There is no reason to call these the sequel to the Ear (1) buds that were released last year. The Ear (stick) earbuds, every mean, are just entry-level offerings that aim to offer some design changes and good battery life.
The Nothing Ear (stick) are Funky Looking Earbuds without Modern Features
Nothing has decided to go away with the silicone tip seal that was found on the Ear (1). Instead, you are now getting an AirPod-like design that sits in your ear, and for those wondering, each earbud weighs only 4.4 grams, which is nothing as compared to some of the other options, no pun intended. Now, I am not a fan of such a design language as it might result in sound leakage but the new 12.6mm custom dynamic drivers should be able to drive the sound in a better way. You are also getting three microphones within each Ear (stick) earbud and can easily filter out the background noise when you are on an important call. However, real-world scenarios are often different. Sadly, due to the affordable nature of these Nothing Ear (stick), you are not getting active noise cancellation, so you will have to deal with what you are getting. But then again, looking at the price, I am not really surprised.
Nothing ear (stick) is going to ship in a new cylindrical case that can be twisted to open and grants access ot each earbud. However, this new cylindrical design means that you are not going to get access to any wireless charging. You are, however, getting USB-C charging; just 10 minutes of charging will provide you with 2 hours of listening experience. The earbuds themselves are rated at 7 hours and the case provides further 22 hours with a full charge.
The Nothing Ear (1) app is also getting rebranded and will now be called Nothing X and features such as a customizable equaliser, Bass Lock, low lag gaming mode, and more. If you have a Nothing Phone (1), you will be able to access these features via the integrated Quick Settings toggle. Google Fast Pair is also present you can get access to seamless connectivity with your Android phones.
Nothing Ear (stick) will be going on sale at 5:30 a.m. EDT / 2:30 a.m. PDT on November 4th, later this year. The earbuds will be available across 40 different countries including the U.S., Canada, and the U.K. You will also be able to get your hands on these from select retailers.
