“Nothing shall come of nothing.” As it turns out, that’s not exactly true. William Shakespeare may continue to have a more acute handle on the human condition than any other writer, but he simply can’t be relied on when it comes to the world of consumer electronics.

Nothing is starting to mean something. Yes, the promise the company made when it launched—to do the unconventional, to “disrupt” or to “shake up,” or to otherwise put the frighteners on the incumbent and complacent class-leading brands—may at this point look like so much chin music, given that Nothing’s product portfolio consists of one androids smartphones and (as of right now) two pairs of wireless headphoness. Still, it’s hard to argue that Nothing products aren’t simple, attractive and (relatively) affordable. And, in this industry, “mildly interesting” definitely counts for something. So what if opening a brick-and-mortar store in London’s Soho is hardly the most unconventional move for a brand to make? This isn’t the place to dwell on Nothing’s orthodoxy. It’s the new Ear (stick) we’re here for.    

Nothing describes the Ear (stick) as a “half-in ear” design. In fact, the broad design, which goes without silicone eartips and instead relies on a carefully ergonomic shape at the business end to keep the earbud in place, is strongly reminiscent of the original Apple AirPod. Apple, of course, is a company that is used to seeing its many and various innovations shamelessly appropriated by less ingenious manufacturers. But, until now, no one has seemed all that keen on copying the design of the AirPod. Almost certainly because its “one size fits no one” design is about as far from the Cupertino company’s finest hour as it’s possible to get.  

The point of Ear (stick) is to feel less intrusive than the more usual, more invasive (and, let’s be honest, more secure) in-ear design. A per-earbud weight of just 4.4 grams and dimensions of 30 x 19 x 18 mm certainly suggest they’ll be no kind of burden to wear (as long as they stay in place, of course.)

“Design” is a big part of the Nothing identity. So the Ear (stick) travel in a cylindrical charging case that’s inspired by the cosmetics industry. The top portion, which also houses a USB-C input and a “Bluetooth pairing” button, turns to rotate the earbuds in the barrel in order to make them accessible. The case, like the earbuds themselves, makes liberal use of clear plastic in what Nothing has quickly established as its default aesthetic vocabulary. Nailing a design that looks individual while still being recognisable as “what it is” can’t be easy, and Nothing (as well as Teenage Engineering) is to be applauded for the design job on the Ear (stick) package. 

Design will only carry you so far, though. True wireless “half-in” earbuds have a job to do, after all. Happily, Nothing has given the Ear (stick) the sort of technical specification that makes them competitive, in pretty much every respect, with their leading price-comparable rivals.

Wireless connectivity is via Bluetooth 5.2. It’s compatible with each and every worthwhile Bluetooth profile, though codec compatibility is restricted to SBC and AAC—which will disappoint owners of the aptX-enabled Nothing phones (1), for starters. Battery life is a perfectly respectable seven hours or so from the earbuds themselves, with another three full charges held in that see-through charging case. There’s no facility for wireless charging, but 10 minutes or so on the mains via USB-C is enough for a couple of hours of playback. 

Control is available via pressure sensors (emphatically not “touch” controls) on the stem portion of each earbud, and there’s also the Nothing X control app. Here’s where the functions of the sensors can be redefined; here’s where software updates take place; and here’s where you get access to a nice graphic EQ interface which has some presets along with space for you to save one custom setting. 

Nothing X also lets you switch on “low-latency mode”  for a more coherent gaming experience when using phones (1), prompt either earbud to make a sound in case you’ve misplaced it, and switch “in-ear detection” on or off. This last will pause playback when an earbud is removed, and if it’s switched on then Bass Lock technology is also enabled. This intends to prevent the sound-leakage you might think was inevitable from a half-in ear design by deploying software that detects loss of low-frequency information and tailors the EQ curve to compensate.

The Ear (stick) are compatible with your source player’s native voice assistant, too. Each earbud features three mics to handle these interactions, and they also help pick up and filter out intrusive background noise when you’re making or receiving calls. In addition, the earbuds are IP54-rated for dust- and moisture-resistance.

Sound is delivered by a couple of 12.6-mm full-range dynamic drivers. Nothing claims this driver is among the most sensitive designs around, although no actual sensitivity figures are forthcoming. What’s for sure, though, is that this is a big driver by earbud standards, especially for such a relatively compact overall design.

Predictably, the way the Ear (stick) fit has a lot to do with the specific ears into which they’re being positioned. There are four pairs of ears in my house, and a solid three-quarters of them had no issue with the fit or comfort of the earbuds. The only problem with the fourth pair, I’m fairly sure, stems from the fact they belong to a preadolescent. It’s fair to say I’ve received fairly robust feedback from colleagues for whom the Ear (stick) simply won’t stay in place, though. So, unlike almost every alternative design, the fit of which can be finessed using ear-tips of different sizes and/or different materials, if the Ear (stick) don’t fit you … well, that’s on you and your weird ears.

Given that the issue of fit is, relatively speaking, so problematic here, it’s unfortunate that operating the integrated control area of each earbud can affect the stability of the buds once they’re in situ. Rather than a touch-surface that requires only a touch to elicit a response, the relevant area of the Ear (stick) demands an overt and positive press. I find a pinch (stabilizing the back of the stem with my thumb while pushing on the front with my forefinger to control playback) keeps the earbud reasonably stable. I also find it makes me look mildly risible to the other ear-owners in my household. There’s no arguing with the responsiveness of the Ear (stick) to commands issued this way, mind you.

For the purposes of this test, the Ear (stick) are paired via Bluetooth with an iphoness 13 and a Nothing phones (1), although not at the same time, obviously. Music is delivered via Qobuz and TIDAL streaming services, as well as content stored on the phoness’ local memory. First and foremost, it’s safe to say there’s no meaningful difference in the way the Nothing earbuds sound no matter the source of music to which they’re wirelessly attached. Of course, you can serve them with audio from an expensive portable music player and enjoy a superior sound, but expensive portable music players more commonly tend to accompany expensive headphoness.

It’s equally true to say the Ear (stick) are, broadly speaking, agnostic about the type of music you want to listen to. From the guitar-and-voice intimacy of Nick Drake’s Pink Moon to the nosebleed electronic attack of Giant Swan’s Do Not Be Afraid of Tenderness, from the complicated abstractions of Szun Waves’ Exploding Upwards to the warm inclusivity of Aretha Franklin’s Don’t Play That Song, the Nothing don’t change their characteristics in the slightest.

Pair the Ear (stick) with an appropriate source, and in every circumstance they’re a robust, expansive, and cohesive listen. Soundstaging is strong and coherent, with good separation to even the most complex or dense mixes, and with a proper sense of locations to each individual element. They enjoy convincingly natural tonality, from the crisp, well-controlled attack of the highest frequencies to the deep, nicely shaped and impressively textured low end. And in between, they hand over plenty of detail, both broad and fine, about the character, technique, and emotional state of a vocalist in fine style.

Rhythmic expression is a little less positive, it’s true. Music that’s aimed more at the hips than at the heart can lack the sort of dancefloor potency that the best earbuds can deliver. And there’s a mild-but-definite lack of dynamic reach here, too. The headline “quiet-then-loud” shifts are a little curtailed, and the more minor dynamic variations apparent in a solo instrument aren’t expressed as fully as they might be, either.

The Ear (stick) are an admirably unflappable listen, though, and are just as willing to slum it with rough, inexpensive and/or badly produced music as they are to give a little sheen to the “hi-fi” stuff. There are plenty of headphoness, at plenty of price points, that can get flustered by uncouth recording like the Giant Swan tune mentioned above, but the Ear (stick) are not among them. It’s not like they especially relish the rough-and-ready aspects of the recording, but nor do they sit in judgement on them.

There’s a decent degree of passive noise isolation offered by these earbuds, despite the rather open nature of their design (provided they fit you in the first place). And their wireless connectivity is excellent. They’re tenacious when it comes to maintaining a  connection with your source player, even if you wander a fair distance from it. Plenty of alternative designs could learn a thing or two from Nothing in this respect.

No, the Ear (stick) aren’t any kind of revolution. They’re certainly not disruptive in the way business circles like to apply the word. But they are eye-catching both in design and in pricing. And if they have some definite negatives to the supposed universality of the way they fit then they have some equally definite positives to the way they sound. And that’s got to count for something.