There's a tax on new gadgets. The idea is that a company's first swing at an idea might be buggy, badly designed, or otherwise miss the mark. The Ear 1 true wireless earbuds are a good example. Some software bugs and a lack of software features were found when they were reviewed.
The Ear Stick is similar to a pair of earbuds from a company that is learning. Nothing has updated its app to offer more control over their sound and shortcut controls and the user experience is much better this time around. The redesign of the cylindrical case is fun to use.
The Ear Stick are a stripped back alternative to the Ear 1 earbuds. They don't offer active noise cancellation, there are no ear tips to block out background noise, and there's no wireless charging. The Ear 1s are more expensive than the Ear Stick, but that is only because Nothing raised the price of its buds to $149 earlier this week. The Ear Stick is an example of Shrinkflation.
The Ear 1 has a higher level of polish than the Ear Stick. They are a good pair of earbuds for a specific kind of person.
The approach Nothing has taken with the Ear Stick's charging case is reallyFlorist. The earbuds are hidden by a wheel on the right side that spins to show them. The case with the shape of a tube of lipstick is referred to as the "stick" in the name. Nothing's case is a little thin, but it slid easily into my jeans pocket, unlike Apple's case. It was the right shape to fit in my running shorts in a pocket meant for energy gels, which was great for me.
The Ear Stick's charging case is wonderful.
There are lots of transparent plastic and white, black, and red details in the charging case and earbuds. It looks great out of the box, but I can't tell you how it will look over time. Here is how the Ear 1 looked after a week of use. There is no way to get the eyelash out of the Ear Stick case.
The earbuds have the same look as the Ear 1s, but without the Silicone ear tips that make them snug in your ears. It has an impact on sound quality, but I think the most important thing is the fit of the Ear Stick earbuds.
The fit is functional, but not everyone will like it. The Ear Stick earbuds are dust and water resistant, so a little sweat shouldn't be a problem for them. I was nudging the left earbud toward the front of my face in order to get it deeper in my ear. If you don't like the fit of the regular AirPods then you're unlikely to like the Ear Stick.
The Ear Stick is different from the original Ear 1
The case doesn't have a Wireless option.
While wearing these earbuds, you hear a lot of background noise because of the lack of ear tips. If you want a pair of true wireless earbuds for use on public transport, long plane flights, or even just in a noisy office, then you might want to consider the Anker Soundcore Liberty Air 2 Pro if you are on a budget. There are valid reasons to prefer a more open design. While out running, you might want to be aware of your surroundings without relying on earbuds.
The more open style of ear bud allows me to hear my own voice more clearly while speaking. It doesn't feel weird. The Ear Stick has more microphones per ear bud than the Ear 1. Although they sound similar to Nothing's first earbuds in a quiet room, the Ear Stick did a better job of keeping my voice out of harms way.
Many other earbuds have the same battery life. The Ear Stick earbuds offer up to seven hours of listening time, a slight improvement over the 5.8 hours the Ear 1 offered with ANC off, and combined with the case, you get 29 hours. It is par for the course. The Ear 1 has a wireless charging option, but it is not included in the Ear 2.
The Ear 1 earbuds have tap controls, whereas the Ear Stick does not. The Ear Stick's controls are more reliable than touch controls, although it can be difficult to raise or lower the volume in small amounts without accidentally pausing your music. Nothing has a companion app that allows you to adjust the earbuds' mix of bass, mids, and trebles, and you can personalize every shortcut.
In my time using the earbuds, I encountered one bug when the connection seemed to get confused and played only out of the left earbud for a short time before restarting its connection to both earbuds. I didn't experience any issues while listening to the earbuds at home, while running or in central London. I was able to listen to the Ear Stick on its own.
You'll hear a lot of noise if you don't have ear tips.
The lack of Silicone ear tips has an impact on sound quality. More bass can leak if the fit is snug. The feature called "Bass Lock" tries to measure your ear canal and compensate the earbuds' bass accordingly.
The technology seems to work at least partially. When listening to the Ear Stick earbuds side-by-side with Nothing's previous Ear 1 earbuds, it was obvious how much punchier a pair of noise-isolating ear tips can be. The Ear Stick can't keep up with the bass, but it makes up for it in balance. The Ear Stick has less of a hissy sibilance sound compared to the other instruments. Their overall detail can't match up to more expensive competitors, but they're capable for 99.
While the case was closed, there was a charging case.
The earbuds are squeezed with their stem.
It should come as no surprise that the Nothing Ear Stick feels a lot better than their predecessors. There was only one brief hiccup in my time with the earbuds, voice call quality is vastly improved, and the charging case is lovely.
The Nothing Ear Stick are more of an alternative to the Ear 1 than a successor. The open fit makes it easier to hear background noise. The earbuds are not suited to use in loud environments where you don't want to hear anything. You might not want to use them on the commute because they might be better for listening to music and making calls in a quiet office.
They're a good pair of earbuds for the price, but not a good pair for everyone.
Every smart device has a set of terms and conditions that you have to agree to before you can use it. It is not possible for us to read and analyze all of them. We started counting the number of times you have to agree to use devices when we review them since these are agreements most people can't negotiate.
No software agreements are required for the Nothing Ear Stick earbuds to work. You agree to use the mobile app to adjust settings.
You can join the Nothing improvement program where you can give feedback and share usage data with the company.
There are no compulsory agreements and three optional ones.
The photography was taken by Amelia Krales.
All Rights Reserved © 2024
