Read our Nothing Headphone (a) review covering sound quality, design, battery life, and performance. Find out if these stylish headphones are worth buying.
Table of Contents
I’ve spent two weeks with the Nothing Headphone (a), and these over-ear headphones have impressed me with their sound, battery, and design. Can you ask for more for $199?
Being a technology journalist and a reviewer, many friends and acquaintances ask me for advice when they are going to buy a new product, and I often realize that what people want and what they are willing to pay for does not always match.
This has happened to me a lot with over-ear headphones, a product that is making a strong comeback in its wireless format. People want a good and comfortable model, but what they don’t know is that they are much more expensive than true wireless: for $100 – $150, AirPods can be excellent, but with headband ones, the price for good quality can easily be double. 
Nothing is a brand that is beginning to make a name for itself in the world of headphones thanks to interesting advanced models with good value for money such as the Ear (3) or the Ear (a), and now it has just launched the Headphone (a), its first mid-range over-ear headphones, for $199.
The Nothing Headphones (a)
The Nothing Headphones (a) are my favorite mid-range over-ear headphones. Their battery lasts for weeks, and their design and sound are so good that they’re not as far from high-end as their price suggests.
Is it worth buying the Nothing Headphone (a)?
No doubt. It’s been a long time since I’ve come across headphones as recommendable as these. For a price of less than $183.42, you won’t find anything better, to the point that at times they don’t seem mid-range.
Its design is characteristic and different from the rest, and it is one of the few with physical buttons. Their comfort, sound quality, and noise cancellation make them perfect headphones for everyday use, and thanks to their impressive battery, you will hardly have to charge them.
The fact that they cannot be folded and a sometimes imprecise active noise cancellation separate them from perfection, but all in all, they have a good chance of being the model that advises the most in 2026.
Nothing Headphone (a): review and review
I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the Headphone (a), Nothing’s first mid-range over-ear headphones, after my 2-week experience of use.
Features of the Nothing Headphone (a)
| Headphone (a) | |
|---|---|
| Type | Over-ear Headband Circumoral |
| Dimensions | 177 x 78 x 190.4 mm |
| Weight | 310 g |
| Microphone | 2 per ANC headset 3 microphones for calls |
| Drivers | 40 mm 20 – 40,000 Hz |
| Water resistance | IP52 |
| Connections / Codecs | AAC, SBC, LDAC Bluetooth 5.4 |
| Charging | 2 hours |
| Battery and autonomy | 1,060 mAh No ANC: Up to 135 hours (90 hours with LDAC) With ANC: Up to 75 hours (62 hours with LDAC) |
| Extras | 3 physical buttons Adaptive noise cancellation up to 40 dB Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair Charging LED Low Latency Mode |
| Price | $199 |
Comfortable in design, with personality and inexhaustible battery
Nothing has managed to keep the best of the high-end headphones (1) in this first affordable over-ear model. They are similar, and in fact, I even like them better in some things.
No one can deny that despite being cheap, the headphone (a) has as much or more personality than its predecessors. The classic Nothing transparencies are present in the headphones, which reveal an industrial design, while the resonance chamber is opaque, unlike the Headphone (1).
Maybe it’s because I’ve tried the previous model before and I’ve gotten used to them, but not only do I find them beautiful, modern, and elegant, but in fact I like them more than the more expensive model.
They have a compact format (I have appreciated that they stand out a little) with good materials (metal and good-quality plastics) that have been pleasant to the touch and comfortable to use for many hours. They are not the lightest (310 grams), and they do not fold and are not the easiest to transport, but in this price segment I do not find it a problem.
As it already happened with the Headphone (1), this mid-range model differs by including the same 3 physical buttons: roller, paddle, and customizable button. Not only are they easy to use and is the experience better than with imprecise touch surfaces, but I think their accuracy has improved compared to the high-end.
But if the design is a great pro of these headphones, the battery is the real goal for the corner that Nothing has scored.
With a capacity of 1,060 mAh,The headphone (a) is one of the best headphones I remember having tested in terms of autonomy.Since I have used them for 2 weeks, it is true that with a lower use than usual due to the hustle and bustle of the MWC, and they still have 70% battery.
Nothing promises 135 hours of battery life, which equates to almost 6 days of continuous use. I think it’s absolutely crazy and, although they don’t have fast charging (it takes 2 hours) and with noise cancellation it is reduced a lot, it is still inexhaustible. Who said mid-range?
Sound and connectivity: perfect for almost everyone
In terms of sound, the Nothing Headphone (a) renounces some of the outstanding functions of the highest range, but the truth is that they sound so good that I don’t think 98% of people will care about this.
Nothing is characterized by a good sound in all its ranges, but in this headband model it has been crowned. Listening to songs like Berghain by Rosalía, the richness of bass, treble, and detail achieved by its 40 mm drivers seems impressive to me.
It won’t have KEF-calibrated sound or head tracking for spatial audio like the Headphone (1), but still, with LDAC and details like spatial audio in concert and theater mode, the experience has been really good.
Nothing X is also still one of my favorite applications, not only for its characteristic design, but above all for its fluidity and advanced sound equalization options even for those who do not know so much about technique. I recommend bass boosting.
In terms of connectivity, with Bluetooth 5.4, USB-C, a customizable physical button that allows you to take photos with your mobile remotely, and dual connection with up to 2 devices at the same time, I don’t think you can ask for more from this product.
Adaptive Active Noise Cancelling Headphones, Wireless Over Ear Bluetooth 5.4 ANC Headset with LDAC Hi-Res, Spatial Audio 5 HD Mics Ultra Bass via APP, 135 Hours Playtime, White
Cancellation and calls: some inaccuracies don’t tarnish the great experience
The Nothing Headphone (a) allows noise cancellation is remarkable, although perhaps this is the point where I have found more irregularities.
These headphones have an active noise cancellation (ANC) of 40 decibels that is not very surprising on paper and is not as good as that of other high-end headphones such as the Sony WH-1000XM6.
The ANC is supposed to adapt to what you hear, but I haven’t noticed it too much for the better. Yes, for the worse, since every 2 minutes, if you are in an area with a lot of noise, such as between traffic or on an airplane, you notice some jumps and that the system adjusts in fits and starts.
Despite this, its basic noise cancellation is good and isolates you very well from loud noises, as I have also been able to enjoy in my experience.
Transparent mode is usually Nothing’s Achilles’ heel, and while I appreciate improvements over previous models, I don’t think it’s something the headphone (a) excels at. Enough for controlled situations, but I’ve ended up taking them off if the conversation is important.
Its 4 microphones, 3 of them for calls, allow very fluid calls in which you are heard perfectly, as my friends and acquaintances confirm to me, which has just rounded off a product that may not be perfect but is far above the rest in quality-price in a category in which until now it was difficult to recommend cheap over-ear headphones with conviction.
These headphones (a) seem so good to me that I would choose them ahead of the headphones (1) and many expensive models, and they are one more example that Nothing is on the right track in headphones.
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