Nothing launched its third product globally on October 26, 2022 since its inception. The new product is a pair of TWS earbuds called the Nothing Ear (stick). The USP of the product is meant to be its unique design. While we do agree that the design of the Nothing Ear (stick) is something we haven’t seen before, is it enough for the consumer to pick it over a bunch of other alternatives available in the market?
We think that’s not possible because the sound quality should be the major play here. The Nothing ear (1) did impress us with its quality and so, it speaks for the company’s potential of what it can do. But we do think that there are some alternatives to the Nothing Ear (stick) that you should take a look at before finalising your purchase. Before that, let’s get you through the price, features and specifications of the ear (stick).
Nothing Ear (Stick) Features, Price
Priced at Rs 8,499, Ear (stick) will be available from 17 November 2022 on Flipkart and Myntra in India. Nothing Ear (stick) is powered by a 12.6mm custom dynamic driver, which the company says is made of the highest grade driver magnets in the market, thereby strengthening the diaphragm.
It further sports a Bass Lock technology, where the software measures the user’s unique ear canal shape and the fit of the earbuds and detects how much bass is lost during wear. Then, the equaliser curve is automatically tuned to the optimal level for the user.
The earbuds have a three-mic system with updated algorithms to filter out louder background noises, amplifying your voice for wind-proof and crowd-proof calls. The ear (stick) features a redesigned Antenna that sits further away from the face to minimise signal blockage. The earbuds have support for Fast Pair as well and are IP54-rated.
Next, there are press controls. These controls are located on each earbud and work even when your fingers are wet. Users can press on the earbud stem to play, pause, skip tracks, activate voice assistance and change volume. While the software features of the earbud can be accessed directly from Settings of the phone if you have the Nothing Phone (1), for all other Android and iOS devices, all features are available in the new Nothing X app.
One can get up to 7 hours of listening time with the earbuds and up to 3 hours of Talk time with the earbuds. The case packs another 22 hours of charge with Fast charging support. Just 10 minutes in the case delivers up to 2 hours of extra listening time.
Nothing Ear (Stick) Alternatives
Here are the top 5 alternatives to Nothing Ear (Stick) in India:
Nothing Ear (1)
One of the first and best alternatives to the ear (stick) is the Nothing Ear (1), the company’s first set of TWS earbuds. Despite being more than a year old, the Nothing Ear (1) has more features than the ear (stick), including Active Noise Cancellation and Wireless Charging. Interestingly, the ear (1)’s White variant is being sold for Rs 7,299 on Flipkart while the black edition costs Rs 8,499, the same as Ear (stick).
This makes the Nothing Ear (1) clearly a better choice over-ear (stick). As a user of Nothing Ear (1), the silicone ear tips fit me better than the plastic ones, as seen on the ear (stick). But that is a subjective matter considering which one fits you better.
Apart from that, Ear (1) have up to 34 hours of playtime with the case, which is again better than it’s the trimmed-down counterpart. They pack an 11.6mm driver, and Active Noise Cancellation is achieved through 3 mics.
During our review of Ear 1, we found the design of the earbuds to be attractive. The case and earbuds are transparent to some extent but not 100 percent. The stem of the Earbuds is transparent on one side, and on other side, though transparent, it appears black.
Pros over-ear (stick)
- ANC
- Better Battery Life
- Wireless Charging
Samsung Galaxy Buds 2
Priced at Rs 7,580, Samsung Galaxy Buds 2 have Bluetooth 5.2 that will handle the connectivity. You further get a 61mAh battery in each earbud. The case in which the earbuds will charge will pack a 472mAh battery. The audio is tuned by AKG.
Moving on, the buds themselves have a glossy finish. The buds also sport an Active Noise Cancellation feature along with a transparency mode for clearer Ambient sounds. This will be achieved through a 3-mic setup.
You should get 18 hours of battery with ANC ON. This includes 5 hours from the earbuds plus 13 hours more with a charging case. With ANC Off, you get 29 hours, constituting 7.5 hours from earbuds. You should be good to go for 55 minutes of playback with a 5-minute charge. The buds have Qi wireless charging support as well.
Each of the earbuds has two drivers, including an 11mm woofer and a 6.5mm tweeter. The buds also have an IPX7 rating making them water-resistant.
Pros over-ear (stick):
- ANC
- Wireless Charging
- Transparency Mode
- Slightly more battery life (on paper)
- Cheaper Price tag
Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro
Priced at Rs 3,499, which is actually Rs 5,000 less than ear (stick), the OPPO Enco Air 2 Pro are TWS earbuds with both Active Noise Cancellation, AI-based Noise Cancellation that neutralises low-frequency everyday noise from subways and buses or higher-frequency noise from dormitories and offices. The earbuds are IP54 dust and water-resistant.
The Enco Air2 Pro can be connected to two devices at the same time and also comes with features such as Quick Connect, so you can connect to your smartphone as soon as you open the lid of TWS Earbuds.
It comes with a 12.4mm titanised diaphragm driver and a custom-made large rear chamber that works with the Enco Live bass tuning to produce deeper bass and an overall balanced sound.
The OPPO Enco Air 2 Pro comes in a dual-layer transparent bubble design with a refractive top cover. There’s in-ear detection, 28 hours of playback time with the case, 7 hours of playback on a single charge, and a gaming mode that can reduce the Latency to up to 94ms.
Pros over-ear (stick):
- ANC
- Multi-device support
- Similar battery life (on paper)
- Much cheaper
OnePlus Buds Pro
Selling for Rs 7,990 on Amazon India, the OnePlus Buds Pro offer much more features than ear (stick) with a cheaper Rs 500 price tag and is also one of the best alternatives to the Nothing ear (stick). The OnePlus Buds Pro come with Adaptive Noise Cancellation that cancels noise up to 40dB. There’s a 3 microphone setup that achieves ANC while calling. There’s an Audio ID feature through which the Buds determine what kind of sound the person needs.
The Audio is handled by 11mm dynamic drivers. The OnePlus Buds Pro get 7 hours of playback time without ANC. It is extended to 31 hours with the case. With ANC, you get up to 5 hours of playback time. So a 10-minute charge will get you 10 hours of playtime. The charging case also supports wireless charging. There’s 94ms ultra-low latency as per OnePlus’ claims, when using Pro Gaming Mode. The wireless connection is handled via Bluetooth 5.2.
Pros over ear (stick):
- ANC
- Transparency Mode
- Better Battery Life (on paper)
- Wireless Charging support
Jabra Elite 4 Active
Currently selling for Rs 5,000 on Amazon, the Jabra Elite 4 Active comes with Active Noise Cancellation and Secure Active Fit ergonomic wing-free design for a noise-isolating fit. In addition, the earbuds are compatible with Jabra’s Sound+ App to adjust the ANC intensity and tune the equaliser for a personalised audio profile. Further, you get an adjustable HearThrough feature where users can clearly listen to their surroundings without taking off the earbuds.
Read More: Jabra Elite 85t Review: Leveling up TWS audio for Android
The Elite 4 Active are further claimed to provide seven hours of playtime. Its charging case extends the battery life to a total of 28 hours. One can get 1 hour of playtime with a quick 10-minute charge as the case supports fast charging. The earbuds can get fully charged within a span of 3 hours. The Elite 4 Active earbuds also include Alexa integration and also have support for Siri and Google Assistant.
Moreover, they come with four built-in MEMS microphones protected by a special mesh covering that further protects the sound from wind noise and offers enhanced noise cancellation. Jabra says that the earphones can also be used independently through Mono Mode. The Elite 4 Active TWS earphones come equipped with 6mm drivers and support Qualcomm aptX and SBC audio codecs.
These earbuds connect via Bluetooth 5.2 and have IP57 protection for dust and water resistance. Lastly, users can pair up to 6 devices, and the earbuds feature an Auto on/off feature as well.
Pros over-ear (stick):
- Qualcomm aptX codec support
- Multi-device support
- Voice Assistant integration
- ANC & Transparency Mode
- Better IP rating