Nothing Ear Stick assessment: the good ‘buds you’ll ever see

MSRP $99.00

“The Nothing Ear Stick earbuds and case look incredible, with a design that’s unlike any other, but the just-acceptable sound quality and simple feature list mean they don’t live up to expectations.”

Pros

• Eye-catching design
• Long battery life
• IP54 ranking

Cons

• Big buds might trigger match issues
• No voice assistant assist

I assure you’ll smile if you twist the Nothing Ear Stick earbuds case open. It’s simply so satisfying, so cool-looking, and so enjoyable that it’s unattainable to not. It’s an important introduction to one of the impressively designed and lovingly created set of true wi-fi earbuds I’ve used for the reason that McLaren Klipsch T5 II Sport. So they’ve precisely the appropriate type, however do the Nothing Ear Stick’s have the appropriate sound to again the seems to be up?

Nothing Ear Stick design

Nothing has confirmed it is aware of how one can design an attention grabbing product with the Ear 1 earbuds and the Phone 1 smartphone. The Ear Stick earbuds, foolish identify apart, proceed that custom, specifically with the case. Supposedly influenced by the form of a lipstick, it’s a splendidly ergonomic, tactile murals. The earbuds are seen by the clear physique, and with a twist, the case opens to permit you to take the earbuds out. Magnets dampen the movement and lock the case in its open or closed place.

The Ear Sticks’ stems are product of the identical clear plastic because the Ear 1’s stems, however this time they’re hooked up to semi-open — or “half in-ear” as Nothing likes to say — earbuds, which apparently are the results of 100 design revisions. Due to this, I anticipated the Ear Sticks to be as snug and straightforward to put on because the Nothing Ear 1 earbuds. But for me, they’ll’t fairly match them. The drawback isn’t discomfort —  it has to do with measurement. The Ear Sticks’ speaker housings are a lot larger than Apple’s first-generation AirPods, and have a bulbous, ultrasmooth lozenge-shape that refuses to lock into my ears.

All ears are completely different, so whereas I discover the Ear Sticks simply work themselves to the sting of my ears, they might match higher in yours. If I’m sitting nonetheless, they’re nice, however as quickly as I’m transferring round and doing issues, they begin to work themselves unfastened. Only one has by chance fallen out to this point, however it’s maybe as a result of I’m very aware about them and infrequently reposition the bud so it sits deeper in my ear. I’ve by no means had this drawback with AirPods, which really feel much more safe. At 4.4 grams, they aren’t heavy both. It’s simply the scale and form of the speaker housing that’s the issue for me.

The measurement of the Ear Stick earbud is the one actual draw back to the design, and it’ll go on to impression sound high quality, which we’ll come again to quickly. Otherwise, the entire bundle seems to be fashionable and trendy, and positively gained’t be mistaken for some other model’s earbuds. This is value noting in itself, as Nothing completely hasn’t tried to repeat the AirPods, and continues to construct its personal distinctive model identification by intelligent designs that basically do make you smile if you strive them out.

On the sturdiness aspect, the plastic case must be hardwearing, and the earbuds have an IP54 water- and dust-resistance ranking, so that you’ll be nice carrying them to train or in a dusty work setting.

Nothing Ear Stick name sound high quality

Inside the massive enclosure is a 12.6mm driver, with a Bass Lock characteristic the place software program compensates for bass loss by the open design and tunes the equalizer accordingly. Frustratingly, Nothing has not included AptX codec assist, and the Ear Sticks solely assist AAC and SBC codecs, similar because the Ear 1. There are three microphones and a customized algorithm to take away wind and crowd noise throughout calls.

Let’s begin with calls. I’ve used the Ear Sticks with Teams video calls, WhatsApp video and audio calls, and common telephone calls each inside and outdoors the home. For me because the caller, the standard is great, with clear voices and no apparent background noise intruding on the dialog. It’s extra of a blended bag for the individual on the opposite finish although. During Teams calls, it apparently sounded similar to my normal selection of headphone — the Samsung Galaxy Buds Live — however it wasn’t so good elsewhere.

WhatsApp calls apparently made me sound like I used to be in an echoey field, however the app itself might not have helped right here, as this was not fairly so obvious throughout common calls. Wind and visitors noise was minimal till it wasn’t, because the Ear Sticks would all of a sudden decide up both a gust of wind or a automobile passing by and amplify it on the decision. In the home, none of those points occurred, and the decision was nice for each events.

Nothing Ear Stick music sound high quality

The Ear Sticks don’t have silicone eartips and due to this fact don’t isolate you from the surface world. The barely there design means you possibly can hear all the things round you when music isn’t taking part in, and nonetheless have some concept of what’s occurring round you when it’s. The Ear Sticks are splendid for those who’re involved about security when out and about, identical to Apple’s AirPods.

However, regardless of not being tightly sealed in your ears, the Ear Sticks nonetheless pack an honest punch. I’ve watched movies and listened to each spoken phrase and music, and never felt the necessity to swap to a special pair of headphones. However, when taken out of isolation and in contrast with different comparable headphones — I used a pair of first-generation Apple AirPods, the Galaxy Buds Live, and Huawei’s FreeBuds 3 — the Ear Stick’s weaknesses present up.

Le Serrafim’s Fearless mini-album is a severe take a look at, combining robust feminine vocals that must be the main focus of the soundstage with a hard-hitting bassline and glowing mids and percussion. There is loads of quantity and the bass is outlined listening with the Ear Sticks, however they lack the punch of Apple’s AirPods. The vocals are relatively harsh and brilliant, the place Apple’s earbuds stay clear and managed on the similar quantity. Putting them towards the Huawei FreeBuds 3 additionally revealed how the Ear Sticks improve the treble, to the purpose the place readability and listening consolation will be compromised at excessive volumes.

The Ear Sticks undoubtedly aren’t what you’d name refined, and regardless of the promise of the Bass Lock characteristic, each the AirPods and the FreeBuds 3 have a tighter bass response. The Ear Sticks aren’t disagreeable to take heed to, however contemplating how good the Ear 1’s sound — I take advantage of them regularly and nonetheless love them — I had excessive expectations, and the dearth of polish makes the Sticks sound cheaper than they really are.

Now we come again to the issue of the Ear Stick earbuds not sticking in my ears very effectively. Sitting down and listening isn’t a difficulty, however the sound is negatively affected after they wobble themselves lose as I transfer round. This might not have an effect on you in the identical approach, however it’s not one thing I’ve observed as a lot with some other pair of semi-open earbuds.

Nothing Ear Stick connectivity and app

At the time of writing, Nothing has not launched a devoted app for the Ear Sticks, and the Ear 1’s app doesn’t assist the Ear Stick earbuds. They require the brand new, and as but unreleased, Nothing X app. For this motive, I’ve not been in a position to test for a firmware replace, which can enhance the decision high quality and refine the sound. I’ve additionally not been in a position to check out the equalizer or customise the earbud’s controls.

I’ve used the Ear Sticks with an iPhone 14 Pro, an iPad Pro, a Mac Mini M1, and each a Google Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. They have related to every machine with out a drawback, and stability has been faultless. The Bluetooth vary stretched to round 8 meters from my iPhone, however couldn’t match the vary I get from my AirPods Pro or Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones, which reaches a number of meters additional in my home.

Each earbud has a touch-sensitive panel within the stem to manage playback and quantity. It’s simple to find when the earbuds are in, and there’s a distinct “click” if you press it, serving to affirm your motion. By default, a brief press performs or pauses the music, a protracted press adjusts the quantity — left for quantity down and proper for quantity up — and a double faucet advances tracks. The management system works rather well, however it doesn’t utterly remove unintended presses, and I usually pause playback once I’m fidgeting with the Ear Stick to verify it’s seated correctly.

Don’t go in search of digital assistant assist, as none can be found. This is an odd omission because it’s seemingly customary throughout all earbuds no matter worth. However, it’s not surprising because the characteristic was additionally lacking from the Ear 1 earbuds, however did arrive in a software program replace afterward. Sensors detect when the earbuds are in your ears, they usually pause successfully if you take them out. Fast Pair with my Pixel 7 and seven Pro labored rather well too, with the telephones instantly choosing the Ear Sticks up once I opened the case.

Nothing Ear Stick battery life and charging

There’s no lively noise cancellation (ANC) on the Ear Stick earbuds to suck battery energy, and Nothing claims a single cost will return about 7 hours of listening time or 3 hours of speak time. The case’s battery supplies a complete of as much as 29 hours of listening time and 12 hours of speak time. I’ve been utilizing the Ear Stick earbuds for underneath per week, so I can’t touch upon long-term battery use but.

On a single day utilizing the Ear Stick earbuds related to an iPad Pro to look at YouTube, Amazon Prime, and Dailymotion, the ‘buds were down to 10% charge after five-and-a-half hours, making about six hours likely for total use. This is comparable to the use time we got from the Apple AirPods 3. You charge the Ear Stick earbuds in the case using a USB Type-C connection, and there’s a cable included within the field, however no wi-fi charging. A ten-minute quick cost characteristic provides you two hours of use.

Nothing Ear Stick worth and availability

Nothing Ear Stick’s have the appropriate type, however not the appropriate worth