Nothing presented its new helmets, Nothing ear (stick) which I had the opportunity to test for a few days. Nothing Ears in stick format are a new generation of headphones from the Nothing brand that continue to twist design concepts to stand out from the competition.

The Nothing Ear (stick) are headphones wireless which maintain a transparent brand design and separate themselves from the competition cylindrical box resembling lipstick.

Nothing Technical characteristics of the ear (stick):

• Driver: 12.6 mm dynamic
• Membrane: PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate) + PU (Polyurethane)
• Codec: AAC and SBC
• Fit: Nothing
• IP54 Dust, water and sweat resistant
• In-ear detection
• Google FastPair
• Microsoft QuickSwitch
• On a single charge: Up to 7 hours of operation. Up to 3 hours of talk time.
• With case: Use time up to 29 hours. Up to 12 hours of talk time. 9 hours with 10 minutes of charging.
• Compatibility: Ear (bar) hubs inside the case. The case is charged using a USB-C charger

Nic Ear (stick) is an evolution of Nothing ear (1), the brand’s first headphones. In addition to the box, the type of headset also changes, and in this case it is an in-ear format 12.6 millimeter drivers and transparent design. Each earbud weighs about 4.4 grams and has been tested on, literally, “one hundred pairs of ears” to ensure their ergonomics.

I personally found them to be much more comfortable than the Nothing ear (1), which are silicone in-ear headphones. Also, because they don’t fit my ear perfectly, the music cuts out as soon as they move the least bit , because understand I took my headphones off. On the other hand, with the Nothing Ear (Stick), the sensitivity and settings are much better and we do not experience problems of this type. I find them more comfortable than the inner ones, but that’s a matter of personal taste.

Thanks 12.6 dynamic drivers Nothing Ear (stick) provides deep bass, clear highs. This version dispenses with the noise cancellation that was used by Nothing (1).

As for the microphone, it contains the technology Clear voice of Nothing and three high-definition microphones that, thanks to updated algorithms, try to filter out loud sounds and amplify wind- and crowd-proof sound. It is not very clean if the wind is very strong or if you are walking.

The ear (stick) has a redesigned antenna that is positioned further away from the face to minimize signal blocking. Additionally, when the user plays on the Nothing Phone (1), it automatically switches to low latency mode for an incredibly accurate blend of audio and graphics. It also connects easily to any Android device thanks to quick pairing.

The controls are located on the side of each earcup and work even when your fingers are wet. Users can effortlessly press the earpiece to play, pause, skip tracks, activate the voice assistant and change the volume. In other words, if we want to skip a song, pause it or answer a call, we shouldn’t slide our finger over the earpiece unless we consciously press the button walking stick, something that improves the situation I mentioned at the beginning of the pauses or song skips suffered with the Nothing (1) ear. In addition, we will know that we have pressed the stick correctly, because there is a click every time. You have to take into account that it takes some time to perform the action.

Action:

• One touch: Play/Pause. Answer/hang up calls
• Two taps: Move the track. reject the call
• Three taps: Track back. Previous track. None
• Press and hold: Left earpiece: volume down. Right earpiece: increase volume

As for the battery, lThe ear (stick) lasts all day thanks to charging the case. Until 7 hours of autonomy with headphones, while the case boasts an additional 22 hours of battery life. It only takes 10 minutes for fast charging.

Conclusions

As I mentioned at the beginning, I personally like this format of headphones better, I find them more adaptable to each ear and less annoying. They are not headphones for the most demanding of sound quality, and the lack of noise cancellation does not fit well with the price of headphones exceeding 100 euros. In addition, the microphone is not very sensitive when we are walking, the wind is blowing or we have a mask. Although I have to admit that they won me over with their comfort and usability.