Nothing Ear (Stick) Review: No Tips, No Problem

Worth When Reviewed

$99

Finest Costs As we speak: Nothing Ear (Stick)

Nothing is again with its third product and it’s returning to audio. At a look, the Ear (Stick) are similar to final yr’s Ear (1) headphones, however there are extra variations than it first seems. 

Following a 50% value hike to Nothing’s first pair of true wi-fi earbuds, the Ear (Stick) are additionally now the price range mannequin at $99/£99. 

Design & Construct 

• ‘Half-in’ design 
• Press controls 
• Lipstick impressed case 

Take them out of the case and the Ear (Stick) earbuds look nearly precisely just like the Ear (1), however when you look nearer, there are numerous refined adjustments. 

To start out with, they lack conventional ear suggestions, which could appear complicated when you’ve not come throughout an open design earlier than. It’s not new however stays fairly area of interest within the wi-fi earbud market and works on a distinct precept to common in-ears. 

Ear suggestions assist hold earbuds in place however I used to be stunned by how properly the Ear (Stick) match me. They sit fairly snugly in my ears and haven’t fallen out as soon as throughout testing regardless of some fairly rigorous head banging to a couple tracks. They’re additionally very comfy for lengthy listening intervals, weighing simply 4.4g per earbud.

Chris Martin / Foundry

No silicone tip sticking down your ear canal means no acoustic seal for noise isolation, so the headphones don’t naturally block sound from round you. That’s down to private choice, but it surely does present a pressure-free listening expertise. 

The Ear (Stick) don’t have contact controls just like the Ear (1) and so many rivals. As a substitute, the ‘press controls’ include somewhat recess on the stem of every earbud. You basically pinch this to activate the button and you can even press and maintain to vary the quantity. 

Total, they work very properly when you get used to it – there are audio clicks that will help you – and it doesn’t matter in case your fingers are moist, not like the Ear (1)’s finicky contact controls.

Chris Martin / Foundry

The case could be very unconventional, however I don’t imply that in a foul method. The cylindrical form imitates the silhouette of a lipstick case (although much less overtly than the Huawei FreeBuds Lipstick did), which you spinning spherical 180 levels to open the case and get the buds out.  

I’d want a tiny bit extra space the place the top of the stems go however in any other case the case could be very satisfying to make use of. The primary draw back to this design is filth getting during which is subsequently very troublesome to get out. The very last thing to notice on design is that the Ear (Stick) have an IP54 mud and water-resistance ranking, so they need to be good for each rain and sweat.

Sound High quality & Options 

• Customized 12.6mm drivers 
• In-ear detection
• Trio of mics 

The Ear (Stick) are cheaper than the Ear (1) however provide the agency’s “most superior sound expertise up to now.” That’s partly right down to customized 12.6mm drivers which can be 1mm larger than the Ear (1). 

The query is, do they really sound higher than the Ear (1)? And whereas that’s a troublesome query to reply outright, I’d say for most individuals the reply isn’t any. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

This nearly completely comes right down to the open model match which, on an acoustic degree, struggles to compete with conventional ear suggestions. As talked about earlier, you don’t get that sealed match for noise isolation and this has a big effect, notably on bass efficiency. 

Nothing has fitted the Ear (Stick) buds with one thing known as Bass Lock to assist fight this. It performs a tone if you first put the earbuds in to measure your ear canal and the match of the buds to then mechanically alter the equalizer for any misplaced bass. 

I didn’t really discover this occur, however you possibly can go and alter stated equalizer when you like. Nevertheless, even when you use that to push the bass to most they’ll’t compete with conventional buds in a side-by-side comparability. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

This doesn’t imply I’m saying the Ear (Stick) sound unhealthy. For the open design, I believe the earbuds sound spectacular and a few individuals will want the spacious nature of the audio. One factor that notably stunned me is how the sound doesn’t change a lot if the buds transfer round, as I’d anticipated there to be a candy spot that would simply be misplaced. 

In case you have hassle with ear suggestions, having earbuds that don’t fall out or trigger discomfort is unquestionably a greater possibility, so long as you’re not a bass head listening to EDM (digital dance music) on a regular basis.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Price range earbuds don’t typically have extra options, however you get in-ear detection right here, so the music will pause mechanically when you take the earbuds out and resume if you put them again. It really works very well however you possibly can change it off if it irks you.

There’s additionally Clear Voice Expertise for calls, utilizing a trio of mics. Nothing says up to date algorithms can filter out the noise of issues like wind and crowds. 

Whereas I’d say the Ear (Stick) are okay for calls, there are higher options on the market such because the Jabra Elite 3 when you’ll be utilizing earbuds for this goal rather a lot. 

Software program  

• Cellphone (1) integration 
• Nothing X app 

If you happen to personal a Cellphone (1), then there’s no have to obtain something because the settings and controls are baked into the OS. 

I don’t have the Cellphone (1), so I’ve been utilizing the brand new Nothing X app. Setup is easy and people with Android will get Quick Pair and there’s Microsoft Change Pair too, however notice the app can be out there for iOS. 

Total, the app is easy and straightforward to make use of, letting you entry battery ranges (though not for the case) and controls.

Chris Martin / Foundry

You’ve 4 controls per earbud to play with together with the marginally trickier double press and maintain which by default has no motion, however you may wish to set this to set off a voice assistant.

The app additionally provides you entry to the equalizer in addition to settings like in-ear detection and discover my earbuds. In case you have a Cellphone (1), then the low latency mode will mechanically get toggled if you use the gaming mode. 

Battery Life & Charging 

• Seven hours on buds 
• 22 extra with the case 
• Quick charging 

The Ear (Stick) final for as much as seven hours from the buds themselves with an extra 22 hours within the case, giving a complete of 29 hours – rather less than the Ear (1)’s 34 hours. With quick charging, you may get two hours of playback from a fast 10-minute cost. 

I’d say the battery claims are fairly spot on and you might even get longer relying in your utilization, as I typically discovered I received round one hour of listening for 10% of cost. They actually last more than many rivals. 

Chris Martin / Foundry

Because of the case design there’s no wi-fi charging just like the Ear (1), however that is uncommon within the price range market anyway – though the Xiaomi Redmi Buds 3 Professional do provide this. 

You’ll must cost the case by way of the USB-C port on the top and whereas the equipped cable could be very good – braided and plastic coated – it’s frustratingly brief at 25cm. 

Worth & Availability 

As talked about on the prime, the Ear (Stick) at the moment are Nothing’s most cost-effective earbuds at $99/£99/€119. The Ear (1) at the moment are $149/£149/€149 – 50% greater than they had been at launch. 

You should buy them from the official retailer in over 40 nations together with the US – the place Nothing doesn’t promote its Cellphone (1).

Within the UK you should buy them from Smartech at Selfridges, O2, Browns Style, John Lewis and Farfetch.  

Open design rivals such because the Samsung Galaxy Buds Dwell and Huawei Freebuds 3 are costlier however you’ll find different choices in our greatest price range wi-fi earbuds chart.

Verdict 

It’s barely tough to offer a strong verdict of whether or not you should purchase a product just like the Ear (Stick) or not as a result of the reply largely is dependent upon if they’re the sort of earbuds you’re in search of. 

What they’re definitively not is a substitute for the Ear (1). As a substitute, they provide a really completely different model of expertise. 

For an open design, I’m impressed with how comfy and safe these earbuds are, together with how good they sound with out having to place them in a selected candy spot. 

The case is neat however doesn’t have wi-fi charging, and also you additionally lack energetic noise cancelling – which signifies that when you’re in search of earbuds with booming bass and shall be utilizing them on public transport or in a loud workplace, then the Ear (Stick) will not be for you. 

Nevertheless, when you like the concept of listening for lengthy intervals with out fatigue and a spacious sound the place you possibly can hear issues round you to some extent then these is likely to be good.

Specs

• 12.6mm customized driver
• AAC and SBC codecs
• In-ear detection
• Google Quick Pair
• Microsoft Swift Pair
• Three excessive definition mics
• USB-C
• 7 hours battery (earbuds)
• 22 hours battery (case)
• IP54
• 4.4g (per bud)