4 minute read
I’ve returned a lot of wireless headphones. The $349 pair with the weak ANC. The $299 cans that sounded great but died on every long flight. Budget options that felt cheap the moment you put them on. After enough of that cycle, $199 for a pair feels like either another compromise or an actual deal. The Nothing Headphone (a) is the second thing.
What You’re Actually Getting
Nothing built the Headphone (a) as the affordable sibling to their flagship, and they were upfront about what changed to hit the price. Some aluminum parts became plastic. The build feels lighter for it. Put them on anyway, because the memory foam ear cushions and 310-gram frame make these genuinely comfortable over long sessions, and the semi-transparent industrial design is still one of the more distinctive looks in wireless audio right now.
Available in black, white, pink, and a limited-edition yellow shipping April 6, these are not trying to blend in. That’s a feature or a drawback depending on your taste.
Sound: Real Performance, Real Tuning Choices
Nothing tuned these for bass, and they’re upfront about it. The 40mm titanium-coated diaphragm drivers deliver low-end weight that feels intentional rather than accidental. Sub-bass is controlled, not overbearing, and the soundstage is wider than the price suggests.
LDAC codec support means Android users can stream hi-res audio over Bluetooth without compression. For $199, that’s genuinely unusual. Pair it with the eight-band equalizer in the Nothing X app and you have more tuning control than most headphones at twice the price offer. There’s also a community EQ feature where you can share presets or browse other users’ settings — a small touch, but it makes the app feel like it was thought through.
The Battery That Changes the Conversation
135 hours without ANC is the number that gets the headlines, and it holds up in real use. With noise cancellation running, you’ll see around 75 hours. With LDAC enabled, closer to 50. Any of those numbers means a week of daily commuting before you need to find a cable.
The quick-charge performance is the practical standout: five minutes on USB-C delivers eight hours of playback. You can also go wired via the 3.5mm jack with ANC still active, which is useful on planes.
ANC That Actually Works
Five microphones handle the noise cancellation, and Nothing claims up to 40dB of reduction. In practice, it’s solid for commuting, office environments, and light travel. The system adapts to your surroundings rather than constantly recalibrating, so it doesn’t fight with itself in dynamic environments. I’d rank it competitive with Sony and Bose options at this price range, which is meaningful.
Controls: Physical, Which Is the Right Call
Nothing went with physical controls instead of touch gestures — a Roller, Paddle, and Button on the right ear cup. I’ve been burned by touch controls enough times that tactile inputs feel like a feature rather than a budget move. They work well, they’re customizable, and the button doubles as a camera shutter trigger when paired with a compatible phone.
The headphones carry an IP52 rating, which covers sweat and light rain. Not submersible, but functional for workouts and unpredictable weather.
Bottom Line: Should You Buy the Nothing Headphone (A)?
At $199, Nothing offers better specs than competitors charging $100 more. The battery is the most obvious example, but the LDAC support, physical controls, app depth, and build quality together make the value case hard to argue against. Wide availability starts March 13 at nothing.tech.
If you’ve been waiting for a wireless ANC headphone that doesn’t ask you to compromise on everything at once, this is the one I’d start with.
