Nothing Headphone (a) | £150 | ★★★★★ | nothing.tech
When upstart smartphone company Nothing released its Headphone (1) last year we went from initial scepticism (not another phone company making headphones…), to tentatively excited (these actually look pretty cool) to fairly blown away (these might be the best value headphones released this year).
They combine Nothing’s trademark design language, featuring exposed circuitry and a retro-futuristic aesthetic, with impressive sound and an app that allows for deep and useful customisation. Costing just £299 – half the price of many premium over-ear headphones – they made a compelling argument to audiophiles on a budget.
Now Nothing has released its Headphone (a), which cost half that price without making any real sacrifices in quality.
Nothing Headphone (a) design
They look unmistakably Nothing, with grey and white materials encased in clear shiny plastic (they also come with pink or yellow accents or in black). They do scrimp a little on materials (there’s no aluminium here, for instance) but the overall effect is different rather than lesser. If I were to compare Nothing’s headphones to popular children’s toys the (1) reminds me of Mechano, while the (a) is more Fischer Price.
And once they are on your head, they are equal or better in almost every way. They are noticeably lighter and more comfortable to wear for long periods. The best-in-class controls are present and correct, with a tactile little scroll-wheel to control the volume and a little paddle to skip forwards and backwards.
The sound drivers are the same as the flagship headphones, albeit without the collaboration with high-fi company KEF. I found bass-heavy music sounds marginally better on the (a), with more subtle instrumentation shining through a little more on the (1) but we’re talking very fine margins. You’re also able to do some tuning yourself through the companion app, which is actually useful (unlike almost every other headphones app I’ve downloaded only to use it once and forget about it). I’m not enough of an audio nerd to fiddle about with it every day but it’s nice to know it’s there.
The Active Noise Cancelling (ANC) is great… for the price. It’s not industry leading (activating the ANC on some modern headphones is like being blasted out of the airlock of a spaceship) but it’s absurdly good for a pair of £150 headphones. There’s also a typically Nothing touch: a little “zhuuum” or “ahhhhhh” of exhaled breath when you switch the ANC on or off instead of an annoying little voice telling you what you already know.
Nothing Headphone (a) battery life is insane
And I haven’t even got to the best bit: the battery is so good you can forget about charging them for days on end. They’re good for 75 hours with ANC turned on or 135 hours with it off. That’s three trips to Australia and back. If you can’t remember to plug them in after all that, well, that’s on you.
These headphones are easy to love: our review of the Headphone (1) mentioned how many comments our reviewer received when wearing them out and about. I can confirm strangers will compliment your style. And you can compliment yourself for owning some of the best affordable headphones out there: I can’t think of any rivals under £200 I’d rather have on my head right now.
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