Nothing Headphone (a) is official, and might be the best Nothing deal in ages

When Nothing told me it was making another pair of headphones, it wasn't a huge surprise to learn that it would be a more affordable pair than its first launch, the flagship (and £300) Nothing Headphone (1). I was seriously impressed by that first pair, and found its pricing pretty fair, but there's no way it was the runaway sales success that Nothing might have hoped for.

Any product in a new category from a brand has a tough time getting its name out there, but things might be a little easier for the Heaphone (a), Nothing's newest audio launch – because it's a big slice cheaper. It comes in at £149, half the price of the Headphone (1) at the latter's launch. Internationally, it's priced at €159 or $199.

Nothing's following a tried-and-true method to cut those costs, using the same 40mm drivers and active noise-cancelling tech, but cutting down on material costs for a noticeably lighter and more plasticky pair of headphones. It also comes without a carrying case, a further cut.

The Headphone (a) has the same square-ish silhouette as its older sibling, and all the same buttons and controls, but its earcups are also noticeably simpler to look at. In fact, many people might prefer its pared-back design, and I wouldn't blame them.

It'll come in a few colours, too, comprising black, white, pink and a limited-edition yellow that will ensure you stand out in any room.

Returning to those controls, they were my favourite part of Heaphone (1), and there's quite a list. One earcup houses a Bluetooth pairing button hidden on the inside edge, as well as a physical on/off switch, a USB-C charging port and a 3.5mm jack.

That same earcup then has a roller for volume control and pausing media (when pressed in) and a rocker that can skip tracks back and forth. Finally, on the outside of the earcup is a customisable shortcut button that can launch apps or smart assistants as you like. The other earcup, you ask? It's totally bare.

The cushioning on the earcups feels pretty similar to that on Heaphone (1), but the lightweight nature of the Headphone (a) does have two knock-on effects – it's perhaps easier to wear for longer, but it's also a little less passively isolating.

With all of this said, the big question mark will hang around pricing. While the launch prices of the two models do have a £150 difference, it's worth remembering that the Headphone (1) has had some big sales already, and can be found for £199 without too much trouble (including last week on Amazon).

In that light, is the price gap going to be big enough? I'd suggest we won't know until a couple of months' time, when things have settled down a bit.