Yes, the early Black Friday deals are picking up – but I’m here to tell you that you no longer have to wait for those if you’re on the market for earbuds. This is the best deal on a set of already-budget earbuds you’re going to see – and the step-up set is also now outrageously good for the money.
I’m TechRadar’s Audio Editor and I’ve been doing this for more years than I’d care to admit, but even I’m surprised Nothing has done this – especially on the stone cold five-star Nothing Ear (a), but every day is a learning day. Right now at Amazon, you can get the Nothing Ear (a) for just £69 (was £99) a return to their previous rock-bottom sale price. And I’m not done! The flagship Nothing Ear can be yours for £99 (usually £129) – both at Amazon.
This means the pricier pair has actually dropped to the cheapest fee we’ve seen yet, although only by 58p – but hey, you want a lowest-ever-price bargain? I’ve just given you two. And both products are excellent for the money.
OK so excellent deals, but you prefer over-ears? My Black Friday headphones deals roundup is the place to go. Or, I’ve also got a best Black Friday earbuds deals page for your perusal if Nothing isn’t top of your list.
The two budget-friendly Nothing earbuds deals you need this Black Friday
OK so you love them both. Which should you pick? Our Nothing Ear vs Nothing Ear (a) feature is a great place to start – and after that, our Nothing Ear review and Nothing Ear (a) review will probably finalise your decision.
Essentially, it’ll come down to Nothing’s excellent sound personalisation. The flagship pair lets you conduct a short hearing test and afterwards, the buds will compensate for the nuances in your own hearing to balance your music for you (and only you). The Ear (a) don’t offer this feature. Our reviewer called it “a game-changing way of enjoying your music better – and I don’t say that lightly”.
You’ll also find a slightly more advanced equaliser in the Nothing Ear compared to the (a), but the features are delivered in both sets via the likeable and slick Nothing X app, where you can change what the bud touch controls do, switch up noise cancellation modes and an awful lot more.
Talking of ANC, both options offer several modes. There’s transparency (which you’ll already know about), then three intensities of ‘proper’ ANC that increase the strength of the noise cancellation – but do affect your battery life as a result. An adaptive mode changes which ANC you’re using them on the fly to save power. In both versions, the ANC is as good as I’ve heard for this money.
Both buds also have a ChatGPT feature which lets you use the AI chatbot as your virtual assistant instead of Alexa, Siri or the Google Assistant. However, it’s important to note that this only works for people with a Nothing phone.
My advice? I have a set of Nothing Ear (a) in yellow, and I adore them. But it’s up to you, of course.
More Black Friday deals to consider
- Amazon: up to 68% off toothbrushes and TVs
- AO: savings on games consoles and appliances
- Argos: up to 50% off toys, Lego, TVs and gifts
- Boots: up to 50% off Dyson, Oral-B and Philips
- Currys: early deals on TVs, appliances, laptops
- Dell: laptops, desktops, monitors from £299
- Dyson: up to £150 off
- Ebay: up to 50% off refurbished tech
- EE: up to £600 off Samsung and Apple
- John Lewis: up to £300 off appliances and TVs
- LG: £1,000 or more off TVs and appliances
- Samsung: up to £600 off TVs, phones and tablets
- Very: up to 30% off phones, appliances & clothing