The first pair of headphones from the London-based brand, Nothing, follows its traditional design philosophy and adds KEF-tuned sound. Launched alongside the Nothing Phone 3 on July 1, the Headphone 1 are shipping starting today, July 15. They cost $299 / GBP 299 / INR 21,999 and are positioned to take on flagship headphones from Sony, Bose and Apple.
Here’s what you need to know about the new audio product from Nothing.
Retro Vibes Bring A Fresh New Look
If you are tired of similar-looking headphones from Sony, Bose and the likes, the Nothing Headphone 1 might interest you. Instead of opting for a round or oval design, the headphones are squircle with an oval cassette tape-like translucent back. The headband extends easily and has a cushion for added comfort. They fold flat but don’t fold up and sit in a Sonos Ace-like carrying case.
At 329 grams, the Nothing Headphone 1 aren’t the lightest pair of headphones. For context, the new Sony WH-1000XM6 and Bose QuietComfort Ultra both weigh 254 grams, while the AirPods Max are heavier at 385 grams. That said, the Nothing Headphone 1 should be comfortable to wear for most people.
Nothing combined aluminum with high-tech plastic elements to design the earcups, which are said to be oil-resistant. The memory foam-equipped earcups offer good seal for passive noise cancellation and sit comfortably over the ears. Although, the ear pads can get sweaty in warm weather and aren’t user-replaceable. Nothing says you’ll need to visit their service center if you damage them.
Buttons Over Touch Sensors
The Nothing Headphone 1 offer various ways to interact with them, and a touch sensor isn’t one of them. You’ll need to familiarize yourself with three controls on the right earcup:
- Button: A customizable button on the outer frame, which launches your smart assistant or Channel Hop when paired with a Nothing Phone 3. As the name suggests, Channel Hop switches between multiple media platforms, such as your music player, video player, or podcasting app.
- Roller: Present where your thumb would reach naturally, the Roller is used to adjust volume levels. It can also be pressed, which triggers play/pause, and a long press toggles between Active Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
- Paddle: A new kind of button, the Paddle can be pushed left or right to skip tracks, or long pushed forward and backward to fast-forward or rewind a song, respectively.
There’s another Bluetooth button on the bottom-right corner of the right earcup’s cushion. You can press it to put the headphones in pairing mode.
KEF-Tuned Sound And Good Noise Cancellation
The Nothing Headphone 1 feature 40mm drivers with a nickel-plated diaphragm, which includes rim and dome. As per the company, it helps enhance clarity in the highs and power in the bass. In practical usage, they sound clean in the seemingly big soundstage.
They balanced sound, but that’s not to say the bass is weak. They lack the depth of Sennheiser or Bose headphones but offer well-defined low frequencies with clear and lively highs. These aren’t bass-heavy, but they sound full and clean enough to please most listeners.
The Nothing Headphone 1’s ANC works very well at suppressing ambient noise like public chatter or airplane engines. They pack six microphones, four of which are used for voice calls to supress minimal background noise in your voice on calls.
You can choose from low, medium, high and adaptive modes to adjust ANC to your liking. When set to high, it isn’t far behind the likes of Sony XM5 and Bose QC Ultra headphones. The transparency mode is decent and keeps your surroundings sounding natural.
Nothing Headphone 1: Price And Availability
The Nothing Headphone 1 are now available for sale across the U.K., U.S.A., and India for GBP 299, USD 299 and INR 21,999, respectively. You can get them for as low as INR 19,999 (approx. $235) as a special introductory launch day price in India.
The new Nothing headphones are available through Amazon and the company’s website in the U.S.A. As for India, you can purchase them through Flipkart, Myntra, Vijay Sales, Croma and all leading retail stores starting today.
