OnePlus Co-Founder Carl Pei’s Nothing to Launch Ear 1 TWS Earbuds in June

Nothing, the new venture by OnePlus co-founder Carl Pei, today revealed that it is launching its first product as early as June. It will be called Ear 1, and as suggested from its name, the product will be none-other-than the company's first true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds — an answer to take on Apple's AirPods, Samsung's Galaxy Buds, and OnePlus' Buds lineups. Carl Pei and his team, which includes resources from smartphone company Essential and industrial design firm Teenage Engineering, have been developing the Ear 1 earbuds for some time. It is also touted to be a result of the recent concepts that Nothing developed since its inception in October last year.

Although exact details are yet to be revealed, Nothing Co-Founder and CEO Carl Pei said in a blog post that the Nothing Ear 1 will combine “transparency, iconic form, and refined functionality” to bring a distinct offering. A teaser image suggesting the design of the Ear 1 TWS earbuds has also been released online.

“We don't try to dress it up with a fancy name,” Pei said. “Nor do we want to sit around debating said names. We let Ear 1 speak for itself.”

The entrepreneur who grabbed many eyeballs with launching new OnePlus smartphones until last year also said that the Ear 1 was only the beginning — hinting at the plans for launching some other product categories over time.

On why Nothing chose to go with the earbuds initially, Pei said that decision was taken as “we love music, podcasts, and audiobooks.”

Nothing is yet to provide concrete details about the Ear 1 earbuds. Nevertheless, the company suggested a transparent design in a teaser posted in March. It could be a result of its partnership with Stockholm-based Teenage Engineering.

The company also confirmed to Gadgets 360 that apart from their debut in other markets, the earbuds will launch in India in June. However, the exact launch date is yet to be announced.

That being said, just like many other companies, Nothing seems to have India as a key market on its roadmap. It recently appointed former Samsung executive Manu Sharma as its chief in the country. The London-based company is also hiring local talent in the country, including for a position to kick off its online sales strategy in the Indian market ahead of the formal launch.

Is OnePlus 9R old wine in a new bottle — or something more? We discussed this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Later (starting at 23:00), we talk about the new OnePlus Watch. Orbital is available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, and wherever you get your podcasts.