Nothing started its journey with the Ear range and then moved to Phones, so it was obvious that the next product will be Headphones and that’s what they are called. The Headphone 1 is looking to take forward the Nothing trajectory and it is eyeing the big fishes like Sony and Sennheiser and even Bose to some extent with this product.

The leaks of the Headphone 1 had turned people’s heads and the official product has done nothing different. It has the usual transparent elements, a premium design touch but does the audio live up to the hype or does it flatter for its Rs 21,999 price tag in the market? We went searching for these answers. 

The Design, It’s Funky 

The Headphone 1 got everyone confused when it leaked and now the same product has actually been made official. We had our concerns when we first saw it in the flesh. The big ear cup panel, that cassette-like layer added at the back to give it a bigger look than its actual size. 

More importantly, when we read the Headphone 1 weighs 329 grams, we directly went into the comparison mode with the Sony WH1000-XM5 and even the latest XM6 models. However, the real life experience and using the Headphone 1 for a few weeks paints a different and an intriguing picture. 

The soft headband with some cushion provides that extra comfort and Nothing has done well to dampen the noise to its best limits. We’ve worn it for long hours without feeling its heft and that’s a good sign. Having said that, we’re eager to see how the Headphone 1 works out in the long run when it is put through the dreaded sweat test which is unavoidable in the Delhi weather. 

The Controls Are New 

Nothing talked about changing how you control headphones for playback and other features. The Headphone 1 shows that vision which is quite functional and easy to get used to. You have four buttons in different shapes, sizes and forms. All of them sit on the right side, which makes it convenient if you are a right-handed person.

The capsule-like button called Roller lets you control the playback, ANC and volume levels. While the pill-shaped button called button can activate ANC or even trigger the Assistant, set up spatial audio, and EQ preset too. The Paddle button is there to let you forward/backward to a track or answer/ hang up calls. 

The power button sits at the bottom of the layer, along with the USB C port and the headphone jack. You also get the pairing button hidden behind next to the ear cup. When you put these buttons into use, they add up quite nicely and frankly do a much better job than gestures and other fancy ways to play the music that other brands have tried before.

There are some aspects that you don’t need to overhaul, just give basic buttons, tweak them a bit and it works. The headphones are foldable but only on the side and you cannot completely bend them to put it in a bag. 

Unlock The Features 

The Nothing X app is once again the centre for all the features that you want to try and some more with the Headphone 1. The app is the same that you’ve used with the Ear 1 and now just gets optimised for the new product.

It is simple with a clean and easy-to-use UI and controls. You get the ANC level options, bass enhancement, equaliser, and other settings. It also lets you enable spatial audio which can be switched between fixed and head-tracking that other premium headphones offer these days. 

How It Sounds 

The sound experience of the Headphone 1 is critical to understand if the product makes the right impression. The ANC is a big part of that package and Nothing has tuned it well enough to make it effective. Is it as noise-proof as the Sony’s or even the Bose’s, not really but it comes really close and that itself is a big feat for a brand with these tall aspirations. 

But what about the actual sound emanating from the headphones? Well, the audio tuning has been kept balanced, without too overpowering the bass. Having said that, the custom settings do let you increase the bass levels in case you like that in your music. We tried our usual playlist for audio tests and the results were mostly good, especially with the emphasis on the vocals and the soundstage delivering on its promise. 

Watching movies is also a pleasant experience with these cans, and you can feel the bass at the right level, when the scene really explodes with some action. Does it sound as premium as the other brands in this segment? Nothing has done well to make it sound good, and some more tuning can make it better. 

Does It Last? 

The battery figures quoted by Nothing for the Headphone 1 do add up when you see the 1040mAh unit packed inside. And the headphone 1 does well in our overall tests, with both ANC turned on and off. The brand claims you can get around 80 hours of playback with the ANC disabled, and 35 hours when it is on.

We got close to these figures and didn’t need to put the headphones on charge regularly, which shows its overall efficiency. It also offers fast charging for a quick fuel up but the unit needs well over an hour to fully charge. 

Nothing Headphone 1 is a surprising entry into the premium table and makes a good shout for a first-gen product from a new brand. The design is funky and that has been addressed by almost every reviewer. The controls are odd at first but functionally make sense. The sound is subjective but the ANC levels are not the best in the market, but for a lesser price you get quality. The battery life is also good for most users.