Nothing to raise Ear (1) prices to coincide with Ear (1) Stick launch

Nothing CEO and founder Carl Pei has announced an update to the Ear (1), albeit probably an unwelcome one. Taking to Twitter, Pei confirmed that the Ear (1) will become significantly more expensive on October 26, which is a week tomorrow. While Pei has only mentioned a price rise in the US, we imagine that the increase will apply in other markets too, especially considering the strength of the US dollar against other currencies like the Euro.

Citing increased production costs, Pei states that a new pair of Ear (1) earbuds will soon cost US$149, a US$50 price hike on Nothing's launch price. Surprisingly, Pei attempts to justify the price range by pointing out that the Ear (1) earbuds have received 15 firmware updates since release, while Nothing now employs 185 engineers, up from 3 when the Ear (1) arrived.

Supposedly, Nothing has sold 600,000 pairs of the Ear (1) earbuds to date, although it remains to be seen whether demand remains at 1.5x their original price tag. Incidentally, the Ear (1) will move up to US$149 on the day that Nothing releases the Ear (1) Stick. Based on teasers and various leaks, the Ear (1) Stick contains the same earbuds but in a more compact case than the regular Ear (1). Hence, we would not be surprised if Nothing presented the Ear (1) Stick for US$149, too.

Purchase the Nothing Ear (1) on Amazon