Review: Nothing's Headphone (1) Pro wins on sound, not the case

The second change is a physical switch. On the inside edge of the left ear cup there's a Flat EQ toggle, built with Metropolis Studios in London, that strips out the headphones' tuning and processing. It's meant for people mixing music. Nothing also added five spatial audio modes, including one called Studio B that's modelled on a Metropolis room, plus five genre presets shaped by British artists.

The rest of the spec sheet, all from Nothing, reads like a flagship's. There are 10 microphones for noise cancelling, which Nothing says is 5 dB stronger on average than the original Headphone (1). Battery life is up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on and 68 hours with it off. You get LDAC and Auracast, wired lossless audio over USB-C up to 24-bit/192 kHz, a 3.5 mm input and an IP52 rating, and they weigh 327 g. Nothing's new global brand ambassador, BTS member V, fronts the launch, and Nothing's introduction video is on its YouTube channel.

The price is a step up. Wired noted the Pro cost US$100 more than the original Headphone (1). They're £349 in the UK. TechRadar's review gives an Australian price of AU$699, though its own comparison table puts it at about AU$655. We couldn't find an Australian release date from Nothing.

The sale date's a little muddy too. Nothing's post and TechRadar say they went on sale on 28 September, while Wired and SoundGuys say 29 September.

How they sound

Reviewers mostly agree the sound is the reason to buy. Gizmodo's James Pero headlined his review "Honest-to-God S-Tier Headphones." He wrote that "the triple-driver system may not translate on paper, but when you put them on your head, you hear the difference," and called them "an excellent-sounding pair of wireless headphones."

At The Verge, John Higgins called them "definitely the best Nothing headphones I've used" in his early review. He found the default tuning "forward in the mids and highs," with vocals that have "a bit of bite" and cymbals that are "extra sizzly." He hadn't scored them yet and said he'd add a verdict after more time with them.

TechRadar's Becky Scarrott was more measured. In her review, she praised how the three drivers blend, with treble that's "particularly sparkling, easy and natural." But she found the overall sound "integrated, studious" and neutral, and said fans of punchier tuning might prefer Nothing's cheaper Headphone (a). That's the US$199 model that came out in March.

The Flat EQ switch splits opinion. Higgins called it "a novelty for most regular users" but said "studio professionals could find the option useful." Scarrott called it "a miss" for her ears. She described "an odd sense of being in a tunnel," and pointed out it's awkward to reach while you're wearing them and can't be turned on from the app.

Noise cancelling and features

Everyone agrees the noise cancelling is Nothing's best yet. How it stacks up against the big names depends on who you ask. Higgins said it does "an excellent job blocking out low-end rumbling, such as A/C units or airplane noise," but still sits a notch below Sony's WH-1000XM6, Bose's Ultra Headphones Gen 2 and Apple's AirPods Max 2. Scarrott called it "much better" and said that on its highest setting she was "very impressed." Pero was the cool one. On the New York subway, he found any improvement over the first model "subtle."

SoundGuys put numbers on it. In Christian Thomas's review, the lab measured about 78.2 per cent of outside noise blocked passively and 87.4 per cent with noise cancelling on, using a test head. Thomas warned that fit matters a lot. He struggled to get a good seal, and said chewing or talking could break it.

The features got the warmest praise. Thomas called the parametric EQ "exactly how a parametric EQ is supposed to work," and singled out Auracast. That lets the headphones pick up public broadcasts, like the hearing-assist systems in some churches, classrooms and airports. They can also send your own music to friends nearby. His headline was "features I wish every headphone had." Scarrott liked Nothing's Personal Sound hearing test, which tunes the sound to your ears, and rated call quality "very good indeed."

The case, and the price

Now the catch. The headphones don't fold. They come in a hard shell that closes around the ear cups and leaves the headband sticking out as a handle. TechRadar weighed it at 383.5 g, more than the headphones themselves, and Scarrott put "cumbersome, heavy, silly case" first on her list of reasons to avoid them. Higgins said he wished it "protected the entire headphones." Thomas was kinder. He thought it was better made than Apple's AirPods Max case, though it still leaves the band "to flap in the breeze."

Battery life is the other gripe. Thirty hours with noise cancelling is fine, but it's less than Nothing's older models manage. Pero called that "a little annoying on paper since these wireless headphones cost $100 more."

Then there's the price. At US$399 they're up against Sony's WH-1000XM6 and Bose's QuietComfort Ultra, which SoundGuys noted "aren't much more expensive." Value was Scarrott's lowest score, because the cheaper Headphone (a) does a lot of the same for half the money.

Who should buy them

If you want headphones that look like nothing else, sound detailed and work well with wired, hi-res and Auracast sources, the reviews say these are a strong pick. Pero summed it up by saying Nothing "really emphasized the fundamentals." If you mostly want the strongest noise cancelling for long flights, or you pack light, critics point you to Sony or Bose instead.

It's a good month for interesting audio gear. Our recent look at Plaud's One earbuds covered another company putting real effort into a case. And if you're after a new phone to pair them with, here's where Apple's iPhone 18 Pro launch landed.

We haven't tried the Headphone (1) Pro ourselves, so this is what Nothing and the critics say.