True to its initial promise, smartphone company Nothing has officially revealed its second audio product: the mid-range stick earbuds.
In the lead up to detection, There were some leaks Which showed off the cosmetic-inspired design for the ear (stick), which sure looks pretty cool. Charging cases for earphones usually have a boxy design, but nothing happened to get a more cylindrical look with a splash of red. Aside from its design, not much is known about the device internally apart from the company’s claim that the Ear (stick) is its “most advanced audio product to date”. However Looking at the ad (Opens in a new tab)This isn’t really the case.
The $99 ear (stick) may not be a bad product. But it is definitely not the most advanced audio product because it lacks active noise cancellation, a feature that is required in Ear device (1) last year. The earbuds also lack the older model’s silicone ear tips to shut off sound. Instead, it chooses more AirPodsSleek Design: Hard plastic sends sound directly into your ear canal. As a result, more background noise is likely to leak out.
So what distinguishes the ear (the stick) from each other?
New features
For starters, the ear (stick) has a new feature called bass lock, which is software that detects if any bass has been lost and adjusts the internal equalizer to compensate. This way, it sounds as it should ideally.
There are three microphones on each earpiece, each with its own role, According to The Verge (Opens in a new tab). You have one that simply hears your voice, another that filters background noise for calls through “intelligent algorithms”, and another that apparently listens to audio feedback and allocates the device’s sound to your ear canal.
Audio output is handled by a pair of specially designed 12.6mm tweeters, as opposed to the on-ear “ready drivers” (1). CEO Karl Bay told TheVerge that nothing goes with custom speakers because the company wanted a good balance of size and audio design, rather than just sticking a large driver inside the earbuds.
You can pair the ear (stick) with None iPhone (1) To unlock additional features. The device equalizer can be adjusted through the quick settings menu directly on the smartphone. On Android and iOS, you have to first download the Nothing X app. And if you experience lag while playing on phone (1), the earbuds will automatically enter low lag mode to match the gameplay.
Battery life on the ear (stick) is slightly improved: up to seven hours on a single charge versus four hours on the ear (1). With the charging case, this time reaches a maximum of 29 hours. Other notable features include an IP54 resistance rating for protection from dust and water, as well as Google Fast Pair support for fast Bluetooth pairing.
We’ve come up with nothing to explain some of its features. The ad says something about “press controls” but doesn’t explain what they are or how they work. We also asked for more details about how the microphones work. This story will be updated if we hear back.
Availability
You can pre-order the Ear (stick) for $99 (we’ll update this when we get international pricing) at Nothing’s website with a release date set for November 4. Seeing this price tag, you might think it’s strange that the mid-range earbuds have the same price as the flagship model. As it turns out, CEO Carl Pei recently took to Twitter to announce that ear (1) (Opens in a new tab) You will get a price increase of up to $149 “due to increased costs”.
If you’re in the market for something cheaper, be sure to check out TechRadar’s Best In-Ear Headphones 2022.