Nothing Headphone (a) review: Clever cuts or a step too far?

I loved Nothing's first tilt at making some over-ear headphones – its Headphone (1) felt like just about the most genuinely interesting entry into the market in years. With an out-there design and a heavy emphasis on physical controls, all it needed was great sound to be a home run, and I felt it ticked that box, too.

That left me super interested to see what Nothing would do next, and I'm now fairly unsurprised that it's going down a more wallet-friendly route. The brand's first over-ear audio product was ambitiously priced, but the Nothing Headphone (a) looks to make things more accessible. I've had a pair for a fortnight of travel and heavy listening, to see how it stacks up.

Price and Availability

Nothing knew it couldn't fly too close to the Headphone (1)'s price if it wanted real differentiation. Hence, the Headphone (a) comes in at £149, $199 or €159 regionally. In theory, that's half the price of the Headphone (1), and the new headphones should be available to order from 13 March.

That said, it's worth pointing out that even in recent weeks the Headphone (1) has been available with a third off its full price, meaning £199 here in the UK. Given it hasn't been out for a year, it's entirely possible we'll see that price bettered soon, too, which narrows the gap massively between the two tiers of Nothing's Headphone products.

Design and Features

Nothing has threaded an impressive needle with the Headphone (a)'s design, as far as I'm concerned. I was a big fan of the Headphone (1)'s bold looks, but I can admit that was likely informed by my review sample being in black, the most toned-down version.

The white version was pretty bold, with its transparency ending up looking pretty darn cassette-like, and it's only sensible that Headphone (a) stripped things back. It still features the rectangular silhouette that makes the Nothing stand out, but its earcups are now completed by smooth and plain plastic ovals.

These are way easier on the eye, and make the headphones a lot less kooky on your head, for all that you still get a hint of transparency and that trademark red square to mark you out. You can also get them in more colours – white and black return, but there's also a pale pink option and an apparently limited-edition yellow, too.

Holding them in your hand and comparing them to the Headphone (1), you can easily see how Nothing has cut its costs, too. Materials are uniformly a bit cheaper-feeling throughout, with much more plastic and barely a hint of metal to be found. This makes them pretty lightweight, which is no bad thing, but there's no doubt they lack the solidity of more premium headphones.

However, Nothing has done a great job of keeping some essential touches, including the physical controls that I loved so much in the Headphone (1). That means the right-hand earcup boasts a roller for volume control, a rocker for skipping tracks, a physical power switch, an external customisable shortcut button and a Bluetooth pairing button. There's also USB-C and a 3.5mm port for charging and connections.

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It's as comprehensive a set of controls as you're likely to find on any headphones in this price bracket, and I can't praise the decision-making enough. I'm sure it was an option to pare these controls back, but keeping them is the right choice by far.

That said, it isn't all roses for Nothing. By cutting down on more solid materials, it has accepted an obvious trade-off: the Headphone (a) don't feel as premium or even close to it in the hand. This also has a small byproduct in terms of comfort, too.

While I find these cans plenty comfortable to wear for hours at a time, the loss of some weightiness does mean they give a bit less of a passive isolation feeling when worn. Obviously, active noise-cancelling (ANC) is on hand for that, but it does matter a little that they're not quite as well-fitted on your head in the first place. They're also much more fiddly to adjust thanks to a slightly changed headband design that I never enjoyed interacting with much.

Performance and Sound

From a sound point of view, Nothing has delivered plenty in the Headphone (a). It's kept the same 40mm driver that it uses in the Headphone (1), to start with, which is a great jumping-off point.

That means that you get pretty much the same warmth, precision and zestiness that I liked about those more expensive headphones, at a price that really does feel a heck of a lot more advantageous.

Along with the rest of the world, I've been listening to a lot of Olivia Dean's The Art of Loving, and its rich vocals come across really impressively through the Headphone (a), as does the delicacy of some its backing tracks. Punchier, louder material like Led Zeppelin's IV has the heft that I expect, too.

I've also put the Headphone (a)'s ANC through its paces pretty extensively. My sample arrived just as a really busy work period kicked off, so they've accompanied me on a handful of flights, train rides, taxi journeys and more. They've drowned out noise very decently throughout, including on a super-busy concourse at the MWC show in Barcelona.

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Because of that downturn in the amount of passive isolation offered by the build, they're not quite at the same level as the Headphone (1), though. Nothing told me in a briefing that the ANC tech is the same between the two models, but that doesn't mean it works quite as effectively.

For the price, though, I think both the sound quality and ANC on offer are really solid, and they're added to by some neat additional features.

For one thing, battery life is absolutely terrific, at 75 hours with ANC on full, or up to 135 hours with that feature turned off. Those are numbers that bigger brands should be emulating with far more expensive headphones, but generally aren't. Further, 5 minutes of charging gets a ridiculous 8 hours of playback, which is amazing in a pinch.

On the durability side, a rating of IP52 isn't so exemplary – it means water drips are fine, and it should be broadly sweat-safe, but heavy rain is a bit of a question mark. The onboard microphones also don't make for the best call quality at all, which is nothing new for a pair of over-ears.

Finally, the Nothing X app continues to be a very solid companion for adjusting various settings and features. I've interacted with dozens upon dozens of these over the years, so a smooth experience is always a nice bonus.

Nothing Headphone (a) review: Verdict

Nothing impressed me with its first pair of over-ear headphones, and it's impressed me again with its second, cheaper offering in the Headphone (a).

Some people might sniff at its brand identity, but don't overlook the challenge of breaking into new categories like this, let alone doing it with very solid devices.

The only things holding these over-ears back are their slight plastickyness in the hand, and the awkward fact that the original Headphone (1) have had some major sales recently to close the price gap.

Overall, the Nothing Headphone (a) are comfortable, incredibly long-lasting, have really solid sound and active noise-cancelling (ANC), and keep the visual spirit of their older sibling. That's a significant checklist of successes.

Also consider

If you see the Headphone (1) for a cut of the price then, at the time of writing, I'd say they're the more sensible buy. That's a bit of an "if", but keep your eye out and you've got a good chance.

Otherwise, I'd say that the Anker Soundcore Space One Pro should be on your radar. This outrageously comfortable pair of headphones has great sound and can be picked up for a song, with a similar set of features to Nothing's offering, albeit a very different look.