NOTHING STICKS OUT

NOTHING EAR (STICK)

- Liu Hongzuo

TEST IMAGES NOTHING, LIU HONGZUO, 123RF, DIGITAL IMAGING HWZ

An important difference between the first Nothing Ear (1) and the new Nothing Ear (stick) lies in their bud types. Ear (1) has in-ear silicone tips that go inside your ear canal, while the Ear (stick) uses Apple AirPods-styled, hard-shell open buds that sit right at your concha. The comfort of wearing open buds depends on the person, but we've a simple take on this: if the regular Apple AirPods were comfortable enough for you, you wouldn't find many problems when wearing Nothing Ear (stick). When worn well, they're just as secure as the Apple AirPods (3rd generation), and these 4.4g buds certainly don't weigh down your ears after long periods of wear.

Nothing did not neglect the case design either. Instead of the conventional flip-to-open charging cases offered by most TWS earbuds on the market, the Ear (stick) employs a lipstick-shaped, turn-to-open charging case. The case mechanism feels quite sleek and there’s a tactile confirmation “bump” when you have the case fully opened or closed.

The Ear (stick) does not come with active noise cancellation though, and the open-bud design also makes it not great at noise isolation either. What it does have is a proprietary Clear Voice Technology for calls that combines three microphones in each earbud with an Environmental Noise Cancellation algorithm.

Based on all the calls we’ve taken, Nothing Ear (stick)’s wind cancellation was highly effective. Our callers reported no wind distortion, even when we had conversations in front of a standing fan.