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What we think
The PerfectRec Earbuds or Headphones team Learn more
Updated April 11, 2024·
If you're budget-conscious, the Creative Labs Zen Air may suit you as they come at a budget price. For those needing superior mic quality and active noise-canceling for calls, travel, and focus, the "Nothing" Ear Stick with its very good mic and active noise canceling could be a better choice despite being more expensive. The Ear Stick also features low latency mode, making it suitable for TV and gaming. Conversely, if you're active and need sweatproof earbuds, the Zen Air would be preferable. Finally, if battery life is crucial, the "Nothing" Ear Stick offers longer battery life in the buds and the case compared to the Zen Air. Give Feedback
this description is based on the product variant with some specs and product variant with some specs. At the time of writing, the variant with some specs cost some dollars and the variant with some specs cost some dollars.
Advantages of the Creative Labs Zen Air
- Very good for air travel
Advantages of the "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick
- Very good for phone calls
- Very good for gaming
- Good for TV and video
- Very good for podcasts and audiobooks
Key differences
Music
6.8
6.1
The Creative Labs Zen Air and "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick are both only fair for music, though the Creative Labs Zen Air is somewhat better.
Gaming
5.1
8.1
The "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick is very good for gaming, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Phone Calls
5.1
8.6
The "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick is very good for phone calls, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Podcasts and Audiobooks
5.4
8.4
The "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick is very good for podcasts and audiobooks, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
TV and Video
5.6
7.5
The "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick is good for TV and video, while the Creative Labs Zen Air is poor.
Noise Reduction
7.0
2.5
The Creative Labs Zen Air is good for noise reduction, while the "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick is poor.
Cost
$30
$99
$0
$50
$100
$150
$200
The Creative Labs Zen Air has a price of $30 and the "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick costs $99.
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Key similarities
Battery
5.0 Hours
5.0 Hours
The Creative Labs Zen Air has 5 hours of battery life. The "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick has 5 hours of battery life.
Build Quality
9.0
9.0
The Creative Labs Zen Air and "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick both have excellent build quality.
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How the Creative Labs Zen Air and the "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick compare to other earbuds and headphones
Spec Comparison
 |  | |
| Creative Labs Zen Air | "Nothing" Brand Ear Stick |
GENERAL | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
$30 | $99 | ||
Brand | |||
Brand | Creative Labs | "Nothing" Brand | |
Release Date | |||
Release Date | December 1, 2022 | November 1, 2022 | |
Form Factor | |||
Form Factor | Earbuds | Earbuds | |
Connectivity | |||
Connectivity | Wireless | Wireless | |
SOUND | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Music Score | |||
Music Score | 6.9/10 | 6.2/10 | |
Phone Calls Score | |||
Phone Calls Score | 5.1/10 | 8.7/10 | |
Gaming Score | |||
Gaming Score | 5.1/10 | 8.2/10 | |
TV and Video Score | |||
TV and Video Score | 5.7/10 | 7.6/10 | |
Exercise Score | |||
Exercise Score | 6.9/10 | 7/10 | |
PERFORMANCE | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Battery life | |||
Battery life | 5 Hours | 5 Hours | |
Wireless charging | |||
Wireless charging | Yes | No | |
Charging time | |||
Charging time | 2 Hours | 1.2 Hours | |
Bluetooth version | |||
Bluetooth version | 5 | 5.2 | |
Case Battery Life | |||
Case Battery Life | 12 | 22 | |
FEATURES | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Active Noise Cancelling | |||
Active Noise Cancelling | Yes | No | |
Noise Reduction Score | |||
Noise Reduction Score | 7/10 | 2.5/10 | |
Virtual Surround | |||
Virtual Surround | Yes | No | |
Android App | |||
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
iOS App | |||
iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
Mic Quality | |||
Mic Quality | 7/10 | 8.5/10 | |
BUILD AND DESIGN | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Build Quality | |||
Build Quality | 9/10 | 9/10 | |
Comfort score | |||
Comfort score | 7/10 | 7/10 | |
Size | |||
Size | Medium | Small | |
Weight (headset or single earbud) | |||
Weight (headset or single earbud) | 5 Grams | 4.4 Grams | |
Microphone style | |||
Microphone style | Integrated | Integrated | |
Shopping
Creative Labs Zen Air
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Dig into reviews and images
Headphone Check
Maike Paeßens | February 2023
"The Creative Zen Air’s weak points are its low battery life and rather short Bluetooth range. On the other hand, the strengths of these weatherproof True Wireless in-Ears are the sound and the wide attenuation of the Active Noise Cancellation. Considering the price range, the speech intelligibility during calls is also exceptionally good."
"Nothing" Brand Ear Stick
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Dig into reviews and images
Sound Guys
Jasper Lastoria | December 2022
"If the Ear (stick) fits your ears, its light weight means you can easily wear it until the unimpressive battery life totally drains. The IP54 rating of the buds lends some confidence that it’ll survive some light abuse too. Finally, for the person who only wears earbuds at their desk, the Nothing Ear (stick) with its decent microphone could offer a reasonable Zoom meeting solution."
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About Creative Labs
Creative Labs is a Singaporean technology company specialized in the manufacture of multimedia products. They created the world-famous Soundblaster soundcard back in 1989 which was a staple of the gaming community for a long time. Nowadays, besides still marketing their discrete audio systems, they offer a wide array of headphones, gaming headsets and speakers that still preserve that same heritage.
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This information was produced and vetted by the PerfectRec earbuds & headphones team. We are a product research and recommendation organization that meticulously reviews and evaluates the latest earbuds or headphones information and makes it digestible for you.
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Joe is an entrepreneur and lifelong electronics enthusiast with a Ph.D in Economics from the University of Michigan.
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