Nothing, today, launched the Ear Stick wireless earbuds in India. Like the Ear 1 –Nothing’s first wireless audio product— the Ear Stick earbuds also come with a unique see-through design and an aggressive price tag. For more context, these are Nothing’s answer to Apple’s AirPods (even as the Ear 1s go up against the AirPods Pro).
Nothing says the Ear Sticks have an “ultra-comfortable, lightweight and ergonomic” design with a cylindrical case and “custom audio technology.” They are lighter than Ear 1s, overall, and weigh very nearly the same as the AirPods (third-gen). The earbuds also have a semi-in-ear design, like the AirPods, which is obviously different from the silicon in-ear styling of the Ear 1s. Nothing says, having two different styles in its portfolio would give buyers more choice.
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Their half-in-ear styling is also the reason why Nothing has put a bigger driver inside them. The Ear Stick boast of 12.6mm drivers (up from 11.6mm in the Ear 1). There are also some software tweaks, like Bass Lock –and a new equaliser— that would seemingly ensure minimum sound leaking for a more immersive experience. Speaking of which, the Ear Sticks are naturally designed to work best with the Phone 1 with automatic pairing and custom settings, while others will need to install an app called Nothing X — the earbuds work with both Android and iPhones.
The Ear Stick stem seems to share the same look and feel as the Ear 1 but you don’t get touch controls. Nothing has swapped this with press controls so as to cut down on accidental triggers. They come with three high-definition mics, same as the Ear 1, but Nothing says it is using updated algorithms to “filter out louder background noises, amplifying your voice for wind-proof and crowd-proof calls.” There is no active noise cancellation or ANC though, like the Ear 1.
The Ear Stick wireless earbuds are rated to deliver up to 7 hours of music playback (or up to 3 hours of talk time) while the case packs another 22 hours of charge. Fast charging is supported (10 hours of playback with 10 minutes of charge) though there is no wireless charging like the Ear 1.
Globally, the Ear Stick now stands as Nothing’s most affordable product. The company has bumped up the pricing of the Ear 1 by 50$ (from 99$ to 149$) citing material cost increase. Interestingly, the price hike goes into effect the same day it is launching the Ear Stick, i.e., October 26.
This led many to speculate that the Ear Stick would be priced at around 99$ at launch. Turns out, that is indeed the case. The Ear Stick price in the US is set at 99$. The India scene is a bit different, though. In India, the Ear Stick will sell for Rs 8,499 which is same as the Ear 1 black variant (the white version sells for Rs 7,299) which seems tad on the higher side (considering they are still a stripped-down version of the Ear 1 on paper).
The Ear Stick will go on sale in India starting from November 17 on Myntra and Flipkart (globally, sales start a bit earlier November 4 onwards).
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