These fashion-forward headphones have no business sounding this good for the price

ZDNET’s key takeaways

• The Nothing Headphone 1 can be found for $299.
• These over-ear headphones function a 40mm dynamic driver made in partnership with KEF, Spatial Audio playback, ANC, and extra.
• You will have to essentially admire the design and customizability of the headphones to profit from them.

extra shopping for decisions

jul / 2025

Deal: The Nothing Headphone 1’s are on sale for $239 — $60 in financial savings for a restricted time.

Nothing’s first over-ear headphones are as formidable, polarizing, and divisive a product as you’d count on from the model. The writing was all the time on the wall — from the second the London-based tech firm debuted with a pair of earbuds with a clear design. 

But, by some means, I discovered myself taking a step again after I unboxed the Headphone 1.

To an extent, Headphone 1 characterize the top of Nothing: a playful, finely tuned pair of headphones with Teenage Engineering affect, a seamless software program expertise that leaves no iOS or Android consumer behind, and a really feel and end that would cut up any room into two. 

Additionally: I’ve no downside ditching my AirPods for these earbuds – particularly at this reasonably priced worth

The design will undoubtedly flip heads and begin conversations, but it surely’s the audio efficiency that may make everybody cease and pay attention. It did for me. However is it definitely worth the $299 itemizing worth? This is my verdict after testing.

Let’s begin originally. There are successfully 4 components to the Headphone 1: the padded headband, reminiscence foam earcups, squircle frames, and clear modules that home the drivers, batteries, and different inner parts. Collectively, you are taking a look at roughly 329 grams of aluminum, plastics, and foam that does not crush on the top an uncomfortable quantity.

For reference, my AirPods Max weigh 385 grams, and each the clamping pressure and weight of the earcups are noticeably heavier. The lightness of the Nothing headphones will be attributed to the soft-touch plastic all through the physique, which appears nice however, to place it bluntly, can really feel low cost. The hollowness of the squircle frames, for instance, will be heard once they inevitably clink collectively when folded down. 

For what it is price, Nothing says the headphones have undergone over 50 rigorous reliability assessments. They’re additionally IP52-rated for some stage of mud and water resistance (as much as 15 levels of water sprays). Most over-ear headphones aren’t formally examined or designed for any diploma of water resistance, so it brings some peace of thoughts realizing the Headphone 1 can stand up to brief bouts of sunshine rain.

Additionally: The viral wi-fi audio dongle for in-flight leisure is best than ever

There are some finer touches all through the Headphone 1 that I am extra captivated with, such because the reminiscence foam ear cushions that try to protect off pores and skin oils, the “left” and “proper” labels alongside the scarf, and the three.5mm headphone jack for true lossless listening. The zippered carrying case, one of many slimmer ones I’ve tucked into my backpack, can be simple to understand.

Simply know that you will have to readjust the scarf distance each time you place it in and take away it from the case, and there are not any distance indicators to constantly match your head form.

To function the headphones, you will should familiarize your self with three controls, all of that are tactile and pretty intuitive.

• Curler: Dialing the curler left or proper adjusts the quantity stage. Urgent it triggers play/pause, and a protracted press toggles between Energetic Noise Cancellation and Transparency mode.
• Paddle: Pushing the Paddle left or proper skips tracks, whereas a protracted push rewinds or fast-forwards.
• Button: A customizable button on the outer body of the suitable earcup launches your linked system’s good assistant or Channel Hop when paired with a Nothing Telephone 3, which switches between a number of media platforms, equivalent to your music participant, video participant, or podcasting app.

Additionally: I ditched my each day driver Bose headphones for the XM6 – and I am hesitant to return

I discovered the controls to be very easy to make use of, and I a lot choose the tactile suggestions of them over customary faucet/contact gestures, as these can extra usually result in misinputs. The one downside I’ve is the ergonomics of the buttons, as they seem to be a bit too far again for me to make use of in a pure movement. I usually discovered myself reaching behind with my thumb, attempting to get a really feel for which button is which, after which awkwardly scrolling and urgent.

The audio efficiency of the Headphone 1 is the place they really impress. Nothing’s embedded a 40mm dynamic driver, designed with a nickel-plated diaphragm and uniform dome texture, to strike a large spectrum of deep lows and clear highs. 

I have been jamming to the F1: The Film soundtracks, which lean closely on techno motifs like kick drums, synth stabs, and punchy layering, and the headphones have executed a commendable job with clear separation and spatial depth. 

Additionally: Why I like to recommend these wi-fi headphones over pricier flagship fashions

In Layman’s phrases, I used to be capable of clearly distinguish the layers of devices from the vocalist or rapper, which regularly poses issue for midrange headphones (and even some fashions that value extra). And with every observe, I may really feel the hypnotic precision extra so than the complexity, one thing that Nothing had hoped to realize by partnering with British audio maker KEF.

Whereas I am no bass head — I’ve saved Nothing’s Bass Enhancement scale to a minimal on the companion app, I did discover there to be some blurring between percussions, basslines, and different deep-sounding devices. Did it negatively impression the listening expertise? Not except I used to be mendacity down, eyes closed, and nitpicking the main points. In virtually each different state of affairs, from workplace commutes to jogging on the park, I used to be vibing from begin to end.

It helps that the headphones’ energetic noise cancellation and transparency modes are so reliably efficient. The previous rejects ambient sound in order that my ears do not feel pressured throughout the cups, and the latter reproduces voices, chook chirps, and different sounds in an natural method. 

I used to be particularly bought after I conversed with my spouse, took the headphones on and off, and barely seen the distinction in her voice. I simply want the headphones did simply as nicely with mixing my talking voice into the playback, because it usually comes off as shallow and echoey.

Additionally: I changed my QuietComfort Extremely with these midrange headphones – and I am sticking with them

So far as battery life goes, the Headphone 1 lasted me about 4 days of heavy utilization (ANC on and quantity at round 65%). That is rather less than the Nothing’s 37-hour ranking (or 80 hours with ANC off), however nonetheless very spectacular in comparison with the likes of the AirPods Max (20 hours), Sony WH-1000XM6 (30 hours), and Bose QuietComfort Extremely (24 hours). These are simply the longest-lasting wi-fi headphones I’ve examined so far.

ZDNET’s shopping for recommendation

That is to say, Nothing’s first pair of over-ear headphones, the Headphones 1, have lots going for them. They sound nice, final lengthy, and have simply sufficient customization choices throughout the app to tailor to your listening wants. At $299, the Headphone 1 undercut their closest flagship opponents by at the least $100. Heck, they make my $549 AirPods Max really feel like freeway theft.

I am going to want a couple of extra weeks, and probably some cross-country flights, to finalize my tackle the funky, clear design. However in case you’re simply as tired of the identical monochrome look of conventional headphones as the parents at Nothing, I might suggest giving this pair a shot.