Nothing’s New Earbuds Put a Microphone in the Case

Nothing Technologies Ltd., the consumer tech startup known for its quirky hardware designs, has an unusual pitch for its new earbuds: use the case as a microphone.

The headphones, called the Ear 3, have a “Super Mic” feature that lets owners speak into the charging case for clearer voice calls. When you press a Talk button on the side of the case, the earbuds switch over to a built-in dual-microphone system. The user’s voice is relayed from the case to the buds over Bluetooth. The company says the Super Mic function is designed to be used for voice and video calls and supports popular communications apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, WhatsApp and WeChat.