The “early adopter tax” is sometimes mentioned in relation to new technology. The concept is that a company’s initial attempt at an idea might not be flawless; it could be glitchy, poorly made, or otherwise fall short in some way. Nothing is new. An example are the genuine wireless Ear 1 earbuds. When we examined them last year, we discovered that they had various faults and lacked some software capabilities at launch due to a lack of polish. in this article we will show you Nothing Ear (Stick) review. The Ear Stick, on the other hand, have the impression of being earphones from a firm that is still growing. This time around, there have been significantly fewer connectivity and charging concerns, and Nothing has upgraded its app to give users more flexibility over their shortcut and sound controls. Additionally, they come in a novel cylinder casing that is entertaining to use. However, the Ear Stick are more of a simple substitute for the Ear 1 earphones than a replacement. There is no wireless charging, no silicone ear tips that passively mute out background noise, and no active noise cancelling. you read our article on Nothing Ear Stick review.
Design
The cylindrical charging case for the Ear (stick) is unlike anything we’ve seen on the market previously, underscoring Nothing’s dedication to creating enjoyable and tactile items. The case feels remarkably tactile, and we have to add that we are particularly impressed with the packaging box the Ear (stick) ships in, which looks nothing like the standard carton packaging typically used to market a pair of $99 earbuds. Nothing says: “The case is inspired by lipstick silhouettes and features a unique, yet functional, twist opening.”
Comfort
The Ear (stick) earbuds themselves have an outside-the-canal, half-in-ear configuration. We can honestly claim that they feel quite light in our ears while weighing less than the Ear (1) at 0.15 ounces per earbud. Despite the fact that we wouldn’t suggest using them as exercise partners, they also feel very comfortable. They are, however, quite well protected should you feel the need to do so because they are IP54-rated for dust, water, and sweat resistance.
Nothing Ear Stick review: Connectivity
The upgraded Nothing X app, which offers more choices, is compatible with Nothing Ear Stick. If you use a Nothing phone, connecting the ear stick to your phone will be considerably easier because to the app’s minimal customizing options. Because the Ear Stick has in-ear sensing, the music immediately stops when you take out one of the earbuds. The song restarts once you put them back inside. When you press the stem, the touch controls turn on. The choices in the companion app allow for customization of touch controls. Due to this, we were unable to check for a firmware upgrade that would enhance the call quality and sound quality. Additionally, we haven’t been able to experiment with the equalizer or change the earbud’s controls. We’ve utilized the Ear Sticks with an iPad Pro, an iPhone 14 Pro, a Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, as well as a Mac Mini M1. They have successfully linked to each device, and stability has been flawless. The Bluetooth range from our iPhone was about 8 meters, but it was insufficient compared to the range of our Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones or AirPods Pro, which is several meters further in our home. To adjust playback and volume, each earbud has a touch-sensitive panel built into the stem. When the earbuds are in, it is simple to find, and pressing it results in a clear “click,” which helps you verify your activity. Short presses play or pause the music by default, long presses change the volume (left for lower volume and right for higher level), and double taps advance songs. Although the control scheme works fairly well, unintentional pushes are occasionally made, and we frequently halt playback when adjusting the Ear Stick to ensure it is positioned correctly.
Noise cancelling
The Nothing Ear (Stick) features three microphones per earphone to capture both background noise and your own voice. More than a million different environmental noises are found and eliminated using Clear Voice technology. We put noise suppression to the test by making calls in a range of settings, including traffic, a construction site, and windy conditions. The call partner never noticed the noise in any of the cases. Additionally, the voice quality was discovered to be excellent. you can check our article on Nothing Ear Stick review.
Audio performance
The lack of ANC in the Nothing Ear Stick may be disappointing to many individuals. Lack of ANC was a problem for me as well because the Ear Stick lets in a lot of noise when one is in crowded settings like a market or a subway station. Additionally, because there are no silicone ear tips, the sound of what you are listening to does escape outside, so you can’t play anything loud unless you want everyone nearby to know what you are listening to. The largest dynamic driver available for less than $10,000 is found in the Ear Stick, which has 12.6mm of size. Every nuance of the song can be clearly heard thanks to the larger drivers’ crisper highs. It’s a full-body experience to listen to upbeat party music. Punchy bass that fits well with tracks that include bass-boosted music. Even if there are too many instruments playing at once, listening to it doesn’t wear out the hearing. The singer’s voice was melodic and clear, and the gentle sufi music was calming.
Call performance
The treble on the earbuds is balanced, so even at maximum volume, the voices don’t sound shrill. As a result, listening to music loudly is not a problem. When it comes to call quality, the earbuds deliver a respectable sound quality. When you receive a call, the device automatically connects to your phone, and both ends of the call had excellent speech quality. Voice and video calls worked without a hitch, and talks were audibly clear. Nothing mentions that the Clear Voice Technology in The Ear (stick) uses three high definition mics in conjunction with updated algorithms to filter out louder background noises to create wind- and crowd-proof calls. This technology claims that The Ear (stick) has improved call performance compared to the Ear (1). With Phone 1, there is a low lag setting available. SBC and AAC audio codecs are supported by Bluetooth 5.2, which is used by the Ear (stick). For the duration of our use of the Ear, connectivity to our iPhone remained steady (stick). For eligible devices, Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are also on board.
Nothing Ear Stick review: Battery and charging
The Ear stick battery’s life is listed as seven hours of music playback and three hours of talk time. The wireless headphones should be able to support 12 hours of talk time and 29 hours of music playback when charged with the charging case. In the test, these values were repeatable. The charging case could recharge the earbuds more than four times before the battery was completely depleted. The TWS headphones managed a playback time of little under eight hours when listening to an audiobook. The Nothing Ear (stick) was loaded with five hours of standby time, one hour of talk time, and three hours of music playback for use throughout the day. Nine percent of both earphones’ batteries were still charged. The case on the charger should absorb enough energy in ten minutes to playback for an additional nine hours. Within ten minutes, our measuring gadget calculated a 594 mWh energy use. Within 55 minutes, the case and the earbuds had received their full charge, with the case absorbing 1,647 mWh.
Price and availability
For $99, or 99 British pounds, the Nothing Ear Stick earphones are offered through Nothing’s online store. The Oppo Enco Air, the Urbanears Boo, and the Huawei FreeBuds 4 are just a few of the semi-open headphones that are more affordable than Apple’s AirPods 3. The fancy decor of this place costs extra. We frequently use the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live for calls and music and enjoy their excellent sound quality and innovative ANC feature, which reduces outside noise without entirely shutting us off. They outperform ear sticks in our opinion. Interestingly, Nothing has decided to raise the price of the Ear 1 earphones from $99 to $150. The company claims this is due to increased costs, but it’s hard to help but wonder if it’s also because the Ear Sticks are now selling for that amount. At $99, the Ear 1 offered incredible value, but we don’t believe the Ear Stick earbuds offer the same. You received a wonderful deal if you were able to purchase the Ear 1 headphones prior to the price hike. We understand that the semi-open form of the Ear Sticks won’t always appeal to the same individuals as the Ear 1 does, but we also can’t advocate them in the same way we did with the Ear 1. They simply don’t offer as much value as the Ear 1 did at this price. Nevertheless, some elements that might not have had an impact on costs at the time the Ear 1 were introduced do do now. you will enjoy our article on Nothing Ear Stick review.
Conclusion
The Ear Stick are Nothing’s third product to date and are the brand’s most recent wireless earphones. With a striking rotating case design made of the translucent plastic that has been the company’s signature, the Ear Stick are as much a fashion item as a tech item. The Nothing Ear 1 was previously introduced, and the Ear Stick are intended to be an alternative. The Ear Stick uses the older half-in-ear style similar to the AirPods, whilst the Ear 1 has a more typical in-ear design. As a result, they are also deficient in features like transparency mode and active noise cancellation.
