Nothing Ear Stick Review: Is form over functionality a winning formula for affordable true wireless earbuds?

The Nothing Ear Stick true wireless earbuds do everything to stand out from the crowd.

Nothing recently launched its second pair of true wireless earbuds in India, which comes on the back of the Nothing Phone (1), the company’s first smartphone and the Nothing Ear (1). However, unlike the Nothing Ear (1), the new Ear Stick buds feature an unconventional yet eye-catching design.

Before we dive into the Nothing Ear Stick review, let’s look at its pricing and availability in India. The Nothing Ear Stick price in India is set at Rs 6,999 with the buds available for purchase through Flipkart and Myntra. Now, back to the review:

Design

Straight off the bat, the Nothing Ear Stick TWS earbuds are the most unconventional-looking earbuds we’ve seen. The earbuds themselves feature a half-in-ear design, sitting on the ridges of the ear just outside the ear canal rather than in it as with most true wireless earbuds. The speaker grilles are built directly into the large white earpiece, which means there are no ear tips. Each earbud also weighs 4.4 grams and is on the light side, sitting comfortably in your ears, despite the lack of soft silicone ear tips.

But despite the comfort of using the Nothing Ear Stick TWS earbuds, the fit wasn’t quite as secure, and I didn’t feel very confident using them while cycling. Each earbud also features a red (right) and white (left) dot to indicate which ear they go on. Moving on to the case, which is arguably the most unique aspect of the Nothing Ear Stick. The transparent design of the earbuds continues with the case as half of it is covered by a transparent plastic body, while the inner half that houses the earbuds is white.

There’s a small Nothing logo on the case and the cylindrical shape is based on the average lipstick. The charging port and pairing button are located at the bottom of the case, while an LED indicator sits on the inside near the buds. A simple twist gives you access to the earbuds inside and the mechanism is unique in a good way. The rolling lid coupled with the bold lipstick design, and transparent design, certainly helps the Nothing Ear Stick TWS buds stand out, in a good way.

Touch Controls

The touch controls for the Nothing Ear Stick are located on the stem and work with a simple pinch. The controls are quite responsive and more convenient than the touch controls on traditional true wireless earbuds that are located on the surface area of each bud. We found that the touch system was error-free and worked reliably for the most part.

Performance

The audio on the Nothing Ear Stick is handled by a 12.6mm dynamic driver on either side. The earbuds feature Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity and support AAC and SBC Bluetooth codecs. However, there’s no advanced Bluetooth code support, and a lack of active noise cancellation was disappointing, to say the least. The lack of ANC meant that these aren’t the best choice for those looking for an immersive listening experience and particularly show their weakness during air travel. However, for those who prefer being aware of their surroundings while listening to music, we’d recommend reading on.

The Nothing Ear Stick doesn’t quite deliver on the bass response, particularly due to the less snug hit, which allows it to leak out. But Nothing attempts to correct this with a feature called ‘Bass Lock’. And while the technology does work to a certain extent, it cannot make up for the lack of the silicone tips as the bass on the Nothing Ear (1)’s packed a much better punch. The earbuds did feel treble-heavy, while vocals lack that natural tonality. The soundstage here was strictly decent with good separation, allowing you to easily distinguish between individual elements.

The earbuds didn’t sound distorted or muffled at higher volumes as detail was well maintained. Nothing offers an equaliser that allows you to choose between four preset options or customise the sound to your liking. However, the earbuds are limited as ambient noise tends to leak in from outside sources no matter the volume levels. Overall, I felt the audio quality was average on the Nothing Ear Stick and I’d rather opt for the Ear (1)s as the former tends to struggle with bass and depth.

Moving on to calls, and the microphone quality is decent at best. The noise reduction algorithm does kick in to reduce ambient sound, although the earbuds do struggle in outdoor scenarios. You can also use the low latency mode to automatically delay the video to sync with the sound. We also found connecting to the earbuds was easy and seamless and the buds were easily able to maintain that stable connectivity.

Software

The Nothing Ear Stick is accompanied by the Nothing X app on both Android and iOS. While Nothing allows you to use the earbuds without the app, several features can be accessed through the software. The app allows you to access the equaliser and can adjust the sound to your liking. The customisable touch controls are also displayed on the app. You can also enable and disable the ‘in-ear’ detection and the low lag mode via the app. There’s also a ‘Find My Earbuds’ option in the app. The software also shows battery percentage of the buds and the case. Overall, I didn’t find the app a necessity, although it wasn’t without its uses.

Battery

The Noting Ear Stick buds can deliver over six hours of battery life on a single charge, which is slightly above the average. However, the lack of active noise cancellation and no advanced Bluetooth codec support make this figure a little less impressive. Moreover, the case can take the total battery time to 28 hours, giving you enough juice to last several days without having to charge the Ear Stick buds. The earbuds charge over a USB-C port and do not support wireless charging. Overall, I felt the battery life here was solid, while the charging speed was respectable.

Verdict

After a good amount of time with the Nothing Ear Stick buds, it is safe to say that these were among the most attractively designed products of 2022. The design is simply ingenious, while Nothing hasn’t compromised on comfort. And coupled with that, you’ve got good battery life, reliable software, and decent sound quality. Even call quality was fairly good in most scenarios.  However, the Ear Sticks aren’t without their drawbacks, particularly the lack of active noise cancellation, which makes them particularly ineffective in environments with a lot of ambient sound.

Nothing is also behind on the codec support here. And with no silicone ear tips going in, we also found drawbacks with sound isolation. Then there’s the inability to customise the fit, so you’re stuck with one size. Like the Nothing Phone (1) before it, the Nothing Ear Stick true wireless earbuds do everything to stand out from the crowd. However, there are clearly areas here where Nothing should have opted for functionality over form.