Nothing Ear (3a) debut for $99 with ‘Audio Snapshot’ storage and call recording [Gallery]

Ben Schoon | Jul 7 2026 - 3:30 am PT

Nothing Ear (3a) has arrived with the same affordable price tag, but a new feature that even the flagship lacks in the ability to record calls and general audio with built-in local storage.

Available starting today, Nothing Ear (3a) build on the company’s first pair of budget-focused earbuds, Ear (a), that launched in 2024.

At the core is the same design with a smaller case compared to Ear (3), this time with a bit more of a rounded look to its inner portion. Also new to the hardware is the addition of a pink colorway, with Nothing also offering black, white, and an “updated” yellow.

Sound is delivered through 12mm drivers that Nothing says delivers “deeper bass and greater detail.” They’ve got LDAC support, 24-bit/96kHz wireless audio, and now support for a custom Advanced EQ, the one feature that was missing from the previous generation. ANC can handle up to 45dB with a broader frequency range that Nothing says should deliver an improvement of around 17%~.

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Other hardware changes include a new extra-small eartip included in the package and a 3-stage LED for showing battery status.

But the most impressive bit here is all about recording.

Nothing Ear (3a) has 32MB of flash storage, allowing a new “Audio Snapshot” feature to record a clip of whatever it is you’re listening to – but not the audio from the microphones on the earbuds. Nothing compares this to taking a screenshot on your phone. This is done using one pinch on the earbud to start a recording and a second pinch to end the recording. It all shows up in the Nothing X app for playback, edits, and transcription.

This also supports call recording, with up to 2 hours~ of recording that are also available via the Nothing X app on your phone. There is a privacy alert when a call recording is started that both participants will hear.