The Ear (1) was Nothing's first publicly released product, launching the company's audio product line in 2021. It introduced Nothing's transparent design language and established design principles that would influence the company's products and services in the years that followed.

“It is the starting point that will define the artistry, confidence and craftsmanship that will carry our products and services for years to come.” - Carl Pei, Nothing, 11 May 2021^[1]

Ear (1)'s model number is B181 and Pokémon codename is Aipom.

Nothing launched the Ear (1) on 27 July 2021, with the product priced at £99 / $99 / €99 / INR 5,999. Availability began with a limited drop on 31 July 2021 at 14:00 BST through nothing.tech, followed by open sales on 17 August 2021 across 45 countries and regions.^[2] Prior to its launch, Nothing announced a retail partnership with Smartech and Selfridges. The Ear (1) was planned to be available at Selfridges London through Smartech and at Selfridges.com when it launched.^[3] In September 2021, Nothing introduced a weekly restock schedule for Europe, North America and Australia, with the first restock taking place on 14 September. Subsequent restocks were scheduled every Tuesday, with shipping times expected to be approximately one week.^[4] The Ear (1) was initially released in white.

Nothing introduced the Ear (1) Black Edition on 1 December 2021, featuring a smoky transparent case and black earbuds while retaining the same hardware and features as the original version. Limited online and in-store drops began on 8 December, followed by open sales on nothing.tech from 13 December.^[5] The Ear (1) was also available for purchase at the Nothing Kiosk, which opened in London in December 2021.^[6] In October 2022, Nothing announced a 50% price increase to $149, citing a rise in costs.^[7]

Ear (1) was succeeded by Ear (2).

Both the case and earbuds featured clear plastic, establishing the transparent design language that became characteristic of Nothing's products. The Ear (1) weighs 4.7 g per earbud and 57.4 g for the charging case. The earbuds measure 28.9 mm × 21.5 mm × 23.5 mm, while the case measures 58.6 mm × 58.6 mm × 23.7 mm.^[8] The earbuds use an 11.6 mm dynamic driver with a graphene and polyurethane (PU) diaphragm.^[8] Each earbud has three microphones used for noise cancellation and voice calls.^[8] The Ear (1) is rated IPX4 for resistance to water splashes. The charging case supports USB-C charging and Qi wireless charging.^[11] The earbuds provide up to 4 hours of playback with ANC enabled or 5.7 hours with ANC disabled. With the charging case, total playback is rated at up to 24 hours with ANC enabled or 34 hours with ANC disabled. A 10-minute charge provides up to 1.2 hours of playback.^[12] The Ear (1) features active noise cancellation with Maximum and Light modes, as well as Transparency Mode and an option to turn ANC off.^[13]

The Ear (1) uses capacitive touch controls located on the stems of the earbuds. Users can use touch gestures to control playback, adjust volume and activate other functions. The available gestures can be customised through the Ear (1) Companion App. Voice Assistant can also be assigned to the Triple Tap gesture.^[13]

The Ear (1) connects to and can be customised through the Ear (1) Companion App. The earbuds use Bluetooth 5.2 and support the SBC and AAC audio codecs.^[15] The Ear (1) can be paired with multiple devices, but only one device can be used at a time. It automatically connects to the last paired device when removed from the charging case. The earbuds have a Bluetooth range of approximately 10 metres.^[13] The companion app provides controls for ANC settings, equaliser adjustments, touch gestures, firmware updates and the Find My Earbud feature. The app is supported on Android 5.0 and later and iOS 13 and later.^[13]

In 2022, the Ear (1) Companion App was transitioned to the Nothing X app. Users without a Phone (1) could update the Ear (1) app through Google Play or the App Store, after which it automatically became Nothing X while retaining access to Ear (1) settings and features.^[18] On Phone (1) running Nothing OS 1.1.4 or later, Ear (1) and Ear (stick) settings were instead integrated into the Device Details menu, removing the standalone Nothing X app icon from the device.^[19] The Ear (1) supports Google Fast Pair on compatible Android and Chrome OS devices.^[13] The companion app also included several documented easter eggs, including an option to customise the charging case's indicator light and an interactive prototype display known as “Ear (0)”.^[21]