Nothing Ear (stick): new in-ear headphones with 12.6 mm drivers

After months of teasers and leaks, Nothing has unveiled its new in-ear headphones, which are very different from the Ear (1) from last year. The Nothing Ear (stick) rely on a transparent design, but do not sit fully in the ear. The drivers are particularly large at 12.6 mm, but you have to do without ANC.

Nothing Ear (stick) in detail

The Nothing Ear (stick) stand out. Like its indirect predecessors in the form of the Ear (1), Carl Pei’s company once again relies on a semi-transparent design. The long, narrow charging case that holds the in-ear headphones side by side is also striking – it is said to be inspired by a lipstick, which is where the name of the headphones comes from.

“We are on the verge of reaching the mark of one million products sold worldwide. I can’t wait now for people to get their hands on our third product, Ear (stick). It combines comfort with our most advanced sound experience to date. The case is inspired by the silhouette of a lipstick and features a unique but functional twist opening,” said Carl Pei, CEO and co-founder of Nothing.

The new model differs in many ways from the manufacturer’s first in-ear headphones. For example, they are no longer placed fully in the ear, but instead find support in front of the auditory canal.

The half-in-ear design is said to provide even greater comfort, while each Earbud weighs just 4.4 grams. Gestures are used to operate the Earbud via the push buttons on each Earbud, and it should be easy to use even with wet hands.

So you’re supposed to be able to simply press the stem of the earpiece to play content, pause, skip tracks, enable voice support, or adjust the volume.

Large drivers and long battery life

Sound-wise, the Nothing Ear (stick) rely on particularly large driver units with a diameter of 12.6 mm. As always, one promises thereby of course rich lows, clear highs and powerful details.

The “highest-quality driver magnets on the market” are supposed to be used here, which further improve the sound quality. With Bass Lock Technology, there are no losses in the sound image. Intelligent software measures the unique shape of the ear canal and fit and thus detects whether and how much bass is lost when worn.

The equalizer then automatically adjusts the individual bass level. However, the in-ear headphones completely lack active noise cancellation (ANC) and a transparency mode.

For phone calls, it uses three high-resolution microphones with updated algorithms that filter out loud background noise.

In addition, Nothing promises up to 7 hours of battery life for the Earbuds themselves when listening to music and three hours for phone calls. . The case offers another 22 hours of charging time and allows for quick charging anywhere, anytime. Just 10 minutes in the case is enough for up to 9 hours of additional listening time.

Co-operation with the Phone (1)

With the Nothing Phone (1) Android smartphone unveiled in July, the new Ear (stick) are said to work particularly well together. If you play a game, the in-ears are supposed to automatically switch to a low-latency mode.

All device settings and functions are integrated directly into the Phone (1) for convenient use. Gesture controls and EQ settings such as low, mid and high frequencies can be adjusted effortlessly via the quick settings.

Connection via Fast Pair, on the other hand, is enabled with all Android devices. Otherwise, there is a new Nothing X app for iOS and Android, which is responsible for the settings.

Prices and Availability

The Nothing Ear (stick) in-ear headphones will go on sale on November 04, 2022 at 11:30 am German time, directly from the manufacturer, as well as from various retailers such as Expert, Galaxus, Otto, Cyberport or Amazon. The recommended retail price is 119 euros.

As a thank you to early supporters and the community, Nothing is offering an exclusive 10% discount on Ear (stick) purchases on nothing.tech from November 4 to November 30, 2022. A discount code is available for any previous purchase of Phone (1) and Ear (1), and for any Black Dot holder.