Nothing Headphone (a) review: Stylish over-ear headphones with huge battery life and LDAC audio at an affordable price
The Nothing Headphone (a) offer up to 135 hours of battery life, making them ideal for long listening sessions without frequent charging. Picture: Nothing.
The Nothing Headphone (a) follows the same design language as the more premium Nothing Headphone (1). It has a striking design, impressive specs and a price that undercuts expectations. After several weeks of using them at home, on calls, and during daily listening, I found them comfortable, capable, and fun to use.
Nothing here has leaned heavily into its design identity, and it works. The square earcups with transparent outer shells give the headphones a distinctive look that stands out without feeling over-the-top. The colour sits beneath the clear surface, which adds depth and a slightly futuristic feel. They look more like a fashion accessory than traditional audio gear, which I suspect is exactly the point.
Build materials, not surprisingly, aren't as premium as Headphone (1) but match the quality of phones twice the price. The steel arms add rigidity, while the sliding mechanisms use a glass-filled nylon that moves smoothly without any creaking.
At 310 grams, they are not especially light, and they do not fold down as compactly as I would like. They will slip into a bag, but not into a tight carry-on pocket. For me, they felt more suited to daily use at home or for commuting than for frequent travel.
The memory foam padding on both the headband and ear cushions feels soft and reasonably comfy. When I first put them on, they settled nicely with a firm amount of pressure that felt a little strong. On my medium-sized head, I noticed it most after a few hours of continuous music listening. It is not uncomfortable, but it is present. Over time, the fit does ease slightly as the headband loosens.
The weight is noticeable, but not excessive. For context, the Bose QC Ultra weighs 250g, while the Apple AirPods Max weigh 380g. Like most closed-back headphones, the ear cushions can get warm. After a longer listening session, I did feel a bit of heat build up, but nothing out of the ordinary.
The feature set includes Bluetooth 5.4 with LDAC support, with Hi-Res certification allowing for high-quality wireless audio, and pairing was quick and reliable in my testing.
Active noise cancellation is handled by a hybrid adaptive system with four microphones. In practice, it performs well. I used them while working in a busy office and found that background chatter was reduced enough for me to focus. It is not total silence, but it takes the edge off distractions. While the ANC isn’t class-leading, it’s one of the best I’ve heard at this price level.
Transparency mode is equally useful. I switched to it to chat with colleagues, but it’s equally useful in airports for listening to announcements. Voices sounded natural enough not to feel artificial.
The physical controls are easily my favourite feature – no touch gestures here, just tactile buttons and a roller. Adjusting volume, skipping tracks or switching modes became second nature without looking.
The Nothing X app adds extra features and control. It includes an eight-band equaliser, which is rare at this price. I really enjoyed tweaking settings and ended up creating a profile that suited my taste far better than the default tuning.
Essential Space, Nothing’s AI-powered software hub built into its smartphones, such as the new Nothing Phone 4a and Phone 4a Pro, can take advantage of the dedicated button on the Headphone (a), to quickly capture thoughts, reminders or ideas the moment they come to mind. I found myself using it while out for a walk, tapping the button and speaking a note rather than pulling out my phone. The system then automatically transcribes what you say and stores it in Essential Space, ready for later review. It is a simple idea, but in day-to-day use, it felt surprisingly natural and useful, especially for someone constantly juggling notes and ideas.
The 3.5mm jack is a must-have for me and is ideal for older devices, in-flight systems, or when you want a simple, reliable connection. I used this on a long flight and appreciated not having to think about pairing or signal dropouts.
You can also use the USB-C port to connect the headphones and effectively treat them as their own DAC, handling digital audio directly from your device. This means you can get a cleaner, more stable signal than with standard wireless, and in my case, it became my go-to setup for listening to music from my phone or digital audio player. It also means features like noise cancellation and onboard controls continue to work even when wired, which is not always a given.
With light to moderate use, I went days without thinking about charging. Even during a particularly busy week of listening and calls, I only needed to plug them in once. Fast charging is also effective, providing several hours of playback with a brief top-up.
Battery life is rated up to 135 hours without noise cancellation and around 75 hours with it enabled using standard codecs. With LDAC and ANC enabled, it drops to 62 hours, but that’s still impressive.
Out of the box, the sound is warm, with a noticeable bass emphasis. The first track I played had a heavier low end than I expected, which will appeal to listeners who enjoy a more energetic presentation.
With a few EQ tweaks, I was able to bring the vocals forward and tame the bass just enough to create a more balanced presentation.
Once dialled in, the headphones became really enjoyable across a range of music. I listened to everything from stripped-back acoustic tracks to heavier rock, and they handled both well. There is a good sense of detail, especially with LDAC enabled or while using the USB-C connection, and the overall presentation feels lively without becoming harsh.
Treble is handled carefully, and there’s enough clarity to keep things engaging without pushing into sharpness.
For films and casual viewing, the sound carries enough weight to feel immersive. Dialogue remains clear, while background effects have presence without overwhelming the mix.
The Nothing Headphone (a) delivers bold design, strong features and excellent battery life at an accessible price. Sound improves significantly with EQ, and while not perfect out of the box, they are enjoyable, capable and easy to recommend.
€159 Harvey Norman
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