- Outstanding controls
- Interesting design
- Good audio overall for this price
- Underpowered higher frequencies (though not terrible for mid-tier)
- Ear cups are a tad too small
What's the first thing you look for in a pair of Bluetooth headphones? If it's audio, you might be surprised to learn aesthetics are at the top of many people's list. And while few shoppers would put playback controls in the number one spot, they can make a huge impact on how pleasant (or not) your overall experience is. When deciding if the Nothing Headphone A are worth your hard-earned dollars, you'll need to consider all three of these factors.
Nothing's worth looking at
In a market saturated with ovals and the occasional circle, Nothing's distinct aesthetic is refreshing. While the Nothing Headphone A's design isn't as out-there as the more-expensive Headphone 1, the simple, rectangular shape and highlights are still distinguishable at a glance from most of the competition.
If you think I'm exaggerating, here's a look at some of the more popular alternatives right now:
The glossy finish is easily marred by fingerprints, but it's also far more scratch-resistant than the matte plastic used by most headphones. The only real criticism I have is the way the glossy coating is attached to the ovular driver housings, which leaves a small rim that's subject to dust and gunk buildup. It looks removable, but it's not.
Comfort will depend on the size of your ears. I'm not a small person, but I'd like to think my ears are within the standard deviation. Whether or not I'm in denial, the cups are a smidge too small and the padding too firm to wear them for hours at a time.
If not for this issue, they'd be pretty comfortable. Though the pleather material does mean they don't breathe, which is a problem on hot days.
Big bass, inoffensive treble, good ANC
To be clear from the outset, the overall audio experience of the Nothing Headphone A is great for this price range. But like most Bluetooth headphones, it's over-tuned towards bass.
The bass itself is some of the best in class. Regular beats are heavy and thick with decent punch for $329 (top tip: if you want to test punchiness, you can't go past "The Robots" by Kraftwerk). Sub bass is strong enough to provide that weird brain tingle only sub bass can deliver, particularly apparent in tracks like "Blinding Lights" by The Weeknd or "Angel" by Massive Attack.
Mids and brighter tones aren't bad, per se, but most vocals lack nuance, while anything with higher presence can fade into the background. You can still get good feels from vocal-focused songs like Nina Simone's rendition of "Feeling Good", but the uneven balance becomes apparent on tracks that contrast between highs and lows, like deadmau5's "Deus Ex Machina".
Despite these flaws, this isn't a dire prognosis. I'm not sure I could point you at Bluetooth headphones with what I might call "good" mids and higher frequencies for anything close to the price of the Nothing Headphone A. The Sonos Ace ($599) is possibly the cheapest, after which we're looking at the Apple AirPods Max ($999) and beyond. And while it mightn't sound like a compliment, there aren't any frequency ranges that are outright uncomfortable, which isn't a guarantee at this price point.
Active noise cancellation (ANC) is great – among the best I've experienced in the mid tier, though the Sony WH-1000XM4 probably still has the crown. There are three construction sites on my street, and the few sounds that do make it past the Headphone A's ANC are thoroughly muted.
Even with ANC set to max, there's not much pressure placed on your eardrums – something I'm usually sensitive to. Adaptive mode works while you're out and about, but at home it struggles with the lack of input and can bounce between sound modes with little prompting.
Full control
Many headphone manufacturers treat playback controls as an icky afterthought, defacing a minimalist ideal. The result can be pleasing to the eye, but frustrating to use in the long term. Nothing's having none of that.
Why not treat your controls as a visual feature, instead? The result is a varied suite of playback options that reinforce Nothing's recognisable aesthetic, rather than detract. Distinct style, pleasing to use. And man, is it refreshing.
The play/pause, volume and ANC controls are on the same clickable roller – kind of like a sideways-scrolling mouse wheel. Roll left or right for volume, click to play/pause, and long-press to switch between noise control options: ANC, Transparency, and Off.
Below the roller is a paddle that clicks left or right. A quick flick press skips forward or back, while holding either is fast forward or rewind.
There's also an extra button you can set to various actions as a click or long press. I like the idea of a button that's essentially there for personalisation, as opposed to presuming people want as few controls as possible.
Last, the on/off control is a switch. No pressing and holding an otherwise shared button and waiting to hear a shutdown noise.
No touch sensors. No long presses for the most-used commands. Different types of physical controls, tailored to their task. An extra button to do with as you please. There's even a dedicated Bluetooth pairing button, rather than doubling that function up with something else. I think I'm in love.
Other basics
There are a few other basics a headphone review needs to cover, but this review is already too long so I'll breeze through them quickly.
Battery
Great. Nothing claims up to five days, but I've charged them once in the two weeks I've had them dual-paired paired with my phone and laptop. No wireless charging.
Cables
Comes with a good, old-fashioned 3.5mm headphone cable and a USB-C to 3.5mm cable for plugging directly into a phone.
Lag
I've had no lag problems. You can enable a low-latency mode in the app, but to be honest, I can't see this being useful for anything other than the sweatiest of gamers.
Mic
Good. No notes.
Carry case
Not good. Just a thin white bag with a drawstring. But given their scratch resistance, you might find you don't need a case.
OS support
The app is only available for Android and iOS. They'll still connect to a Mac or PC, but you'll need to dual-pair them with a phone if you want to tweak any settings. This is pretty standard across all Bluetooth headphones.
Nothing Headphone A - Final Thoughts
The Nothing Headphone A are one of the best pairs of headphones in the price bracket. Audio is solid for the mid tier, comfort is high, ANC performs fairly well, the design is thoughtful and interesting, and the playback controls are unparalleled.
There are really only four questions you need to ask yourself:
- Do you absolutely need the best audio you can afford? If so, get the Sony WH-1000XM4. They're a few years old at this point, but you can still pick up a pair for around the same price as the Headphone A
- Are you willing to sacrifice a bit of audio balance for a much easier-to-use headset? If so, get the Headphone A
- Do you have big 'ol ears? If so, these might be a tad small for long stints
- Do you like how they look? (This one's pretty self-explanatory)
Given this is Nothing's first attempt at a mid-tier set of over-ear wireless headphones, I'm keen to see what the company does with future releases. But even if this is as good as it gets, the Headphone A will probably still be one of the best mid-range options for a while to come.
Alex Angove-Plumb
Digital Content Editor
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