Nothing might be best known for its smartphones, but it has also established itself pretty solidly as a place to get unique and lower-cost audio wearables. That’s why today’s announcement, a 3.5mm wired variant of the Nothing Ear earbuds, wasn’t too much of a shocker, considering audiophiles still love wired audio.
Unfortunately, I had already taken the news seriously before remembering today’s date. That’s right, it is April Fool’s Day, which means that every single company you know is about to announce some expressly negative change or product to “fool” you. Besides the obvious joke of a 50-meter cable, Nothing might not have done it right.
Nothing’s New Wired Earphones Are Just a Joke for the Day
Nothing isn’t a stranger to the audio market, so when I heard that the company unveiled a new variant to its Nothing Ear product, it seemed like nothing to hate on. The only difference was that these new earbuds were wired, ending with a 3.5mm plug and not a USB-C connector like most wired headphones opt for these days.
Unfortunately, if you’re a rather perceptive person, you might have smelled that something was off, particularly when Nothing mentioned that the earbuds came with a 50-meter cable—for reference, you’ll be hard-pressed to find anything longer than a 3-meter cable for most tech.
Of course, everything is pretty much sealed as a joke the moment you take a look at the calendar. Today is April 1st, which means every brand you know is going to use today as an opportunity to joke around and fool people with outrageous “new” products. That means, no, there’s no wired variant of the Nothing Ear coming. Normally, this wouldn’t be a big deal, since it’s April Fool’s Day. However…
Smartphone and Audio Purists Are Being Fooled With a Product Many Actually Want
It’s been a while since flagships decided to universally ditch the 3.5mm port. These days, the ones that come with it, such as gaming phones or Sony’s flagships, are seen as the outliers. For the most part, the populace has moved on to wireless audio devices, forced to do so by the death of the headphone port. However, for many people, particularly those who truly value the audio experience, 3.5mm will always be better than digital.
That’s particularly why Nothing’s attempt at a joke isn’t one that will go down well with a lot of people. I recently bought a pair of USB-C wired earphones—I already had the Galaxy Buds 2 Pro when I did—and I use them a lot more than one might think in 2025. I’m sure I’m not the only person like that, so this kind of joke just seems like teasing the fanbase with a product that isn’t quite that outrageous.
I understand the whole “50-meter cable” thing is meant to make this an obvious prank. But the fact that you can remove that one thing and get a product that might actually sell well is why I think Nothing could have benefited from hitting the drawing board again. Don’t tease an actual consumer segment like that. Headphone jack and SD card slot lovers have been burned enough times.
