Nothing Headphone (1) Pro review: Tactile controls, unique design and triple drivers
The Nothing Headphone (1) Pro combines a striking design with tactile physical controls and a detailed triple driver system. Picture: Noel Campion
Nothing is stepping into the premium space with the Headphone (1) Pro. I spent a few weeks with these €349 headphones to see if the triple-driver system is a real audio upgrade or just a way to differentiate them from the competition.
Nothing has taken a different path with Headphone (1) Pro. Instead of the finicky touch controls that plague so many high-end models, you get real, physical controls. There's a roller, a paddle, and dedicated buttons for power, Bluetooth pairing, and a special Flat switch. I found this much more intuitive when walking or wearing gloves. Nothing really beats good physical controls.
The (1) Pro come in black and white, and my review model arrived in black. This is one of the most distinctive designs I have seen in years. It stands out from the sea of bland, generic plastic. It dares to be different, and I am happy to be along for the ride.
The 20-degree pivot makes them easy to tuck away, although they can’t fold inwards to make them more compact. You also get an IP52 rating, which is good enough for sweat and light splashes.
The carrying case is divisive: I've come to like the shape (it’s a lot like Apple’s AirPods Max case), but I don’t love the weight (383.5g), and it offers no way to store your cables inside. I am also not a fan of the glossy plastic exterior. It reminds me of the AirPods case, which is prone to micro-scratches that build up and dull the shine. The inside is made from soft TPU plastic, which protects the ear cups well. However, it leaves the headband exposed, and you cannot charge them while they are in the case.
While this might seem like a major fault, it's not an issue for me. The AirPods Max require you to keep them in the case to enter deep sleep. In contrast, the Headphone (1) Pro has a dedicated power slider switch, which means you can leave them out of the case most of the time and use the case only for travel.
At 327g, Headphone (1) Pro feels premium but definitely on the heavier side. The clamp force is nice and firm, which I like out of the box, so they feel secure, but they aren't so tight that they cause headaches. I really had no problem wearing them for hours at a time.
I wear reading glasses, and I was pleased to find the two-layer PU leather and nylon cushions didn't pinch my frames. The aluminium frame adds a sense of durability that cheap plastic alternatives lack.
The Nothing X app is comprehensive, offering ease of use for those who don’t want to tinker, while also providing extensive customisation for those who want to personalise the sound signature. The physical flat EQ switch is a unique feature. It bypasses software processing to deliver a more natural sound, making it ideal for users seeking a neutral sound signature or for audio mixing. You can also personalise the sound with a hearing test to create a custom EQ that matches your hearing.
The active noise cancellation uses ten microphones to manage environmental noise. In my testing, it performed exceptionally well, thanks in part to its excellent passive noise isolation. I was also impressed by the natural-sounding transparency mode.
The Headphone (1) Pro features Bluetooth 6.1 and supports connecting to two devices at once, which is perfect for switching between a laptop and a phone. The inclusion of the LC3 codec via Auracast means you can share audio with others, though I rarely used it.
Each ear cup houses a triple driver setup: a 40mm dynamic bass driver, a precision driver, and an XMEMS treble driver. On paper, this triple-driver configuration covers a massive frequency range from 20Hz to 40kHz.
The Headphone (1) Pro also features a 3.5mm jack (24-bit/96 kHz) and a USB-C port (up to 24-bit/192 kHz). For wireless, it supports LDAC and Hi-Res audio over Bluetooth.
You should get up to 30 hours with ANC on. If you use the LDAC codec for higher fidelity, that number drops slightly to around 28 hours. With ANC off, Nothing claims you can get up to 68 hours from a single charge. If you are in a rush, a five-minute USB-C charge gives you two hours of playback. I also appreciated that I could use the USB-C connection to act as a high-res headset for my Windows 11 desktop.
The triple driver setup seems to make a difference. The bass has real punch, and the sub-bass rumble is present without getting muddy. Unlike the typical V-shaped sound signature that dominates the market, these feel more balanced. The vocals sit forward and clear, making acoustic tracks or podcasts a joy to listen to.
The treble is clear and detailed thanks to those XMEMS drivers, but it never becomes piercing or sibilant. The advanced EQ mode is useful for those who love to spend hours tweaking the sound, but I did most of my listening with the Flat switch enabled and loved it. My main criticism lies in the soundstage. While the instrument separation is sharp, the overall sense of space feels a bit narrow. It sounds more like the music is happening inside your head rather than in a wide, open room. If you want an airy, expansive feel, look elsewhere, but for precision and detail, these perform well. You can use spatial audio features to expand the soundstage, and while Nothing's implementation is one of the best I have heard, I am still not a fan of it for music. For movies, it works well for some titles and poorly for others.
The Nothing Headphone (1) Pro is easily the most stylish, tactile, and technically impressive headphones I’ve tested in 2026. While the soundstage is slightly narrow, the physical controls and driver setup make them a compelling, unique alternative to the market leaders.
€349 Nothing
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