Nothing's new Headphone 1 have a weird see-through design — and they could beat Sony and Bose for $150 less
They're clear, look a bit like AirPods Max with cassettes inside, and they're packed with some interesting tech for a price that could well bother the Bose QuietComfort Ultra and the Sony WH-1000XM6.
Are they going to rank among the best headphones you can buy today? I'll have to get them on my head first — but the specs list certainly looks intriguing.
So Nothing is joining the headphone game — and they loook like a very interesting pair. First up, their Bose and Sony beating price. The Nothing Headphone (1) are going to launch at $299/£299, placing them around $150 cheaper than the competition.
For the price it certainly seems like you're going to get a well equipped pair of cans with some very compelling specs. We're looking at sound tuned by KEF, out of a 40mm custom driver. Now, I'm a big fan of KEF, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the headphones sound.
That sound is enhanced with so called dynamic spatial audio (although what form this will take remains to be seen — we'll find out more soon), along with excellent codec support for the likes LDAC.
Plug a USB-C cord in and you'll be able to listen to lossless audio, which is a big bonus over the Sony WH-1000XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
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They'll block noise with AI powered microphones, which apparently adapts to your environment every 600ms. Want to hear the outside world? Hit a button and transparency mode is activated immediately.
You'll control them with physical controls (my favorite), including a volume roller, a "paddle" for skipping tracks and taking calls, and then a button which is customizable.
That button can either conjure ChatGPT or an AI voice assistant, amongst other things. To customize the button you'll be using the Nothing X app. There you'll also find some EQ presets as well.
Battery life sounds good, with 35 hours of ANC on and a grand 80 hours if you turn it off.
And it would be completely remiss of me not to talk about that design. Personally, I love it. There's something that's loads of fun about their weird shape, cassette motif, and see through shells.
I can't wait to get a pair on my head, especially given that they might give the best wireless headphones a run for their money.
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There's a better Nothing Phone 3 variant, and you can't buy it in the US
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Digital Trends
2 hours ago
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48 Hours later, the Nothing Headphone 1 are better than I expected
How do you try to stand out in a sea of headphones that are increasingly all looking the same? This was the challenge facing Nothing with its first over-ear headphones, the Headphone 1, which was just announced in London, alongside the new Nothing Phone 3. Built in partnership with KEF, the company's answer to this conundrum is to focus on design, usability, and customizability, and the Headphone 1 delivers on all three fronts. I've spent a couple of days with the Headphone 1, and while it's too soon for a definitive verdict — stay tuned for our review later this week for that — one thing has become particularly clear: these are unique, stylish, and surprisingly good. Recommended Videos After 48 hours with the Headphone 1, here's why I like them so far, and why they're better than I expected. A funky design with real purpose Like its phones, Nothing has chosen a unique design for its first over-ear headphones that stands out, albeit in a polarizing way, although less so than the design of the Nothing Phone 3. The transparent design of the ear caps, combined with the boxy design, helps the Headphone 1 stand out from every other pair of headphones. However, look beyond the ear caps and you'll realize that the Headphone 1 has several useful design features. There's a paddle that makes it easy to change tracks and a roller to adjust the volume easily. Then there's a customizable button that can be used to launch everything from your favorite voice assistant to Nothing's innovative Channel Hop feature, but more on that below. Heavy on the head, a joy in the ears The Nothing Headphone 1 weighs 329 grams, which is much heavier than the Sony WH-1000XM6, which weighs almost a third less at 250 grams. This is one of the biggest challenges, as the Nothing Headphone 1 is fairly heavy on the head, but the materials have a soft finish that still makes them quite comfortable to wear for extended periods. If you have a slightly wider head like I do, you'll likely also find that it can crimp on your ears, but it hasn't reached a point yet where it's too uncomfortable to wear. That's a good thing, as the Nothing Headphone 1 sounds great, albeit with a caveat that you'll likely want to adjust the equalizer settings in the Nothing X app. Once you do, you'll find a balanced sound that is particularly pleasing, especially with the Active Noise Cancellation (ANC). The fit of the Nothing Headphone 1 means that the ANC is largely effective at reducing consistent noise, like a train. This allows the mids to come through at a quieter level, but when the background noise is inconsistent — such as with a fire engine or police siren — the Headphone 1 ANC struggles to achieve the same quality. Like every pair of headphones, there's also a transparency mode that allows you to hear the sounds closest to you without needing to pause the track or remove the headphones. This is where companies like Apple and Sony have better transparency modes, but the Nothing Headphone 1's transparency mode works fairly well, albeit with a noticeable reduction in audio quality. Hardware meets software If you choose to pick up the Nothing Headphone 1, you'll want to ensure that you also install the Nothing X app to tweak the overall equalizer settings and the output sound. Out of the box, the default Balanced mode offers solid bass reproduction, but lacks the same quality as my Sony XM6, which are my favorite headphones. In some tracks, the Headphone 1 lacks the bass you would expect — especially when it's a track you know — but in others, the artist's vocals come through clearly and sound great. While this is an initial test in Balanced mode — which is how most of our review will be conducted as well — the true test is once you start to adjust the EQ settings. Here, you can find a balance that sounds great in all areas, and you can tweak eight different settings to find the perfect sound for you. Unlike its key competitors, this is something you'll need to do with the Headphone 1. The Channel Hop feature — which is activated with a customizable button — is a software feature that more headphones should have. It works when paired with the Nothing Phone 3 and is designed to let you cycle between recent audio apps, playlists, or functions, without needing to search through different menus and settings. The rest of the key specs Beyond the specs above, the Nothing Headphone 1 also packs a lot of the key specs you'd expect from a premium pair of over-ear headphones. 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In particular, I want every headphone maker to move away from touch keys — which make it hard to change tracks or navigate features without looking — and adopt Nothing's hardware approach. Yes, I do have some concerns about the Balanced audio profile out of the box, and it requires more tweaking and setup than its rivals, but I'm quite impressed with the Nothing Headphone 1 overall. At a cost of $299 (or £299 and €299 in the UK and Europe), they aren't the cheapest headphones, but after 48 hours, I'm fairly impressed overall.
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Nothing launched the Phone 2 at just $599, and it quickly earned a spot as one of the best value flagships around. But things have changed since then. The new Nothing Phone 3 starts at $799, and with that price tag, Nothing is clearly announcing that it's ready to go toe-to-toe with Samsung, Google, Apple, and the other big names in the premium smartphone space. Is the Nothing Phone 3 worth $799? Or is it punching above its weight? 0 votes Yes: It's innovative and delivers good value NaN % No: That price doesn't match the compromises NaN % Maybe: Let's see the reviews first NaN % But here's the thing: one of the biggest hardware choices Nothing has made for its 'true flagship' isn't exactly, well, 'flagship.' The Phone 3 runs on the Snapdragon 8s Gen 4, which isn't a top-tier chip. Most premium phones right now are running the Snapdragon 8 Elite or MediaTek's Dimensity 9400, both of which are strong performers. However, Nothing is betting that everything else the Phone 3 offers will convince you to look the other way. Speaking of which, there's a lot of other stuff to be happy about. You're getting four 50MP cameras, the new Glyph Matrix system with interactive 'Glyph Toys,' an IP68 rating, a 5,100mAh battery with 65W fast charging, and up to 16GB of RAM. There's also Nothing OS 3.5 (still based on Android 15), which brings cool features like Smart Search. Last but not least, nothing promises up to seven years of software updates (5 OS + 7 security), which is honestly impressive, though still not at the flagship level. Of course, Phone 3 still carries Nothing's signature design language, which is unique and eye-catching. That's not something you can say about many premium flagships. But even that design is not without a few compromises. For example, the Phone 3 uses Gorilla Glass 7i instead of Gorilla Glass Victus 2, which you'll find on phones like the Galaxy S25 and Pixel 9. At $799, those small differences matter. The second you hit that price, you're not just the 'cool alternative brand' anymore, you're in the same conversation as the Pixel 9, Galaxy S25, and even the iPhone 16. So is the Nothing Phone 3 up there? Is its price justified? Take our poll above and share your thoughts in the comments section. Got a tip? Talk to us! Email our staff at Email our staff at news@ . You can stay anonymous or get credit for the info, it's your choice.
