Nothing has launched its first-ever pair of over-ear wireless headphones, the Headphone (1). Following the brand's early forays into the world of wireless earbuds courtesy of the likes of the Nothing Ear (2) and Ear (a) buds, the UK-based brand hopes to bring its quirky designs and competitive prices to a saturated market.
We've managed to get our hands on the cans, and you can read our first impressions of Nothing's trailblazing over-ears in our Nothing Headphone (1) hands-on review.
Inside each (rather large) earcup, the Nothing Headphone (1) have a precision-engineered custom 40mm driver, with polyethylene surrounds that aim to deliver minimal distortion and better performance at low frequencies.
More interestingly, perhaps, British audio brand KEF has been recruited to help tune the cans, aiming for a "rich, balanced" signature that's "full of character". We are big fans of KEF's speakers – such as the LS50 Meta and LSX II wireless system – so there is some serious hi-fi pedigree behind these headphones.
The new over-ears offer AI-powered active noise-cancelling courtesy of dual forward and backwards-firing microphones, which dynamically adapt to your environment in real time. A transparency mode is also onboard for letting in more of the world.
'Clear Voice Technology' aims to promote better hands-free voice calls, while dynamic spatial audio with head tracking is also available if you want a more immersive sonic experience.
What about battery life? The new headphones boast a whopping 80 hours of playtime with ANC switched off and around 35 hours with ANC turned on. A quick five-minute charge will grant around five hours of non-ANC playtime (or 2.5 hours with ANC) if you're in a hurry.
The headphones feature dynamic spatial audio with headtracking, while the higher-quality LDAC Bluetooth codec is supported. You can also listen to the new over-ears in wired mode via USB-C or 3.5mm.
Nothing has made a big deal of its latest cans' integration of touch controls, using a combination of three main controls – a roller, a paddle and a customisable button – for a more intuitive and accessible user experience.
That roller, for instance, takes care of adjusting volume up and down, while the customisable button can be assigned to a variety of functions such as accessing your favourite podcasts, playlists or streaming service.
The Nothing Headphone (1) will cost £299 / $299 / €299 and will be available in black or white finishes. They are on sale globally on July 15th, with pre-orders starting from July 4th.
That pricing makes them more affordable than the current kings of the wireless headphones market, the Sony WH-1000XM6 (tested at £400 / $450 / AU$699) and the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (currently around £350 / $450).
The question is: with KEF tuning behind them, will the Nothings have the performance to keep up with the best?
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Read our first impressions in our Nothing Headphone (1) hands-on review
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