‘Nothing’ ear stick review: Beautifully designed earbuds with very few flaws

Express News Service

NEW DELHI: London-based tech company, Nothing, which successfully created a buzz with its smartphone launch, has come up with new wireless earbuds. Priced at Rs.8499, the Ear Stick is the third product launched in Nothing’s kitty.

After using it for almost one month or so, we were really impressed with its transparent looks, battery life and sound quality of the earbuds. However, we felt it was a little pricey. One can get better products from its competitors in the same price bracket or a little higher.

Let’s find in detail what more the earbud has in store.  

Design and features

In terms of design, the Ear (stick) has a transparent look, which means it will give you a view of the inside. It looks a lot like the Apple AirPods Pro 2 with short and flat stems protruding from buds housing the audio hardware.

My device came in white matte finish, each earpiece weighing just 4.4g, and the fit is very comfortable. One disadvantage is that the case, which spins endlessly in either direction to open and close, can accumulate dust if not completely sealed. In fact, we noticed it within a few weeks of usage.

Let’s check its features:

It  uses Bluetooth 5.2 and it takes no time to pair with an Android smartphone. It is advisable to download the Nothing X app from the Play Store for better usage experience. The app will show the battery level, will give you access to the control settings or the equaliser mode.

In case you are not able to locate an earbud in the house, the app will help you to locate it. One needs to press a button in the app and there will be a beep sound in the earbuds. However, the device lacks active noise cancellation (ANC).

It means, you will enjoy music, but get to hear surrounding noises too. In terms of battery, the earbuds charge fast, in fact, within a ten-minute charge, one can enjoy two hours of music. Overall, the battery can last up to six hours of music. Mind it, the Ear (Stick) doesn’t have wireless charging.

Our take?

The Nothing Ear Stick will impress with its design, battery backup and sound quality. But its drawback is its cost, given the features it has. At the same time, it lacks ANC and has no wireless charging.

<br /> NEW DELHI: London-based tech company, Nothing, which successfully created a buzz with its smartphone launch, has come up with new wireless earbuds. Priced at Rs.8499, the Ear Stick is the third product launched in Nothing’s kitty.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>After using it for almost one month or so, we were really impressed with its transparent looks, battery life and sound quality of the earbuds. However, we felt it was a little pricey. One can get better products from its competitors in the same price bracket or a little higher.</p> <p>Let’s find in detail what more the earbud has in store.  </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>Design and features</p> <p>In terms of design, the Ear (stick) has a transparent look, which means it will give you a view of the inside. It looks a lot like the Apple AirPods Pro 2 with short and flat stems protruding from buds housing the audio hardware.</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>My device came in white matte finish, each earpiece weighing just 4.4g, and the fit is very comfortable. One disadvantage is that the case, which spins endlessly in either direction to open and close, can accumulate dust if not completely sealed. In fact, we noticed it within a few weeks of usage.</p> <p>Let’s check its features: </p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>It  uses Bluetooth 5.2 and it takes no time to pair with an Android smartphone. It is advisable to download the Nothing X app from the Play Store for better usage experience. The app will show the battery level, will give you access to the control settings or the equaliser mode.</p> <p>In case you are not able to locate an earbud in the house, the app will help you to locate it. One needs to press a button in the app and there will be a beep sound in the earbuds. However, the device lacks active noise cancellation (ANC).</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>It means, you will enjoy music, but get to hear surrounding noises too. In terms of battery, the earbuds charge fast, in fact, within a ten-minute charge, one can enjoy two hours of music. Overall, the battery can last up to six hours of music. Mind it, the Ear (Stick) doesn’t have wireless charging.</p> <p>Our take?</p> <!-- WP QUADS Content Ad Plugin v. 2.0.85 --> <div class="quads-location quads-ad677 " id="quads-ad677" style="float:none;margin:0px 3px 3px 3px;padding:0px 0px 0px 0px;" data-lazydelay="0"> <!-- WP QUADS - Quick AdSense Reloaded v.2.0.85 Content AdSense async --> <ins class="adsbygoogle" style="display:block;" data-ad-format="auto" data-ad-client="ca-pub-2642610924785812" data-ad-slot="7620370224"></ins> <script> (adsbygoogle = window.adsbygoogle || []).push({});</script> <!-- end WP QUADS --> </div> <p>The Nothing Ear Stick will impress with its design, battery backup and sound quality. But its drawback is its cost, given the features it has. At the same time, it lacks ANC and has no wireless charging.<br />