The Nothing Headphone (a) are here, and they rock here are 5 things you need to know about them

Date:
Thu, 05 Mar 2026 11:15:00 +0000

Description:
Nothing's new noise-cancelling headphones are half the price of the Headphone (1), but far from half the quality

FULL STORY ======================================================================Copy link Facebook X Whatsapp Reddit Pinterest Flipboard Threads Email Share this article 0 Join the conversation Follow us Add us as a preferred source on Google Newsletter Tech Radar Get the TechRadar Newsletter Sign up for
breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. You are
now subscribed Your newsletter sign-up was successful An account already exists for this email address, please log in. Subscribe to our newsletter After teasing them for weeks, Nothing has officially unveiled its first budget-focused headphones, the Headphone (a). It had previously launched the premium-priced Nothing Headphone (1) for $299 / 249 / AU$549, but the Headphone (a) are launching for just $199 / 149 / AU$329.

So the (a) are a third cheaper than the (1) in the US, and half the price in the UK but having already used the Headphone (a) extensively, I can tell you that they're somehow better than the Headphone (1). You can read my full Nothing Headphone (a) review if you want the in-depth low-down, or keep reading for the key info about the new model. The Nothing Headphone (a) have 40mm drivers, and active noise cancellation. There's standard Bluetooth support, higher-res wireless using LDAC, or full-fat Hi-Res Audio over USB-C, plus a 3.5mm jack. You may like Nothing Headphone (a) review: fixes the problems of the original, for a cheaper price Cheaper Nothing over-ear headphones are reportedly on their way soon Sony unveils the WF-1000XM6 earbuds here's what you need to know They have device-neutral spatial audio, elaborate EQ settings via the app, and customizable controls. Nothing
promises 135-hour battery life with ANC off, and 75 hours with it on.

Here are the 5 elements I particularly want to highlight based on my testing that, in my opinion, make the new model better than the Headphone (1) and
you can read my full Nothing Headphone (1) review if you want more on that model. (Image credit: Future) 1. The sound is better, even though it's not by Kef Nothing made a big (ahem) song and dance about working with British hi-fi great Kef on a range of new audio products, and the Headphone (1) was the first of them. However, I ended up being disappointed by the sound of those, while I found the sound of the Nothing (a) to be superior, thanks to its far more expansive soundstage.

They're energetic and dynamic, and just great fun to listen too. Mine came with the EQ set to a bass-boosting mode, which wasn't bad, but got a little hot and heavy in some tracks. Switching to the 'Balanced' mode calmed this down, though. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your inbox Sign up for breaking news, reviews, opinion, top tech deals, and more. Contact me
with news and offers from other Future brands Receive email from us on behalf of our trusted partners or sponsors By submitting your information you agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy and are aged 16 or over. (Image credit: Future) 2. The design is less divisive this time Nothing has made interesting changes to the design that make them look less aggressively 'techy', even though not that much has changed overall. They still have flat-sided earcups with rounded corners and an oval sticking out of them, but this time Nothing has used plastic rather than aluminum, rounded off the ovals, and made the ovals a plain color, and as a result the (a) strike a better balance between Nothing's traditional 'you can see the tech'
appearance and a regular headphone style.

They're still the same size overall, they're a little lighter (but still
heavy compared to the competition) and fit snugly to the ears. But the build quality feels just as good as the Headphone (1), just in plastic rather than aluminum. 3. The battery life is class leading 135 hours of battery life with active noise cancellation turned off is basically as high as I've seen from anything on the market today. ( I saw a pair of headphones offering 200 hours at CES , but they're not available yet; and they also double as Bluetooth speakers, so it's cheating.) The same goes for the 75 hours with noise cancellation on it's huge. What to read next Cheaper Nothing over-ear headphones are reportedly on their way soon Sony unveils the WF-1000XM6 earbuds here's what you need to know 'A resounding home run' - the Nothing Ear (a) earbuds are some of the best we've tested and they even converted me from being an in-ear headphones skeptic

Bear in mind that the super-premium Sony WH-1000XM6 offer 30 hours. 60 hours is common from other headphones. 75 hours is big. And from my testing, it seems to be realistic. (Image credit: Future) 4. Nothing kept all the best parts of the Headphone (1) When I reviewed the Headphone (1), I said they
were "so close to being the best headphones debut I've ever seen" despite being disappointed by them in a few areas, and that was thanks to a few
really excellent features. The app is best-in-class when it comes to making
it easy to access all their cool features, for example, and that's true here as well.

But it's the controls I really want to talk about. I love the roller button that does volume, play/pause and switching ANC modes. It feels so high-quality, and requires none of the guesswork of touch controls. The
paddle control to change tracks is equally clear and useful, and the customizable button on the side is great for adding control for whatever app-based feature you like the most.

The icing in the cake is that they have my favorite sound for communicating whether you've switched to ANC on or off. It's just a short noise, but unlike most headphones, the two are absolutely unmistakeable. It's a breath of air rushing out for enabling transparency mode, and then a sucking down and slamming sound for active noise cancellation. A little thing that makes you realize how mediocre everyone else is when it comes to handling this key feature. (Image credit: Future) 5. This all makes the price kind of a steal
As part of my review, I tested them against not just the Headphone (1), but against other headphones you can buy in a similar price bracket, including
the Sennheiser Accentum Plus and Sony WH-1000XM4 (which are still around, bless 'em).

When you look at the features, the build quality, and the sound quality of
the Nothing Headphone (a) and bearing in mind that this is the launch price, and they'll surely drop over time, just as the five-star Nothing Ear (a) earbuds did they're going to be incredibly hard to beat on value. The best noise cancelling headphones for all budgets Our top picks, based on
real-world testing and comparisons

Read our full guide to the best noise cancelling headphones 1. Best overall: Sony WH-1000XM6 2. Best mid-range: Bose QuietComfort Headphones 3. Best under $100/100: 1More Sonoflow Pro HQ51 4. Best under $60/50: Soundcore Q30 Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

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