London-based consumer tech startup “Nothing” launched the ear (1), the company’s third product and the second TWS earbuds, last month. Even though this retains the transparent design, this comes with a half-in-ear design, so it lacks ANC, but it promises better audio with new 12.6mm drivers and has improved Clear Voice Technology. Is this worth the price? Let us dive into the review to find out.
Box Contents
- Nothing Ear (stick) in White colour
- Braided USB Type-C cable
- User guide
Design and Build Quality
Compared to a usual box or oval design, the Nothing Ear (stick) case has a cylindrical design that looks like a lipstick case. You just have to twist to open and close it. This is one of the unique designs that we had seen in a TWS earbuds.
The case has magnets, so the earbuds lock securely. The charging case measures 87.1×29.8×29.8mm and weighs 46.3 grams. There is a tiny LED light on the case that glows in white, green and red colours. Due to its design, there are chances for dust to get in the case, so you will have to wipe it frequently. It is also prone to scratches.
There is a function key in silver colour and a USB Type-C port on the top of the case. Unlike the ear (1), the ear (stick) doesn’t support wireless charging.
The earbuds also feature a transparent design that prone to fingerprints. There is a red colour signal for ‘Right’. The earbuds measure 29.8 x18.8x 18.4mm and weigh about 4.4 grams, which is lighter than the ear (1).
These feature half in-ear design, but the fit is good, so they don’t fall off your ears easily, even when running or cycling. The inner part of the buds have a matte finish, so they don’t attract fingerprints, but the white colour gathers dust easily. There is an Optical Sensor for Wear Detection so that it can automatically pause the audio when you remove it from your ears and play when you put it back.
The earbuds also have IP54 dust and splash resistant ratings, so these can withstand splashes and sweat in everyday use scenarios, but you can’t use them when swimming.
There are three microphones on each earbud for Clear Voice Technology for better clarity in calls, but these don’t feature active noise cancellation. Instead of touch controls, you just have to press the stem of the earbuds to control.
Connectivity, Pairing, and Controls
Connecting the earbuds to an Android phone is simple using Google Fast pair mode, so once you open the case it shows up on your phone, and you instantly pair it, and it gets remembered in your Google account. It also has Microsoft Swift Pair. If you don’t want ‘fast pair’, you can place the buds in the case, press and hold the function button on the case for a few seconds until the status light blinks white, and the Nothing ear (stick) shows up on the phone’s Bluetooth page. As soon as the connection is established, the blinking LED should go off.
It supports Bluetooth 5.2 with AAC high quality audio codec. It lacks LDAC, aptX or aptX HD codec. The connection range is around 10 meters, which is common in most headsets, and the connection quality is good.
Since the phone pairs with the case and not the headset, you will need the case if you want to reconnect it. The controls are easy to access and has perfect amount of sensitivity to change tracks or control volume.
| Function | Left earphone (L) | Right earphone (R) |
| Play / Pause or Answer call / Hang calls | Single Pinch | |
| Skip Forward / Decline Call | Double Pinch | |
| Skip back | Triple Pinch | |
| Volume up | Pinch and Hold | |
| Volume down | Pinch and Hold | |
The headset has Smart wear detection that can sense when they’re in the ear and automatically pause the music when taken out and resume when you put back.
Single pinch action is not customizable, but you can customize the controls from the settings in the Nothing X app on Android and iPhone. You can change actions for the double pinch, triple punch, pinch and hold and double pinch and hold for each earbud.
The app got updated ahead of the launch that brought UI changes and now comes with option to choose between different preset equalizer settings for tailored low, mid, and high frequency levels. You can also set custom EQ option based on your preference.
There is also a new Low lag mode that is available only for the Ear (Stick) which is useful when gaming. You can disable in-ear Detection from the settings. There is ‘Find My Earbud’ option that makes high pitch sound so that you can locate the earbuds when you misplace them.
Audio Quality and Call Performance
The Nothing ear (1) packs an 12.6mm dynamic driver that offers a vivid sound with rich depths, clear highs and bold details and have minimal distortion. The company says that the Bass Lock feature that uses software to detect bass loss as you wear the earbuds, tuning the equalizer curve to the optimal level, offering a perfectly punchy depth. However, the bass is not that punchy even when the bass mode set in the equalizer.
With the AAC enabled, audio quality is good with clear vocals, thanks to the 12.6mm driver that handles high, middle frequencies well. Since these are not in-ear buds with a tight seal like ear tips, you will clearly hear the outside noise if you are near a crowded environment. I couldn’t hear anything, even in full volume in a crowded bus in the traffic.
Coming to the call noise cancellation, it uses Clear Voice Technology for calls that uses three high-definition microphones to cut external noise. This has improved a lot compared to the previous generation, so it can efficiently cut wind noise and traffic noise extensively. However, this drains the battery a lot.
Battery Life
The 31mAh battery in the earphones promise 7 hours of standalone battery life. During my use with AAC, I got about 6.5 hours in about 70% volume, which is good. It also has support for fast charging. The company says that 10 minutes of charge can get you 2h hours of playback. With voice calling, it only promises 3 hours of talk time on a single charge.
With the 350mAh charging case, it promises up to 29 hours of total battery life. Even though the case is compact, the high standalone battery life offers almost similar backup as the larger case. I have been using the headset for a couple of weeks now, and the battery backup is almost similar as promised. The green light in the case indicates that the battery is full, and when it turns red, it is low. It doesn’t have wireless charging
Conclusion
Overall, Nothing Ear (Stick) is a decent TWS earbuds from Nothing rather than the Ear (1) which was a value for money offering when it was launched last year.
Even though the audio and call quality are good, and the earbuds come in a compact case, this lacks active noise cancellation (ANC) which is hard to justify considering the price tag.
Alternatives
The OPPO Enco X2 at a slightly higher price offers LDAC and LHDC support as well as ANC. You can also consider the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 with ANC that is sold at cheaper rates during sale.
Pricing and availability
The Nothing Ear (stick) is priced at Rs. 8,499 (Rs. 9,499 MRP), and the company offers a Rs. 1000 discount on Flipkart app if you own a Nothing product. This offer is valid only till November 30th.
It will go on sale starting today, November 14th at 12 noon in a limited drop sale and the general sale will begin from November 17th from 12PM.
Pros
- Compact design
- Good audio quality
- IP54 dust and water-resistant earbuds
- Good call quality
- Low-latency gaming mode
- Good battery life with fast charging
Cons
- No ANC
- No Hi-res audio codecs
- Glossy case is prone to scratches