London-based consumer tech brand Nothing has a clever take on black on the new iteration of its debut device, Ear (1). The metaphorically-loaded colour can be the shade of rage, strength, mood, perspective, a source of shadow, that which complements light, and the pigment of the printed word.

When Nothing presented the original version of the Ear (1) wireless earbuds, it was meant to break the mould created by Apple and Samsung, and embraced by other brands. In the last couple of months, if not anything, Nothing has managed to win customers around the world with not just pricing, but also a well thought out product that delivers a good soundstage in large swathes.

The new black edition is a perfect companion to the white version. If the white and transparent plastic colour scheme appeared fetching, so does the black edition, which still comes with transparent plastic in its construction and has a matte black plastic.

Nothing changes on the Nothing product (yup, never thought this usage would be possible!). You will continue to get around 5.7 hours of battery life with noise cancelling turned off, the same excellent degree of active noise cancellation, and an outstanding soundstage made possible by 11.6mm drivers. There is still IPX4 water resistance and wireless charging using Qi.

Yet, it seems there is a lot more to the product. I had doubts about how the device would hold up in a few months. However distasteful it may sound but I wondered if ear wax would show up in the transparent design of the earbuds, will the case remain scratch free, if playtime remains up to 34 hours with the case and will the earbuds remain lodged where it should be during morning walks and runs. Founder Carl Pei and his team have kept their promise to deliver one of the year’s best sound cans.

The idea behind the black version is to show that Ear (1) earbuds are now carbon neutral, and that the company has worked with third-party certification company SGS to help assess and neutralise its carbon footprint.

In case you are wondering about sound quality, it’s spot on. The horns, harps and harmonica quartets on Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band are delivered well, capturing the vaudevillian theme while the melodrama in She’s Leaving Home is on point. Within You Without You stretches the soundscape without distorting it. Or listening to Joni Mitchell’s Blue. The vocals come through and so does the melding of romanticism and forbearance as she sings in A Case of You: Oh, you’re in my blood like holy wine/ You taste so bitter and so sweet/ Oh, I could drink a case of you, darling/ And I would still be on my feet.

There is warmth in the sound and a nice thump when required but what’s thankfully never there is a muddled soundstage. Call quality is quite clear, easily isolating the voice from the noise of city streets.

Always crisp, Nothing continues to put a lot of thought into its products while Ear (1) has sparked creativity in what had become a boring segment. What next? It should be something worth the wait.

At a glance

The two colour variants of Nothing’s Ear (1)

Device: Nothing Ear (1) Black Edition

Price: Rs 6,999

Availability: December 13

High notes

• Excellent design

• What you get is almost ultra-back, which looks smart

• Good noise cancellation

• Wireless charging

Muffled notes

• The square box may not appeal to everyone