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Zen Air
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Ear (2)
Company ProductName Specs




What we think

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The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 10, 2024·

If you are on a budget and need decent earbuds primarily for calls and music during exercise with good comfort and excellent build quality, Creative Labs Zen Air could suffice. However, if you are willing to spend more for better overall sound quality, including for gaming and TV, and you value features like active noise cancelling, a smaller form factor, longer battery life, and sweatproof certification, then "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) may be the better choice, especially with their low latency mode for gaming and extra accessories for a secure fit. Give Feedback

this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
  • The Creative Labs Zen Air has no clear advantages over the "Nothing" Brand Ear (2).
Advantages of the "Nothing" Brand Ear (2)
  • Good for music
  • Good for phone calls
  • Very good for gaming
  • Very good for TV and video
  • Good for exercise
  • Excellent for podcasts and audiobooks

Key differences

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Gaming

5.1
Zen Air
Ear (2)
8.5
The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

Phone Calls

5.1
Zen Air
Ear (2)
7.9
The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) is good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

Podcasts and Audiobooks

5.4
Zen Air
Ear (2)
9.1
The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) is excellent for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

TV and Video

5.6
Zen Air
Ear (2)
8.0
The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) is very good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.

Noise Reduction

7.0
Zen Air
Ear (2)
8.0
The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) is very good for noise reduction, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is good.

Battery

5.0 Hours
Zen Air
Ear (2)
6.7 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) has 6.7 hours of battery life.

Cost

$30
Zen Air
Ear (2)
$149
Product image
Product image

$0

$50

$100

$150

$200

The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) costs $149.
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Key similarities

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Music

6.8
Zen Air
Ear (2)
7.0
Although they have very similar scores, PerfectRec considers "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) to be good for music, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is only fair.

Build Quality

9.0
Zen Air
Ear (2)
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) both have excellent build quality.

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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the "Nothing" Brand Ear (2) compare to other earbuds and headphones

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Spec Comparison

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Creative Labs Zen Air"Nothing" Brand Ear (2)
Creative Labs Zen Air"Nothing" Brand Ear (2)

GENERAL

Price
$30
$149
Brand
Creative Labs"Nothing" Brand
Release Date
December 1, 2022March 1, 2023
Form Factor
EarbudsEarbuds
Connectivity
WirelessWireless

SOUND

Music Score
6.9/107.1/10
Phone Calls Score
5.1/107.9/10
Gaming Score
5.1/108.6/10
TV and Video Score
5.7/108/10
Exercise Score
6.9/107.9/10

PERFORMANCE

Battery life
5 Hours6.7 Hours
Wireless charging
YesYes
Charging time
2 Hours1 Hours
Bluetooth version
55.3.
Case Battery Life
1230

FEATURES

Active Noise Cancelling
YesYes
Noise Reduction Score
7/108/10
Virtual Surround
YesNo
Android App
YesYes
iOS App
YesYes
Mic Quality
7/107/10

BUILD AND DESIGN

Build Quality
9/109/10
Comfort score
7/108/10
Size
MediumSmall
Weight (headset or single earbud)
5 Grams4.4 Grams
Microphone style
IntegratedIntegrated

Shopping

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Creative Labs Zen Air

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Dig into reviews and images

Headphone Check

Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."

"Nothing" Brand Ear (2)

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Dig into reviews and images

Sound Guys

Jasper Lastoria | March 2023
"For the price the Nothing Ear (2) is pretty good. It fits well, and the IP54 rating (and IP55 with case) is durable enough for daily life. Most of its unique features are found in the Nothing X app, such as personalized frequency responses, and personalized, adjustable ANC."

Get a great deal on the Creative Labs Zen Air or the "Nothing" Brand Ear (2)

About Creative Labs

Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.

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Why trust us

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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.

By the numbers

108
Earbuds and headphones evaluated
11,340
Earbuds and headphones stats compiled
15
Proprietary Earbuds and headphones ratings developed
123,500
Recommendations made
18,525
Consumer hours saved

About the Earbuds or Headphones team

Joe Golden, Ph.D

CEO and Earbuds and Headphones Editor
Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.

Jason Lew

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Jason is a staff expert and software engineer that has been making laptop recommendations for 7 years and moderates one of the largest laptop subreddits.

Chandradeep Chowdhury

Staff Expert & Software Engineer
Chandradeep is a staff expert and software engineer and expert in televisions and monitors. He’s been making monitor recommendations for ten years.

Luis Torres

Earbuds and Headphones Expert
Luis is a Mexico-based headphones expert. He’s been making headphone recommendations for five years and has close to 100 pairs in his personal collection.

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