Nothing Headphone (1) review: the wow factor
Nothing's first-ever over-ear headphones come with just the right amount of quirks
Nothing's first-ever product was an unassuming set of earbuds. Well, we say that, but they did come with a design element that was set to become a staple of Nothing products — the transparent stems, which showed you some of the inner workings of the buds.
Since then, the company has launched multiple phones, buds, and even a couple of smartwatches (through the CMF sub-branding). But it still holds audio in high regard, it seems, as now it's releasing a set of over-ear cans. This is the Nothing Headphone (1) — the company's first foray into big earphones. It promises a lot, definitely looks unique, and is sure to turn some heads and open some wallets.
Is it all just hype, or are the Nothing headphones really good? We'd say they are a solid first try that's not without its drawbacks.
Nothing Headphone (1) in a nutshell:
- Transparent tops on rectangular-shaped cans
- 40 mm dynamic driver
- Mid-forward sound
- Tactile controls on par with AirPods Max
- Advanced EQ and Bass Enhancer
- Bluetooth multipoint for dual device connectivity
- Two color options
- IP52 protection rating
Nothing Headphone (1) specs
| Color options | Black, White |
|---|---|
| Audio | AAC, SBC, LDAC, Spatialize audio |
| Noise cancelation | ANC, Transparency |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3, multi-device, Fast Pair, Swift Pair |
| Battery life | AAC / LDAC ANC ON: 35 hrs / 30 hrs ANC OFF: 80 hrs / 54 hrs |
| Ingress protection | IP 52 (Dust, vertical water drops) |
The Nothing Headphone (1) come with the most common codecs for both Apple (AAC) and Android (LDAC). Yes, most Android devices also support AAC, but quality can be hit-and-miss, depending on model. No super-fast LHDC or aptX, so these are not generally meant for demanding gamers, rather audio-first aficionados. Latency works fine for video, though.
These are definitely out there. The headphones have rectangular cases, but with a transparent elliptical cap on top. The earmuffs inside are, of course, also rounded. They definitely look odd on first, second, and third sight. Maybe you love that absolutely quirky design, maybe it will be an acquired taste. Here, at the office, we have divided opinions.
Nothing Headphone (1) design and colors
These are definitely out there. The headphones have rectangular cases, but with a transparent elliptical cap on top. The earmuffs inside are, of course, also rounded. They definitely look odd on first, second, and third sight. Maybe you love that absolutely quirky design, maybe it will be an acquired taste. Here, at the office, we have divided opinions.
What we do agree upon, though, is that the tactile controls on the Nothing Headphone (1) are sublime. You have a roller on the back of the right earbud to control volume, or press it for play/pause. Kind of like an AirPods Max digital crown, just not rotating but rolling. It also requires a really deliberate first swipe to start adjusting volume — something I view as a smart way to prevent accidental volume movements while adjusting the headphones.
Then, there's also a paddle that clicks right and left for next / previous. Holding on it can also do fast-forward and reverse in supported apps. The power key on the bottom is a cool mechanical toggle, looking and feeling kind of retro on top of all this design madness!
On the side, towards the front, there's a customizable button that can call up the assistant, or cycle through EQ profiles, or ANC, et cetera.
The earmuffs feel soft, and the headband pressure is OK, if a bit on the harsh side. But nothing head-squeezing. Length adjustment is stepless and smooth, and overall feels solid.
These come in two colorways — white and black. We appreciate that even the white ones have a black headband cushion, as lighter colors tend to get smudged pretty fast.
The carry case these come in is definitely on the bulky side. It's a byproduct of the Nothing Headphone (1) not being foldable in any way. We wouldn't count that as a negative, but it's definitely worth knowing if compactness is a top priority. It also has the signature dimple, that started from the first-ever Nothing Ear (1) case. Here, it serves no purpose other than to add that little extra touch that fans of the brand will recognize.
Nothing Headphone (1) sound quality
By default, the Nothing Headphone (1) have a very mid-forward sound. On first try, they might strike you as clear and defined, maybe percussive. They do offer a good, wide sound picture, even allowing you to spot mixing mistakes (or streaming service cons) like too much compression.
However, flipping through a few songs may reveal that vocals can get buried in some mixes, and their bass lacks clear focus. In mixes that are mid-heavy in general, like classic hard rock, you may end up hearing a lot — a lot — of guitar.
They do have highs, sometimes bordering on scratching (never crossing that line), but they definitely lack a good amount of sizzle and presence in the top end.
We recommend tweaking them within the Nothing X app. There's a very basic EQ for those that don't like to twiddle, but also an Advanced 8-band customizable EQ for more in-depth diving. Now, it may look like a lot, but the Advanced EQ doesn't really do all that much. We found that boosting a frequency kind of lowers the rest — a-la Samsung style EQ — so it's a tweaking tool for slight boosts or very narrow and precise cuts, not one to change the overall response of the headphones.
The Bass Enhancer within the Nothing X app does what it says on the tin — it opens up the low end and has 5 stages to really make these boomy. I can't say that I am a fan — I generally prefer less rumble in my music. And the drivers of the Nothing Headphone (1) don't have a very tight bass response in my opinion. But, if you want to drown your beats in low end — you definitely can.
With some patience and careful tuning, I was able to get a sound out of them that I am pretty happy with. I still miss some top end sizzle, but the sound profile of the Nothing Headphone (1) definitely has its own signature that can be enjoyable to listen to. Especially if you are the kind of person that has a few different sets of headphones for the right "mood" or music genre.
If you are a casual user that intends these to be their only headphones — they can definitely be that. While the sound isn't super-balanced, it's not grating. A casual user may not even have the complaints I have about them. And again, they are not experience-breaking — if I spend 15-20 minutes with these on, my ears get attuned, and it's all vibes from then on.
Nothing Headphone (1) Spatialize Audio
Like a set of AirPods Max, these have a Spatialize function, which will take any sound source and put it in a virtual space around you. It generally works fine. I do avoid Spatialize for music, as it can have unpredictable effects on the mix. However, when watching YouTube videos, it's really nice — it removes that "the speaker is right up to your ear" effect and makes you feel like the presenter or the sounds are in the room with you, rather in an isolated space inside your head.
The Spatialize mode also has head tracking, which — again — works pretty fast. It's responsive to head movements and seems to keep the sound "in the right place" quite well.
Nothing Headphone (1) Noise Cancelation
These have a pretty good Noise Cancelation — a feature that's marked by the fact that a colleague scared the absolute bejesus out of me when they walked up to interact with me while I was absolutely isolated in my own little world. Writing this review, actually. The office coffee machine, the chitter and chatter, the clacking and rumbling, it all gets drowned out quite effectively.
The transparency mode on these is OK. It's a bit muffled — again, not a lot of top end air on these — and its stereo could've been a bit better (sounds that are clearly coming from your left can sound like "slightly on the left" in the headphones). But it does a good job at generally letting you interact with the outside world with little trouble.
Nothing Headphone (1) connectivity
These support AAC and LDAC for high-quality audio on both Apple devices and Android / PC. Additionally, they are quick to pair with... well — Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. If you are looking for the button to initiate a Bluetooth search connection on the Nothing Headphone (1) — it's a small, nearly-invisible button on the inside of the right ear can.
They also have Bluetooth multipoint, allowing you to keep them connected to two devices at once. When a new sound source is played — your audio from device A gets interrupted. Pretty handy for taking phone calls while listening to music from the laptop, for example.
Nothing Headphone (1) battery life
These come with a 1,040 mAh battery and Nothing promises quite a lot of listening time from them. We don't have an elaborate headphone battery test like we do for smartphones at the moment, so I can only provide the anecdotal report — at no point did these fail me or make me think I wouldn't last. As long as you remember to plug them in every 3 days or so, you should be perfectly fine.
| Nothing Headphone (1) | Noise Reduction On | Noise Reduction Off |
|---|---|---|
| AAC | 35 hours | 80 hours |
| LDAC | 30 hours | 54 hours |
Nothing Headphone (1): should you buy them?
The Nothing Headphone (1) come at £299 / $299 / €299 and global preorders start on the 4th of July. At this price point, they are slightly more affordable than Sony's excellent WH-1000XM6, and almost half the price of a set of AirPods Max.
Keeping this in mind, I'd say the Headphone (1) is a solid offer. The controls are excellent, comfort is on the high end, ANC is very effective.
The two things you should consider before adding to cart — is this design "very you", and do you like the idea of a mid-forward sound profile? If you want me to leave you off with a personal opinion — I do mostly enjoy the sound of these and would use them daily while working, but I wouldn't be seen wearing them on the street.
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