Thunderbolt 5: Release date, specs, and everything we know

Intel’s Thunderbolt interface has long been one of the big draws of Intel-based PCs, and the company is already working on the next version. Thunderbolt 5, as we expect it’ll be called, is already in testing, and it’s looking to be very impressive. While it hasn’t officially been announced yet, Intel has already let some details out, and there’s some information we can infer from previous releases.

Navigate this article:

• What is Thunderbolt?
• What’s new in Thunderbolt 5?
• When is Thunderbolt 5 coming?
• Will my devices support Thunderbolt 5?

What is Thunderbolt?

Thunderbolt is a hardware interface developed by Intel, designed to allow users to connect peripherals to their PCs. Initial releases of Thunderbolt use the Mini DisplayPort connector, but Intel switched to USB Type-C starting with Thunderbolt 3. While it uses the same connector, Thunderbolt has usually offered much higher data rates than standard USB, making the technology very compelling. Thunderbolt connections enable things like plug-and-play external GPUs like the Razer Core X.

Of course, being developed by Intel, this technology is usually exclusive to Intel-based PCs. There are plenty of great laptops with both Thunderbolt 3 and Thunderbolt 4, but almost every single one of them has an Intel processor. An exception would be Apple’s latest Macs with the Apple M1 chipset, but it’s rare to see other laptops include Thunderbolt.

The current version of Thunderbolt — Thunderbolt 4 — has a data rate of 40Gbps, and that’s enough to connect two 4K displays at 60Hz, for example. That’s why we see some incredible Thunderbolt-based docks with lots of USB ports, Ethernet, display outputs, and even power delivery. A single Thunderbolt port can turn into a multitude of high-speed connections, which means you can greatly expand your PC’s capabilities.

What’s new in Thunderbolt 5?

Intel hasn’t officially announced the next generation of Thunderbolt yet, but that doesn’t mean we don’t know anything. A while back, Gregory Bryant, Executive Vice President and General Manager at the Intel Computing Group visited one of Intel’s labs where new Thunderbolt technology is being developed. The executive accidentally shared a photo that included details of a new type of connection that supports data rates of up to 80Gbps.

This effectively doubles the 40Gbps data rate of Thunderbolt 4, taking the capabilities of the connection that much further. The image also mentioned the connection will “support the existing USB ecosystem”, indicating we’ll continue to see USB Type-C being used as the connector for the Thunderbolt interface. This should help ensure backward compatibility with devices based on Thunderbolt 3 and 4.

Intel plans to achieve this using a new type of data signaling called PAM-3. PAM stands for “Pulse Amplitude Modulation”, and it works in a way that allows a device to send three different values: -1, 0, and +1. That value is determined by the amplitude of the signal relative to specific thresholds — if it’s above the high threshold, it’s a 1, below the low threshold it’s a -1, and somewhere in the middle, it’s a 0. The hardware takes two of these signals and combines them to generate a 3 bit data signal, resulting in an increased data rate.

When is Thunderbolt 5 coming?

Without an official announcement, it’s hard to say when Thunderbolt 5 will be available, but we can look at past trends to have an estimate. It took about two and a half years to go from Thunderbolt 1 to Thunderbolt 2, and then two years to get to Thunderbolt 3. This was in 2015, and it was only in 2020 that we got to see Thunderbolt 4, a significant increase in time between new releases. On top of that, Thunderbolt 4 didn’t raise the maximum data rate from Thunderbolt 3, it only made 40Gbps the default.

That suggests Thunderbolt is seemingly overdue for a refresh. On top of that, USB 4, the upcoming version of the USB standard, is based on Thunderbolt 3 and also supports 40Gbps data rates. With adoption likely to ramp up in the future, Intel will probably want to keep having an advantage over standard USB connections. The company is expected to release its 12th-generation processors sometime soon, but we haven’t officially heard anything about Thunderbolt 5 yet. It might be announced for the next generation of Intel processors after that, coming at some point in 2022. If so, we’ll likely hear something about it at CES in early January.

Will my devices support it?

As with previous generations of Thunderbolt, one of the big requirements for Thunderbolt 5 is likely going to be an Intel processor. It’s technically possible to license the Thunderbolt interface for other devices, but that adds significantly to the cost. Apple touts Thunderbolt support in its M1-based Macs, but that’s a rare example.

Even then, you shouldn’t expect every Intel-based device to support Thunderbolt 5. Even using Intel processors, Thunderbolt has additional costs for manufacturers, so more affordable PCs often skip out on support for it. Most premium and high-end laptops should support the standard, though.

As for backward compatibility, the leaked image we’ve seen suggests Thunderbolt 5 should be interoperable with Thunderbolt 3 and 4. Naturally, you’ll be limited to the data rates of the lower versions of the interface, but the devices should work all the same. Of course, without an official announcement, that’s not completely guaranteed yet. Thunderbolt should also work with devices regardless of operating system — be it Windows 11, Chrome OS, or others.

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Here’s why the Pixel 5a makes sense

The Google Pixel 5a just launched this week. For many, shiny new hardware is always the star of the show, but this time is definitely different. The Pixel 5a has a lot of the same features as the Pixel 4a 5G and the Pixel 5, right down to the camera, chipset, software, and more….so what’s the point? That’s a question we’ve been pondering ever since we heard rumors of the device, but the picture has started to become a lot clearer now that the phone is out.

Generally speaking, the Pixel “a” series is comprised of mid-tier Pixel phones that gets released in the middle of the year with the same camera as the flagship model. A mid-range smartphone with a Pixel camera is a unique selling point in and of itself, and it has given Google modest success when it comes to the mid-range smartphone segment. The trade-off is usually in performance, as both the Pixel 3a and the Pixel 4a had lower-tier chipsets compared to their flagship relatives. In contrast, the new Pixel 5a packs the same chipset as not only the Pixel 4a 5G but the Pixel 5 as well. The Pixel 5 has been discontinued, which may give us our first clue as to what exactly Google is planning here.

Did Google improve the cameras? From a cursory glance, it seems the Pixel 5a even packs similar cameras to the 4a 5G and 5, though it’s worth pointing out that the 5a actually drops the laser auto-focus module on the back. It’s hard to envision what exactly Google was going for with its release. In fact, I think an argument can be made that Google knows the Pixel 5a is in a weird spot. Months ahead of its launch, Google announced that the Pixel 5a will only launch in the U.S. and Japan, with no other countries slated for release. This was said in response to rumors that the 5a was canceled, which makes me wonder if those rumors stemmed from a genuine discussion of potentially canceling it.

Google Pixel 5a Forums

To sum it up: This is not a phone Google will mass-produce on the same level as previous Pixel “a” series devices, and that’s because it’s limited to only two regions.

But maybe there is a point?

There’s another side of the coin though. As the COVID-19 pandemic still rages across much of the globe, many are financially struggling, and a cheaper mid-range smartphone might be more enticing as a result. With the Pixel 6 series in the pipeline, we expect that both of these devices will not be cheap. A lot can be said for the potential reduction in the cost of a smartphone that re-uses much of the same design and specifications as a predecessor. Even so, the Pixel 5a still has some notable improvements over the Pixel 4a 5G, at least.

For starters, the Pixel 5a has an IP67 rating for water and dust resistance. It has a metal unibody body build instead of a plastic polycarbonate build, a much bigger battery at 4680 mAh, and actually starts at a lower price than the Pixel 4a 5G did. The Pixel 6 series is almost certainly going to encroach into the premium flagship territory in terms of pricing, and we’re expecting it to launch sometime in mid-October. When the Pixel 6 comes around, the Pixel 4a 5G would be perceived by average users to be two generations behind if it was still around, which would be a major issue for Google. And with the Pixel 5 having an already-inflated price of $699 in the U.S. thanks to the inclusion of mmWave 5G, it means that the Pixel 5 is priced too high for people looking for a sub-$500 device. While it can be argued that the Pixel 5 is a flagship smartphone, the Qualcomm Snapdragon 765G is not a flagship chipset, and $699 is a tough sell for the specifications.

In addition, it’s worth noting that the Pixel line of smartphones has historically done its best in the U.S., in no small part due to the heavier marketing and better availability of features. Releasing only one flagship a year won’t keep Google Pixel in the news, but teasing its upcoming flagship and dropping a mid-range smartphone mid-year certainly will. Given the global chip shortage as well, it’s likely that recycling a lot of older parts from previous smartphones can help drive down costs and make it much easier to actually release something to keep the Pixel line from stagnating.

If we see a base price of even $799 for the Pixel 6, that doesn’t make it much more expensive than the Pixel 5. The Pixel series needs a smartphone much cheaper than $699 in order to tide people over, and the $449 Pixel 5a might just be what does it. This would make mean that Google is bringing a trio of devices through the course of the year to cover three major price points. The “a” series has generally been a big success for Google in the U.S. thanks to its competitive pricing and useful features when compared to the rest of the market, as you get all of the Google Pixel-exclusive features like Hold For Me and (a personal favorite) Now Playing, too. While it’s easy to balk at what practically amounts to a device refresh for Google, it’s possible that the company has a plan and consumers may only stand to benefit as a result.

Google Pixel 5a

Being so close to the Pixel 6 release, the Pixel 5a is in an odd place. Still, it's hard to argue against the value it offers, especially in the U.S.

Pre-order from Google

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Under-display cameras: Do you think they’re worth it right now?

Just as 2020 was a monumental year for foldable smartphones, 2021 is shaping up to be a significant year for devices with under-display cameras. Although ZTE launched the first phone with an under-display camera last year, it was riddled with issues, and other manufacturers didn’t adopt the technology this year. Today, you have a couple of options if you wish to buy a device with an under-display camera, like the Mi MIX 4, the Galaxy Z Fold 3, and the Axon 30, but the under-display camera on these devices doesn’t quite match up to the performance of a regular selfie camera.

As Ben pointed out in his hands-on preview of the Mi MIX 4, the under-display camera on the device is just “okay.” While the phone does a better job of hiding the under-screen camera sensor than the Galaxy Z Fold 3 and the Axon 30, it still delivers images that are slightly inferior to selfies captured by other, similarly priced phones.

Since the Galaxy Z Fold 3 includes a 4MP under-display camera sensor, its performance is even worse. And while ZTE may have improved the selfie camera performance on the Axon 30, when compared to the older Axon 20, we don’t have high expectations of it either. Keep an eye out for Adam’s upcoming review of it.

Considering the aforementioned trade-offs, do you think purchasing a phone with an under-display camera makes sense at this stage? How valuable of an improvement do you think it is over other solutions, like a hole-punch, notch, or a flip/pop-up mechanism? Are you willing to live with a sub-par selfie camera just so your phone has a more immersive display? Also, taking into account that most of these phones aren’t cheap, do you think it’s worth spending the extra money to get an under-display camera instead of going for a phone with a hole-punch or a notch? Let us know what you think in the comments section below.

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This Week in Gaming: Call of Duty (again), Skyrim (yet again), and so much Pokémon

This week in gaming was one with some great game announcements, most of them centered around Pokémon. We also got the long-awaited reveal of Call of Duty: Vanguard, right in the middle of Activision’s big mess, as well as the theft of Among Us’s schtick by Fortnite. Finally, in case you missed it, Skyrim is coming out…again.

Pokémon, Pokémon, and more Pokémon

On Wednesday the Pokémon Company held its Pokémon Presents livestream, in which it revealed more details about the company’s upcoming games: The remakes Brilliant Diamond and Shining Pearl, and Pokémon Legends: Arceus. BD and SP are adorable, and we can finally see more of what the gameplay will look like in the new trailer. The game will generally be very similar to the original release, with several of the minigames intact, but players will also be able to customize their trainer’s outfit.

Pokémon Legends: Arceus, meanwhile, looks very different from most other games in the series. It’s an open-world action RPG set in the ancient Hisui region (later called Sinnoh). You play a member of the Galaxy Team, who study the Pokémon of the region. You can get into battles with Pokémon in real-time, and deploy your own captured Pokémon onto the field in order to initiate turn-based combat. It looks very different from any Pokémon I’ve thus far played, but still very interesting, like a combination of Pokémon, Breath of the Wild, and Monster Hunter. In addition to the above games, the Pokémon Company has announced that the free MOBA Pokémon Unite will launch on iOS and Android on September 22.

Activision announces Call of Duty Vanguard

It’s that time of year again: Another Call of Duty game has been announced. Most of the details on this one were leaked ahead of the official reveal, but here it is in a nutshell: The new game is called Call of Duty: Vanguard, and it takes place during World War II. The campaign features stories from multiple theaters of the war, including the Pacific and North Africa. There will also be multiplayer gaming with cross-play and cross-progression, with 20 maps being available on day one, and a zombies mode developed by Treyarch.

Activision Blizzard still hasn’t resolved the ongoing controversy surrounding the sexual harassment and discrimination against several of its workers, but we all knew they were going to announce a new Call of Duty eventually — though the ongoing scandal might be why they removed the Activision branding from the teaser trailer. The head of Sledgehammer Games, the primary developer, even addressed the situation directly, with studio head Aaron Halon saying: “While we cannot comment on the lawsuit, what I can say is that as a team, we are committed to making sure all team members feel safe, welcome, and respected.”

Fortnite swipes Among Us’s gameplay for a new mode

Fortnite, in its continuous efforts to jealously guard a massive share of gamer’s attention, has decided to steal gameplay from an indie game that dared to get even somewhat as popular as the battle royale title (somewhere the developers of PUBG are having an embittered laugh). Epic Games recently rolled out a new mode called Imposters, in which a team of eight agents must discover the two imposters hidden in their midst while doing a series of tasks and holding meetings whenever an agent is killed. Yeah, it’s Among Us. It’s so very much Among Us that even the maps are similar.

This game mode was leaked ahead of release, but it was assumed to be an official crossover, given that Fortnite is aiming to be the ultimate crossover property. Among Us developers Innersloth denied this but said it would be cool if it were to happen. Needless to say, they were not even slightly amused by this blatant rip-off of the gameplay they perfected and made popular. Marcus Bromander, one of the studio’s co-founders, said on Twitter: “We didn’t patent the Among Us mechanics. I don’t think that leads to a healthy game industry. Is it really that hard to put 10% more effort into putting your own spin on it though?”

Skyrim is coming out yet again (oh, and so is Quake)

The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim is getting its fiftieth release (by my count), this time a “definitive” version called The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim Anniversary Edition. This version contains the base game, all of the DLCs, and over 500 pieces of content from the Creation Club, which includes “pre-existing and new quests, dungeons, bosses, weapons, spells, and more!” Oh, and in case you aren’t confused already, those who already own the Special Edition will get a free next-gen upgrade, but it won’t be the full Anniversary Edition.

But we’re all used to hearing about yet another Skyrim release, so it was more of a pleasant surprise to hear that Quake has just been remastered for all consoles. That’s right, one of the OG FPSes is now available on Xbox One, PS4, PC, and Nintendo Switch, with a free next-gen upgrade for PS5 and Xbox Series X/S on the way. It includes the two original expansions, as well as two from MachineGames: “Dimension of the Past,” and the all-new “Dimension of the Machine.” It’ll also feature online and local co-op, as well as crossplay. We love to see it!

August’s Free Games Via Subscription Services

For this part of the weekly gaming update, we’ll add the games that have been added to or announced for subscription and streaming services.

Xbox Game Pass new game additions:

• Humankind (PC) — August 17
• Need for Speed Heat (Cloud) — August 17
• Star Wars Battlefront II (Cloud) — August 17
• Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order (Cloud) — August 17
• Recompile (Cloud, PC, Xbox Series X/S) — August 19
• Train Sim World 2 (Cloud, Console, PC) — August 19
• Twelve Minutes (Cloud, Console, PC) — August 19
• Psychonauts 2 (Cloud, Console, PC) — August 25
• Myst (Cloud, Console, PC) — August 26

Games released this week:

Ghost of Tsushima Director's Cut

The update to the amazing Ghost of Tsushima adds the Iki Island expansion as well as several improvements for next-gen.

Available on PlayStation 5

Available on PlayStation 4

Madden NFL 22

The latest iteration of the Madden football game series includes a long-overdue refresh to Franchise mode.

Available on Xbox One

Available on PlayStation 4

Greak: Memories of Azur

This single-player sidescrolling puzzle title features beautiful hand-drawn art and follows the story of three siblings.

Available on Nintendo Switch

Available on PlayStation 5

• 12 Minutes: Xbox Series X/S & One, PC (via Steam)
• Recompile: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC (via Steam), PC (via Epic Games Store), PC (via GOG)
• Quake Remastered: PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, PC (via Steam), PC (via Bethesda)

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Google’s Pixel 5a seems to easily overheat when recording video outdoors

The recently released Google Pixel 5a seems to easily overheat when recording video outdoors, according to reports from reviewers. It appears that after a long period of recording (particularly at 4K 60 FPS), the phone will ask you to stop recording as it’s beginning to overheat. We noticed the same in our Google Pixel 5a review, and we tested and compared it against a number of other devices in order to find out if this problem was unique to the Google Pixel 5a.

Yup. Tested it myself on my Pixel 5a, 70 degrees inside in the A/C and on 4K @ 60 FPS it just takes a matter of minutes to overheat. This is terrible… pic.twitter.com/Pde8GcL6KU

— TechOdyssey | #TechRejects (@AdamJMatlock) August 18, 2021

The Google Pixel 5a’s overheating problem (via Android Police) seems like a pretty glaring issue to ship a phone with. In our testing, we found that the Google Pixel 5a was forcefully stopped by the OS at 9 minutes and 32 seconds in when recording at 4K 60 FPS. TechOdyssey notes in a follow-up tweet that he has also faced overheating problems when recording at 4K 30 FPS and at 1080p 30 FPS.

We tested the following devices when recording at 4K 60 FPS at roughly 70°F room temperature (21°C), to see whether or not this is a problem unique to the Google Pixel 5a.

• ZenFone 8 (18 min warning, 27 min forced stop)
• Realme GT (stopped at 1:04 manually, no warning or forced stop)
• Huawei P40 Pro (stopped at 1 hour manually, no warning or forced stop)
• LG Velvet (stopped at 58 minutes manually, recorded at 4K30 because no 4K60 was available, no warning or forced stop)
• Xiaomi Mi 10 Pro (stopped at 1 hour manually, no warning or forced stop)
• Google Pixel 4 (stopped at 1 hour manually, no warning or forced stop)
• Google Pixel 5a (9 minutes and 32 seconds in, recording was forcefully stopped by OS)
• Google Pixel 5 (stopped at 1 hour manually, no warning or forced stop)

As you can see above, most devices handled long recording at 4K 60 FPS perfectly fine. The Google Pixel 5a not only stopped recording, but it stopped recording fairly quickly. Even the Google Pixel 5 with the same chipset was perfectly fine, though the ZenFone 8 struggled at the roughly-half -hour mark.

70°F is not exactly a high ambient temperature, and might even be an average temperature in a lot of places in the U.S. during the summer. TechOdyssey notes that his problems were faced indoors while recording with an AC on in order to regulate temperature, and all of our testing was indoors too. It’s possible that Google will release a statement (or even a software update in the future to try and fix this problem), and we’ll be sure to report back if the company does so.

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Nothing ear (1) TWS Earbuds Review: Clearly gets the basics right

When Carl Pei, the co-founder of OnePlus announced his exit from the company last year, a lot of people were excited to know about his next venture. Since OnePlus was a brand that catered to enthusiasts, the expectations from whatever was to follow were quite high. Earlier this year, Carl revealed that his new undertaking would be called Nothing, with a focus on integrating tech seamlessly into people’s lives. What followed over the course of the next few months was constant hype on social media with the company posting teasers every now and then, quite reminiscent of the OnePlus hype machine. We finally now have the brand’s first finished product with us — the Nothing ear (1).

Nothing’s first launch is a pair of truly wireless earbuds that stand out from the mundane, ubiquitous pairs of generic wireless earphones. Upon first look, they’re nothing like what you would imagine a pair of TWS earphones would look like. A transparent case, partially see-through housing for the earbuds, and the brand’s core philosophy of integrating tech with everyday life are what constitutes the Nothing ear (1)’s key selling points.

The important question to ask here though is whether the Nothing ear (1) delivers on its main intended purpose — does it even sound good? After all, that’s what you’re buying a pair of earphones for. We’ve used the Nothing ear (1) for a while now, and here’s what we think about it.

About this review: Nothing sent us a pair of the ear (1)’s for review. This review was written after using them for more than a week. The brand did not have any input into the contents of this review.

Nothing ear (1): Specifications

Specification	Nothing ear (1)
Dimensions & Weight	Earbuds 28.9mm x 21.5mm x 23.5mm 4.7g per earbuds Charging Case 58.6mm x 58.6mm x 23.7mm 57.4g
Speaker	11.6mm Dynamic driver 0.34CC Chamber
ANC	Up to -40dB Two modes: Light and Max Transparency Mode
Connectivity	Bluetooth 5.2 AAC SBC
Gestures	Auto-pause on removal Tap gestures Slide gestures for volume control
Battery and Charging	Earbuds 31mAh each 4 hours with ANC 5.7 hours without ANC Charging Case 570mAh 24 hours additional playback (ANC) 34 hours (without ANC)
Compatibility	Android 5.1 and above iOS 11 and above
Water resistance	IPX4
Price	$99 €99 £99 ₹5,999

Build and Design

The Nothing ear (1)’s case is built completely out of clear plastic. While it surely makes the case stand out from typical TWS earbuds, it’s a scratch magnet. Most cases for TWS earbuds are made up of plastic and therefore easy to scratch. However, since most cases also have a paint job either in black on white, the scratches wouldn’t be as visible as they are on the Nothing ear (1). However, there’s no denying the earphones look very pretty inside the transparent casing.

It’s not just the case of the earbuds that stands out. The earbuds themselves have a unique, half-transparent design on the stem that shows off the internal circuitry. The overall theme of the Nothing ear (1) seems pretty clear — a distinct design that’s recognizable from afar. The earbuds also have colored indicators that are also present in the case. These indicate which earbud goes where inside the case. Again, a simple but helpful touch.

The outer lid of the case has a dimple that serves two purposes — one, it holds the earphones in place inside the case, and two, it acts as a perfect groove to rest your thumb in and use the case as a makeshift fidget spinner. The overall footprint of the case is larger than what you would get with most other TWS earphones. As a result, the Nothing ear (1) isn’t the most comfortable pair of earphones to carry in your jeans pocket.

Comfort

What is comfortable though, is the fit of the earbuds. Nothing is using liquid silicone ear tips on the ear (1) which is soft and easily fits into the ear canal. Personally, I’m not a big fan of in-ear-style earphones. It’s difficult to find the right size of tips that fit and stay inside my ear and even once they’re in, I can’t wear them for an extended period as they start to feel uncomfortable. Surprisingly, I didn’t encounter any of these issues with the Nothing ear (1).

The Nothing ear (1) is one of the most comfortable pairs of earbuds that I've tried.

I swapped out the default medium-sized tips for the small ones provided in the box (you also get a set of bigger ones) and the earbuds stayed inside my ear even during rigorous workouts. Speaking of workouts, the ear (1) is IPX4 rated, so sweat shouldn’t cause any issues. I’m not sure if it’s the liquid silicone making the difference here or the shape of the earbuds, but the bottom line is the Nothing ear (1) is one of the most comfortable pairs of earbuds that I’ve tried.

Nothing ear (1): Sound Quality

The Nothing ear (1) heavily relies upon its unique design to turn heads towards it. Will it make you groove and move your head though? The short answer is yes. Nothing has partnered with Teenage Engineering to build the ear (1) and they’ve done a pretty good job. There’s nothing extraordinary about the sound produced by the ear (1), but the sound signature is such that it’s going to please most people.

The sound is balanced with an emphasis on both bass and treble. It didn’t feel like some frequencies were overpowering the others. Vocals are clear and the instrument separation is also great. Now, let me make it clear these are not meant to compete against the big guns like Sony’s WF-1000 XM4 or even the XM3 for that matter, or Apple’s AirPods Pro. The Nothing ear (1) sells at a different price point and for the price, you’re getting a pair of earphones that sound good.

The sound signature is going to please most people.

Depending on which part of the world you’re in and how much more you’re willing to spend, there could be other options better than the Nothing ear (1) in terms of audio quality. The newly-announced Samsung Galaxy Buds 2, for example, is about $50 more in the US and is very similar to the Galaxy Buds Pro, one of our top recommendations for the best TWS earphones. If you’re in India, there aren’t a lot of options around the ₹6k mark that sound better than the Nothing ear (1).

Active Noise Cancellation (ANC)

As for the Active Noise Cancellation, the Nothing ear (1) does a fairly good job at cutting out constant noise like the sound from a ceiling fan or a moving train. Again, don’t expect it to perform like the premium offerings from Sony or Apple. The sound of traffic outside your house or a baby crying for example is what the ANC on the ear (1) will struggle with. There are two levels of ANC that you can choose from – light and maximum. There’s also a transparency mode.

If you take a lot of calls, the Nothing ear (1) will serve the purpose, but it’s not the best out there when it comes to canceling out background noise. At times, the opposite party even complained about slightly muffled voice quality when on a call. We also experienced some sort of static noise during online meetings that can get quite annoying. A firmware update has improved the usability but the static can still be heard at times.

App and Gesture Controls

The different modes of ANC we mentioned can be controlled via the ear (1) app that’s available on both Android and iOS. The app has a simple UI and also offers some equalizer presets. You can also update the firmware on the earbuds using the app. Apart from this, the Nothing ear (1) has support for gesture controls that can also be modified via the app.

You can choose custom operations for triple-tap and tap-and-hold. The earbuds also have auto-pause functionality when you remove them from your ear but this was slightly finicky during our usage. The other gestures worked accurately for the most part thanks to a flat stem that makes it easier to perform the tap gestures. You can also slide your finger over the stem to increase or decrease the volume level which is quite handy.

Battery Life

Throughout our usage, we were able to get about three-and-a-half to four hours of listening time via the earbuds at about 75% volume and ANC turned on. If you’re going to make or attend a lot of calls or meetings, the battery life will drop slightly. With ANC turned off, we were able to stretch the battery to a little over five hours. The case can top-up the earbuds about five times if you use the buds with ANC and about six times if you don’t.

When you run out of juice on the earbuds, placing them inside the case for 10 minutes can give you up to an hour of playback time. Charging the case itself for ten minutes via the USB-C port will give you about six hours of playback time with ANC and eight hours without. The Nothing ear (1) also supports Qi Wireless charging. The numbers aren’t great since we’ve seen several TWS earbuds offering upwards of six hours of battery life. The lower capacity is probably a by-product of the unique design choices made by Nothing.

Verdict: Should you buy the Nothing ear (1)?

If you’re looking for a pair of TWS earphones that are comfortable, look different, sound decent, and have ANC, the Nothing ear (1) fits the bill perfectly. However, the same question we asked earlier is relevant once again — which part of the world are you in and how much are you willing to spend on a pair of wireless earbuds?

If you’re in India, the Nothing ear (1) is a no-brainer at ₹5,999. There’s no other real contender at that price point other than the Samsung Galaxy Buds+ but those lack ANC and will likely be discontinued in favor of the Buds 2 when that launches in the country.

It doesn't do anything extraordinary nor is it particularly bad at anything. It just works, and frankly, that's what most people want.

If you’re in the US though, there are several options around the $100 mark you can consider and if you’re willing to spend more, the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 at $149 seems like a better option. Samsung generally has a few offers going on and if you buy a new phone like the Galaxy Z Fold 3 or the Galaxy Z Flip 3 from their website, you can also get store credits which you can use to pick up the Buds 2 effectively for free. If your budget is strictly limited to $99, you won’t regret picking up the Nothing ear (1).

Nothing ear (1)

The Nothing ear (1) is a pair of Truly Wireless Earphones with ANC that comes with a distinct design.

Features:

Pros: Cons:

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The Nothing ear (1) gets most of the basics right. It doesn’t do anything extraordinary nor is it particularly bad at anything. It just works, and frankly, that’s what most people want, which is exactly what makes it a sound choice for consumers.

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WhatsApp prepares to expand multi-device support to iPad and Android tablets

WhatsApp is preparing to add multi-device support to iPad and Android tablets, expanding on the multi-device support beta that began to roll out for select users last month. Multi-device support means that it’s possible to run WhatsApp on multiple devices simultaneously. You can have the same WhatsApp account up and running on up to four non-phone devices. What this means is that you still can’t use the same WhatsApp account on more than one phone, but you’ll be able to use the same account on WhatsApp for Web, Desktop, and Portal at the same time. Now the company is preparing to add support for iPad and Android tablets, too.

NEWS: WhatsApp is finally working on multi-device 2.0, and you can use iPad as new linked device
Android tablets are also planned to support multi-device on WhatsApp for Android!

It’s under development and it will be released in a future update. Follow me to discover more pic.twitter.com/rND4xQfBDj

— WABetaInfo (@WABetaInfo) August 20, 2021

This upcoming feature was spotted by WABetaInfo. Previously, the only way to access WhatsApp on your PC was by having your phone be connected to the internet at all times, after being linked up by scanning a QR code. This meant that if you turned off mobile data or ran out of battery, you would lose access to WhatsApp on PC.

How multi-device compatibility works is that your companion device will connect to your WhatsApp account independently. The company says they have developed a new architecture to ensure end-to-end encryption is not compromised while syncing chats, contact names, chat archives, starred messages, and all other information across devices.

Companion devices are linked by scanning a QR code, and on compatible devices, WhatsApp will also enforce biometric authentication as an extra layer of security. Users can see all their companion devices that are paired through the app, and they can also see when they were last used. They can log out remotely, too. For more information, check out WhatsApp’s FAQ page about the multi-device feature.

Given that Android tablets aren’t too far removed from Android smartphones, it’s possible that the company may slowly be moving towards introducing multi-device support across multiple phones. There currently is no way to log in on multiple smartphones at once through WhatsApp, though it may finally be on the way in the future.

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