The “early adopter tax” is occasionally mentioned in relation to new technology. The concept is that a company’s initial attempt at an idea could not be flawless; it could be glitchy, poorly made, or otherwise fall short in some manner. Nothing is new. An example is the genuine wireless Ear 1 earphones. When we examined them last year, we discovered that they had various faults and lacked some software capabilities at launch due to a lack of polish.
The Ear Stick, on the other hand, has the impression of being earphones from a firm that is still growing. This time around, there have been much fewer connectivity and charging concerns, and Nothing has upgraded its app to give users greater flexibility over their shortcut and sound controls. Additionally, they come in a novel cylinder casing that is entertaining to use.
However, the Ear Stick is more of a simple substitute for the Ear 1 earphones than a replacement. There is no wireless charging, no silicone ear tips that passively mute out background noise, and no active noise canceling. The Ear Sticks are more reasonable than the Ear 1s at $99, but only because Nothing increased the cost of its first-generation headphones earlier this week to $149. The Ear Stick is virtually a perfect illustration of shrinkflation.
To read our blog on “Nothing Phone (1) Lite is around the corner,” click here
