Nothing Ear (stick) unveiled: Lightweight buds with bigger sound for $99
Nothing, a new startup that is more famous for its hyped-up product launches, has announced the Nothing Ear (stick) wireless earbuds. These half-in-ear headphones are not the successor to the Ear (1), but this pair is aimed to deliver enhancements in design and comfort.
TL;DR
- Nothing unveiled the Ear (stick) ANC earbuds that are lighter than Ear (1).
- The Nothing Ear (stick) buds feature a new half-ear tip design and lipstick container.
- Nothing's Ear (stick) cost $99.
The company continues to leverage its transparent and unique styling with the Ear (stick). Although the new earbuds come with the same stem-based design as the Ear (1), Nothing chopped off the tips of Ear (stick) to produce a cleaner and more rounded earbud shape. Similarly, these Nothing buds remind us of the bulging tips of Apple's AirPods 3.
- Don't miss this: The best Bluetooth headphones to buy in 2022
Nothing Ear (stick) lightweight and water resistance build
Nothing says that they tested the Ear (stick) on over 100 different ear types before producing the final design. They added that the IP54-proof headphones are a smidge lighter than the first-generation Ear (1) and comfortable to be worn all day. Only a single colorway is now offered with a see-through black stem and white tip combination.
Despite the size trimming, they still managed to increase the custom sound driver from 11.6 mm to 12.6 mm. More importantly, noise blocking is said to be better on the Ear (stick) than the Ear (1) according to Nothing—despite the Stick not having ANC—, thanks to the three onboard hybrid microphones and updated algorithms.
As regards the audio features, AAC and SBC codecs are supported via Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity. The Nothing Ear (stick) also kept the Google Fast Pair wireless connection while a low-lag mode was introduced exclusively with the Phone (1).
Nothing Ear (stick) battery life and pricing
The new transparent lipstick case provides a total of 29 hours of battery life between charges. Using the buds alone will get you 7 hours of non-stop playback. The Ear (stick) is equipped with a quick charge function that translates to 9 hours of battery life on a 10-minute charge.
Nothing's Ear (stick) in-ears will be available from the 4th of November for $99. The wireless earbuds are also headed for the US. At the same time, Nothing continues to sell the Ear (1) at the same price despite previously stating its intention to hike the price of the earbuds.
Correction: The original version of this page mentioned that the earbuds featured active noise cancelation (ANC), which is not available. The text was updated on Oct. 27th to correct the mistake.
