported devices.