Nothing Headphone (a) review: the wireless audio market is cornered
Nothing already has the Headphone (1) for quality, and CMF Headphone for absolute value. How is it possible that the Headphone (a) is another good offer?
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Looks a lot like the Headphone (1) | Image by PhoneArena
When Nothing launched the Headphone (1), last year, they left me initially unimpressed. However, we live in the age of digital products and constant firmware updates — within a couple of months, my complaints were addressed and the Nothing Headphone (1) set is now my go-to "office headphones". Light, good ANC, good sound.
Then, we got the CMF Headphone Pro — funky-looking headphones for $100 that I didn't expect much from. Turned out that, after some tuning from the Nothing X app, I got them to sound so good, it was basically not fair at the price point.
Now, we surprisingly got Nothing Headphone (a). They look like the flagship model, they are priced a good $100 below it.
Nothing Headphone (a) in a nutshell:
40 mm driver
Similar design to flagship Headphone (1)
Tactile controls with a volume roller
Advanced EQ and granular controls in app
Bluetooth multipoint for dual device connectivity
Some more color options
IP52 protection rating (limited water-resistance)
Nothing Headphone (a)
The recognizable design, now in a lighter plastic build. Premium features available within the Nothing X app. Dual-connectivity, ANC, Transparency.
The most impressive part about the Headphone (a)'s specs is the battery endurance. 135 hours is just wild in the world of wireless headphones.
Nothing Headphone (a) design and colors
An opaque take | Image by PhoneArena
If you've seen the original Nothing Headphone (1), these will look very familiar. The square cup shape with the round dome on top are back. The difference is that the Headphone (a) don't have a transparent dome — instead, it's a plastic piece that can come in a few different colors.
The other big difference is that the Headphone (a) cups aren't made of aluminum, it's all plastic.
The buttons and controls are exactly in the same spots, too. There's a rollable media control button on the right cup — it rotates with a pleasant amount of resistance to it and controls volume. Pressing it in is play/pause, and holding it toggles ANC or transparency.
The paddle below it is a left-right clicker that goes previous-next song.
The bottom has an on-off switch, which I appreciate. In a world where on buttons are "hold here for 2 seconds and stare at the light to make sure it's on", a nice tactile switch sets a product apart immediately. If you are wondering where the Bluetooth pairing button is — it's hidden on the inside of the cup, and is almost invisible, sitting flush with the plastic.
The one "premium feature" that the Headphone (a) lack is the auto-pause when you take them off. They don't have an inside sensor to detect whether you are wearing them or not.
Smooth action | Image by PhoneArena
Nothing likes to use a stepless headband adjustment mechanism, and it feels really nice to me. There's a good amount of resistance when pulling it and setting the length, and it's silent. The Headphone (a)'s build does not feel any worse in any way than the Headphone (1)'s even in this department. One issue some might have is that it doesn't get very big — I already have them stretched out to the maximum and while they are comfy for me, I'd imagine someone with a slightly wider head or big hairdo may have a worse experience.
The all-plastic build has an added bonus — the Headphone (a) are ever so slightly lighter than the flagship. The difference is noticeable when they are actually on your head.
The clamping force is a little bit on the stronger side, but the soft cushions help with comfort.
Branded pouch and pretty nice cables | Image by PhoneArena
The Nothing Headphone (a) don't come with a carry case like the more expensive model. You do get a carry pouch, which feels... not amazing. But at least we get a charging cable and a 3.5 mm cable as box candy.
Nothing Headphone (a) sound quality
The default sound is nothing special, but is super tweakable | Image by PhoneArena
The Nothing Headphone (1) came with sound tuning by legendary Hi-Fi audio company KEF. The Headphone (a) comes with "Tuned by Nothing". Currently, there's about $100 difference in price between the two models.
There is definitely not a $100 difference in sound, though.
Out of the box, the Headphone (a) do sound a bit flat and bottom-heavy. Not to a large extent, most users will probably not mind their default profile. But, the Nothing X app allows me to use a super elaborate 8-band EQ, of course I dug in.
After twiddling about with it and trying to get the Headphone (a) to sound as close to the Headphone (1) as I could, I gave up and just dialed in the (a) in a way that suits them better.
Here are the differences — yes, the Headphone (1) has a bit more detail in the mids, a bit more chime in the highs, and its sub-lows are better separated from the lows, so they can get thumpy without being boomy.
The Headphone (a) overall sounds a little bit more muffled with less control over the lows. But again, small differences — it's not $100 less of a headphone! In fact, on any given day, I would reach for either the Headphone (1) or Headphone (a) without truly caring which set I pick up.
EQ to your heart's content | Image by PhoneArena
Also, the Nothing X app now allows you to access Advanced EQ profiles from various influencers and platforms — you don't need to go looking for QR codes to scan online. I imagine this list will get more populated as time goes on.
Surprisingly, at release, the Headphone (a) has a feature that the Headphone (1) doesn't — the new spatialize feature that simulates a theater environment for either movie-watching or concert music simulation. I... don't like those, or any other "virtual spatialization" features, as I believe they tend to break carefully-crafted mastering, but to each their own.
Nothing Headphone (a) Noise Cancelation
The earcups already do a lot of the mechanical work by isolating outside sounds. And when the ANC kicks in, these make your inside world very, very silent. They instantly isolated the clatter around the office, and silenced the traffic when moving about the streets.
Nothing says it's up to -40 dB attenuation, I say "it's very good". It works for frequencies up to 2 kHz, so as with any noise-canceling headphones, higher-pitched sounds will get through.
The pass-through is very decent. It filters out some of the bottom and top ends, so you can definitely "tell" it's not "direct sound", but it serves its purpose of allowing you to interact with the outside world just fine.
These, as well as many other headphones, do have the effect where if you turn the ANC or Transparency completely off, the sound becomes a bit less bassy, and a bit more airy. So, while their battery endurance with ANC off is phenomenal, I imagine most people will prefer to keep them either in ANC or Transparency at all times.
Nothing Headphone (a) connectivity
The Bluetooth button hides here | Image by PhoneArena
Headphone (a) have the industry standards covered — AAC and LDAC, plus Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair for quick connections. You have to enable dual device connectivity within the app when you first set them up, then you are good to go. The Headphone (a) will always remember the last two devices it has been connected to and will switch to the latest device to play media.
Nothing Headphone (a) battery life
These have a rather large 1060 mAh cell, and it shows in the battery life specs. But it's far surpassing the Headphone (1) with their 1040 mAh battery, so Nothing seems to have done a lot of optimization behind the curtains.
Recommended For You
Nothing Headphone (a)
Noise Reduction On
Noise Reduction Off
AAC
75 hours
135 hours
LDAC
62 hours
90 hours
Nothing Headphone (1)
Noise Reduction On
Noise Reduction Off
AAC
35 hours
80 hours
LDAC
30 hours
54 hours
Nothing Headphone (a): should you buy them?
These... rock | Image by PhoneArena
The Nothing Headphone (a) launch at $199 / £149 / €159 and they deliver a lot of quality for their price point. Excellent ANC and very good Transparency. Decent sound, especially if you love dabbling with an advanced EQ (and Nothing's version is hands-on the most advanced EQ in the wireless headphone market). The design is definitely something — some love it, some learn to live with it, some can't get over it, so that's your call to make.
But also, here's something interesting to consider. If you are in the EU, the Headphone (1) currently costs €90 extra. In the US, it's $100 extra. So, if you are looking to save some money — definitely just get the Headphone (a), it's not a worse product for its lighter price-tag. But, in the UK, the Headphone (1) is currently only £30 more expensive, and I think it's worth paying the £30 extra for slightly better sound clarity, metal cups, and auto-pause when you take them off. Unless battery life and color options are your priorities — then just get the (a).
Preslav, a member of the PhoneArena team since 2014, is a mobile technology enthusiast with a penchant for integrating tech into his hobbies and work. Whether it's writing articles on an iPad Pro, recording band rehearsals with multiple phones, or exploring the potential of mobile gaming through services like GeForce Now and Steam Link, Preslav's approach is hands-on and innovative. His balanced perspective allows him to appreciate both Android and iOS ecosystems, focusing on performance, camera quality, and user experience over brand loyalty.
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