Nothing Headphones 1 review: A strong start for the boutique brand

At a glance, it should be obvious to anyone that Nothing’s first set of over-ear headphones play to the brand's strengths. At the same time though, the Headphones 1 also represent something of a break from tradition by the startup.

From as far back as the moment the boutique brand started to make a name for itself, Nothing has positioned itself as not just trendy and thoughtful but also thrifty. The original Nothing Phone arrived at an RRP of just $749 and the brand wasted little time in branching out to even more budget-conscious buyers through its CMF sub-brand.  With the launch of the Headphones 1 (and the new Nothing Phone 3), it feels like that era of the brand is firmly at an end.

As Nothing looks to transition from a challenger brand to a tech titan in its own right, the Headphones 1 reflect that growing ambition with a price tag that sits roughly in line with its rivals. Rather than undercut its competition, Nothing's first foray into consumer-grade headphones is looking to beat the likes of Sony and Bose at their own game.  That’s a sure-fire sign of confidence in your product, but whether it's a little too much confidence on the part of Nothing remains to be seen.

In Australia, the Nothing Headphones 1 are launching at a recommended retail price of $549. That's pretty pricey, though not necessarily the most you can spend on a set of premium consumer-grade headphones nowadays. For instance, the Sonos Ace, Apple AirPods Max and Dyson OnTrack are all more expensive. At the same time, though, you can grab something pretty close to the best noise-cancelling headphones the category has to offer through Sony for a whole lot less.

Still, if you've got your heart set on the Headphones 1, the good news is that you can always save by shopping around. Check out the table below for a round-up of deals for the Nothing Headphones 1.

Nothing's design team is firing on all cylinders with the Headphones 1. The company's first over-ear noise cans look unfamiliar in all the right ways. Nothing's unique design sensibilities have always erred toward eye-catching. However, the Headphones 1 has gotten me the most questions (and unexpected compliments) from strangers on the street.

The aptly-named Headphones 1 arrive wrapped in a distinctly original design with transparent elements and a unique squared-off set of ear-cups.  Then, on the inside, the over-ear headphones combine a custom set 40mm drivers with a nickel-plated diaphragm.

Like any tech brand looking to shore up its audiophile credentials, Nothing is touting a partnership with audio brand KEF that it claims has informed the specific sound quality and tuning of the hardware here. It's hard to pin down how much value a collaboration like that really adds to the overall package. However, there are plenty of other brands that have tried and failed to break into the noise-cancelling niche on their own so the fact that Nothing are going that step further by inking an alliance that lets them borrow a bit of KEF's credibility as they look to build their own in a new category suggests the company are looking to be in it for the long-haul.

Beyond the strikingly see-through looks and borrowed bonafides, another detail that stands out about the Headphones 1 is the control scheme. Following the lead of other challengers in the over-ear headphones space like Sonos, Nothing has gone in on a set of physical buttons rather than touch-based sensors.

There are three inputs in total. Firstly, there's a roller that can be used to play, pause, toggle ANC and adjust the volume. Then, below that, there's a paddle that you can use to skip tracks and answer calls. 

Finally, there's a dedicated button that lets you toggle between different audio sources or quickly call up your voice or AI assistant of choice. In practice, these controls are really responsive to rely on. That said, the sheer amount of inputs in the mix does take a bit of time to get used to.

As for noise-cancelling, the Headphones 1 let you choose between 3 different preset levels of sonic nullification out of the box. Alternatively, you can let the AI take the wheel and hope for the best. If you do, the Headphones 1 will actively check and adjust for both external noise and sound leakage and adjust its noise-cancellation in real-time.

The differences between having this setting enabled and just leaving your noise cans on the default setting are negligible but it is neat that this more dynamic option can be found here for those that do want something a little more versatile. The only real point of feedback I have here is that I wish Nothing had a better argument for why this AI mode should exist other than the fact that brands like Sony offer something similar. 

There's also support for Spatial Audio, a case included in the box, plus broader integration with the Nothing X app. If you pair the Headphones 1 up with the aforementioned, you'll be able to set different profiles, adjust the sound via an 8-band equaliser, enable a low-latency mode for gaming, boost the bass, and tinker with button functionality as you desire.

The Nothing Headphones 1 talk a big game when it comes to battery life. On a single charge, you're looking at up to 80 hours. In order to reach that number, though, you will have to turn off the noise-cancelling. With it enabled, you're only looking at around 35 hours.

Meanwhile, those who make use of the support for LDAC audio are looking at 54 hours without noise cancelling and 30 hours without. Whenever the Headphones 1 do run out of juice, the fast-charging to the sum of 5 mins of charging to 5 hours of playback (or 2.4 hours with ANC) ensures you won't be sitting in silence for too long.

Fortunately, Nothing's first set of headphones are pretty competitive for sound quality, even if they don't blow the competition out of the water. Writ large, I was pretty impressed with the silence that the Nothing Headphones 1 were capable of delivering. Even if the fit narrowly loses out to the likes of the Sonos Ace in overall comfort, the noise cancellation is a definite cut above.

Even when faced by sounds of busy traffic outside my apartment or the odd police siren, delivered in the way that you'd expect a set of over-ear headphones like this would. What's more, the Headphones 1 sound more than just enough to get by with. Regardless of whether I was listening to music, podcasts or audiobook, the hardware rarely missed a beat. I can think of no higher compliment than to call these the type of headphones that made me want to spend more time listening to music.

Subject to our usual testing playlist, the Nothing Headphones 1 performed well above what you'd expect for a brand making its first foray into the category. I often found myself picking out details of songs that I had never heard before. The Headphones 1 confidently captured the cheery zest of Carly Rae Jepsen’s “I Didn’t Just Come Here to Dance”, the sweeping soundscapes of Pink Floyd’s “Comfortably Numb”, and the swaggering vocals of Nina Simone’s “Feeling Good” without breaking a sweat.

I think I’d have to do a closer head-to-head comparison to say for certain, but based on my experiences testing them as a daily driver for several weeks, I’m confident enough that I'd easily say that Nothing’s first set of noise-cans rate among the best in the business. 

As for the microphone quality on the Nothing Headphones 1, it’s similarly respectable. It didn’t blow us away, but it was definitely crisper than I expected and the seamless setup here did a great job of stripping away ambient noise. The results don’t quite sound studio-grade, but they're a lot better than what you'll get out of the average set of noise cancelling cans nowadays.