The brand Nothing seems to have a very stylish chip on its shoulder when it comes to the world of modern consumer tech design. Through its smartphone, previous earbuds and its latest product, Nothing really wants you to know that it is different.
And with this attention to design, it is no surprise that Nothing’s products stand out in a pretty crowded market. But are fancy features and aesthetic designs enough to secure your interest?
We spent some time using the brand’s latest product, a pair of earbuds titled the Nothing Ear (Stick) to see. They are affordable, encased in a truly unique charging case and offer a somewhat different take when it comes to fitting in your ear. But is that enough to make them worth your time?
Stepping into the future
Looking like an oversized lipstick case from the future, the Nothing Stick’s case takes a turn away from the AirPods-style housing most headphone providers have adopted. The earbuds are encased inside the tube, with a twisting mechanism revealing them to the world.
It is a satisfying experience, especially for those who can’t help but fidget and play with something.
The charging case is unique and its daring in a world of identical charging cases, but the innovation comes with one major inconvenience – dirt. A few days in and I could see flecks of dirt inside the case.
Because of the rotating design and the white lining inside, the Nothing Stick case collects dirt easily, even if you’re just sat at your desk. The rotating mechanism also makes it really hard to clean out. It’s not the end of the world but it does put a dampener on an otherwise brilliant case.
Unlike most earbuds, these do not feature rubber tips. This means a looser fit in your ear, and quite noticeably, absolutely no noise cancellation. The lack of noise cancellation is fine when you’re at home or in the office but you will find a lot of sound leaking in when you’re walking through the streets, sat on the bus or generally in a noisy place.
Equally, the lack of rubber tips means these earbuds sit loosely in your ears. This is going to be both a blessing and a curse, and it all comes down to the complete genetic gamble that is the shape of your ear.
If you’re lucky (like I was), the Nothing Stick will sit comfortably in your ear and will stay there through runs, walks and some light head bopping if the song justifies it. This loose fit and the lightweight nature of the earbuds meant that I could comfortably have them in for hours – a feat I can’t say for most earbuds these days.
However, a fair number of people have reported a loose fit with the earbuds easily falling out. I made some friends try the earbuds out and all but one of them experienced a comfortable fit.
Like most Bluetooth earbuds, there are touch controls available here, but they are pretty finicky. You activate controls by squeezing the arm of either earbud, which is surprisingly tricky to do smoothly. A single press will pause, play and answer/hang up calls. Double press to skip and triple press to go back.
How do they sound?
Nothing has created a unique look here, but let's not judge a book by its cover, how do these buds sound? While they aren't perfect, the sound performance of the Nothing Ear (Stick) is certainly impressive for the price.
With these earbuds, Nothing created something known as Bass Lock Technology. This, in theory, prevents sound leakage that would normally occur due to the open design. Through this technology, the software detects bass loss and attempts to equalise it.
When you're in a quiet environment with not much background noise, this works quite well with the earbuds offering a solid punch of lows.
The many bass-heavy effects of Fred again's Rumble are clearly identifiable and are saved from the muddied effect seen with some cheaper headphones.
Equally, the aggressive drums of Queens of the Stone Age's Song For The Dead still punch through, and a play through of Sweet Dreams by Eurythmics isn't dampened, still shining in all of its bassy glory.
However, this is only the story in quiet environments. On my daily bus ride home, songs were frequently being drowned out or muddied as the earbuds tried to compensate.
The grit of heavier songs like Nirvanas In Bloom become lost and quieter more subtle tracks such as Truman Sleeps by Philip Glass are completely drowned out, forcing you to ramp up the volume.
This is the trade-off that comes with the open-design of the headphones. They are lighter, and for some, will be a more comfortable fit. However, they also leak a lot of noise, making them a less enjoyable experience in loud places.
You can mess with the sound of the headphones through the Nothing X app. Like the headphones themselves, the app is more about looking nice than offering a lot of features, with the only important feature being the equaliser.
Through this, you can prioritise bass, mid or treble, or alternatively you can choose from a host of pre-made equalisations. For most of the period testing the headphones, I used the balanced sound option.
Verdict
For the £99 price tag, it is hard to argue with the value of the Nothing Ear (Stick). They offer a truly solid audio performance, and a playful design that is rare to see in headphones these days.
However, there are some key factors that will instantly make these the wrong earbuds for certain groups. The lack of noise-cancellation, the loose fit and the shorter battery life are all key factors to weigh into a purchase decision here.
Realistically, these earbuds are best used in certain situations. While working in the office or at home, I could have them in comfortably for hours, and the open-design meant I could hear the world around me. On my commute, and walking around town, I found myself really missing noise-cancellation.
Alternatives
Sony WF-1000XM4
The Sony WF-1000XM4 are often touted as the best in-ear headphones on the market, but with claims like that, it is no surprise that they are alsoexpensive.
They can often be found in sales just below £200, but at full price they cost £250.
That price tag secures you incredible audio, market-leading noise cancellation and a really solid battery life.
AirPods 3rd gen
If you are an Apple user, you will be best off going for a pair of earbuds from the brand directly. While they are more expensive, the 3rd generation AirPods are a great way to go.
In our Apple AirPods 3rd generation review, we were impressed by their brilliant audio performance, how comfortable they were over long periods, and the inclusion of spatial audio.
While they offer a similar fit to the Nothing Ear (Stick), the AirPods will fit a wider range of ears.
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
For users of Samsung, there are plenty of alternative earbuds to choose from, but our recommendation would be the Samsung Galaxy Buds 2.
These earbuds offer active noise cancellation, blocking out most noise around you. That is paired with an impressive audio performance similar to a pair of AirPods.
However, with an IPX2 rating, you won't want to get these too near to puddles of water.
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