Being quirky is Nothing’s whole thing. Across its phones and audio products, it’s got a funky design language with calling-card transparency, weird little phone features like a dot matrix that you can play spin the bottle with (yay?), and now an increasing array of fun colors on its headphones and earbuds, like bright-ass pink and bright-ass yellow.
In that quirkiness, there are some interesting ideas (audio recording in its wireless earbuds, for example) and even more features that feel like gussied-up bullshit: Super Mic, for example, or AI app slop generators on its phones.
Whether useless or fun, I do appreciate the innovative spirit in Nothing’s products, even if they rarely move the needle. But more than all of that experimentation, you know what I appreciate even more? A pair of wireless headphones that sound really, really, f*cking good.
Nothing 1 Pro
The Nothing 1 Pro sound great and look very cool, which more than makes up for average ANC.
Pros
- Triple-driver system sounds fantastic
- They look pretty sick
- Better-than-average spatial audio
- Interesting features for creatives
Cons
- ANC is average
- New features too niche to appeal to most
- Carrying case might irk some
A new echelon of sound
There are some quirky things in the $399 Nothing Headphone 1 Pro, but that’s not why I’m really happy when they’re on my head. The reason I loved this pair of wireless headphones almost immediately is that they sound great.
In the Headphone 1 Pro, Nothing is using a three-driver system as opposed to the single 40mm dynamic driver in its Headphone 1. More isn’t always better in consumer tech, but in audio, more drivers usually mean better sound, and the Nothing 1 Pro are a shining example.
Nothing says it’s dedicating one driver to each frequency range: one for bass, one for midrange and vocal clarity, and one for treble and higher frequencies, which is an approach that’s borrowed from standalone speakers. The result is a pair of headphones that really sound rich and nuanced, especially when coupled with some of Nothing’s included software.
Listening to my go-to test tracks like “Any Major Dude Will Tell You” by Steely Dan, I heard ample texture and clarity. The brightness of rhythm guitar tracks made my ears happy, and there’s great stereo separation. The bass is also very present in the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro out of the box—probably more present than I would typically prefer. Because there’s a whole driver dedicated to said bass, it still felt clear and well-mixed.
Bass-heavy electronic songs like Daft Punk’s “Da Funk” are equally as impressive, with a big dose of low end that feels punchy and heavy without overpowering the mix. I was still able to make samples and synths layered underneath.
You’ll want to take advantage of the Nothing 1 Pro’s personalized EQ, which is the case with pretty much any pair of wireless headphones and earbuds that offer it. I took the hearing test in the Nothing X app, and it further refined my listening experience based on the hearing in both my ears. Typically, I need a boost in the higher frequencies, and that’s what I got here. If you want to adjust EQ manually, there’s a nifty advanced EQ that even lets you tweak specific drivers in the Headphone 1 Pro. You’d have to know more about sound than I do to use this feature well, but it’s nice that you have the option.
If you want to modify the sound in other ways, Nothing also includes a few spatial sound modes, including one called “Studio B,” made in partnership with Metropolis Studios, a renowned music studio in London, which makes it sound like you’re listening at the control board. I’m not usually a fan of spatial sound modes—they tend to kind of destroy the EQ in lots of cases—but Nothing does a good job here. Using Studio B and standard spatial audio modes definitely added some dimension and gave the soundstage more texture. I was less of a fan of the “club” and “concert hall” modes, since they sound a little unnatural to me, but to each their own. At the end of the day, spatial audio is something that’s mostly just nice to have, anyway.
And as long as we’re talking about features that you may or may not use…
It’s all about the button
As I mentioned before, Nothing is always trying something new. In this generation, that something is a little switch on the inside of the left earcup labeled “FLAT.”
The flat button is a pro feature meant more for people who make music or mix audio seriously. Basically, when you flip the switch, it removes processing and coloration on whatever you’re listening to so you can get a good idea of how the mix sounds when it’s relatively naked.
I am not a professional audio engineer, though I do make music as a hobby, and to me, it sounds like the flat button works. I tried it on a few songs, and it made it easier to get a handle on where everything sits in a mix. I could see this being useful if you needed a quick way to check the levels of a track you’re working on or in a video you’re editing, for example.
This feature won’t exactly appeal to the masses. It’s a fairly niche feature for creators. That’s fine, but I can’t say it’s really a reason for general listeners to buy the Headphone 1 Pro, even if they’re intellectually curious about what that sounds like.
The good news is, if you don’t want to use it, you can easily ignore it and use the more general audience features, like active noise cancellation (ANC), for example. Nothing says ANC is slightly improved in this generation, raising the degree of ANC by 2dB. I’ll be honest, if there is an improvement, it’s subtle. I tried the Headphone 1 Pro out on the subway and while walking on busy New York sidewalks, and it felt fairly similar to the Nothing Headphone 1, which aren’t my favorite wireless headphones when it comes to ANC. I still got quite a bit of train noise and people talking, though it did handle outdoor environments a bit better.
Don’t get me wrong, the ANC isn’t a dealbreaker or anything, but compared to the competition—Sony’s WH-1000XM6 and Bose’s QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), which cost $50 more—I don’t think the Nothing competes as well. Where Nothing does compete is basically everywhere else, though.
When I saw leaked images of the Headphone 1 Pro, I was skeptical as to whether the new headphones would look as cool as the Headphone 1, and now I can report that they don’t look as cool—they look cooler. I love the glass features on the outside of the earcups that show some of the acoustic chamber inside, and I love the use of premium materials like titanium. If you want to draw a bit of attention with your wireless headphones, these are a good way to do so. Even in a testing period of a few days, I got a couple of comments from strangers.
Nothing refined the feel a bit, making the cushions softer and thicker in certain areas, and while I wasn’t blown away by the comfort, these are definitely a nice-feeling pair of wireless headphones.
All of the same stuff I liked about the Headphone 1 is there, too, including the array of quirky buttons, like the pill roller for volume and noise modes, as well as the paddle for track skipping. There’s a “Custom” button for activating a voice assistant or switching audio sources, a port for a 3.5mm jack, and a switch for on/off. Personally, I prefer a switch for on/off over a button that does other stuff—it’s just easier—so thanks for that, Nothing.
As long as we’re talking about hardware, we need to talk about the hard plastic carrying case—the one that looks a bit like the AirPods Max’s bra case. I’m aware that some people out there hate it, and I get why. It’s definitely heavy—it weighs 384g, which is more than the wireless headphones themselves—and it doesn’t actually cover the entirety of the Headphone 1 Pro, leaving the headband exposed.
Personally, I like the look, and I see why Nothing would opt for a hard case instead of a softer one, since the earcups are made partially of glass. The weight of the case didn’t really bother me in my testing. When the wireless headphones are stored, they’re usually in my bag, where an extra 384g isn’t really going to make or break me. That being said, if that weight is going to rub you the wrong way, you may want to skip the case and just wear them around your neck.
There is one area where Nothing didn’t improve generation over generation, and it’s battery life. The Nothing Headphone 1 Pro get 30 hours of battery life on a single charge when ANC is on, whereas the Headphone 1 get 35 hours. That’s a little annoying on paper since these wireless headphones cost $100 more, but I assume the reason for the battery life drop is the new sound system, which uses three drivers instead of one—a tradeoff that’s well worth it, in my opinion.
I tested the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro’s battery life for myself just to see by listening to an hour of audio at 50% volume with ANC on, but the Nothing X only shows battery in increments of 10%, so at the end of my test, I was still getting 100% battery.
Just good, old-fashioned audio
In the Nothing Headphone 1 Pro, I can tell Nothing really emphasized the fundamentals. The triple-driver system may not translate on paper, but when you put them on your head, you hear the difference. This is an excellent-sounding pair of wireless headphones.
While ANC could use some improvement to compete with Bose and Sony, Nothing blows those brands away in terms of aesthetics. These are a cool-looking pair of wireless headphones that are comfortable and feel like they’re worth the $400 price tag they command.
Spatial audio and flat EQ are nice to have for some, but for most, they probably won’t drastically move the needle. I’m always grateful that Nothing gives me something to think about, but in this generation, what I’m really grateful for is the one thing that every pair of wireless headphones tries to do well—audio.
