With the launch of the Headphone 1, Nothing starts a new chapter. After all, this is the first over-ear headphones and, to me, the boldest design yet from the house of Nothing. While it retains the signature transparent design that has kept Nothing separate from the crowd, the over-ear headphones category isn't as straightforward as TWS.

The over-ear headphones cater to a diverse audience, ranging from audiophiles and music enthusiasts to gamers, content creators, and a wide range of professionals. These individuals opt for over-ear headphones for their choice of superior sound quality, comfort during extended wear, decent noise cancellation, and durability. Brands like Sony, Sennheiser, Bose, Apple, and a few others are among the most popular choices in India.

For Nothing Headphone 1 to crack this category, it needs to be an all-rounder because design won't win you the race alone. Since this was Nothing's first over-ear headphones, they haven't left any stone unturned. Nothing partnered with KEF, a company with a 60-year legacy in high-fidelity audio, to tune the headphones. I have been using the all-new over-ear headphones from Nothing for some time to see whether they can be my daily choice for all things, and in this review, I will break down what works and what doesn't work for the Headphone 1.

The Headphone 1 sports a vintage look and still follows Nothing's signature transparent design language
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

The over-ear headphones segment has plenty of options, but none look like the all-new Nothing Headphone 1. Thankfully, Nothing manages to live up to its expectations in the design. The Headphone 1 features a retro aesthetic look thanks to the resemblance of the cassette deck inside its transparent oval housing on top. The aluminium housing appears solid at first glance, and the squared-off design ensures that Headphone 1 will stand out from the current sea of similar-looking over-ear headphones available on the market.

The Headphone 1 weighs 329 grams, and the Softshell Case weighs 264 grams
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

The attention to detail is top-notch, and Headphone 1 is by far Nothing's boldest design yet. While I have to admit that design is subjective, and some may not like it at all. The headphone features a semi-transparent design form that has been a hallmark of Nothing's audio products. The use of aluminium gives it a durable feel, while PU memory foam adds softness for extended usage. Nothing claims that it has put Headphone 1 through over 50 rigorous reliability tests, including drops, twists, sweat, and exposure to extreme temperatures.

The PU memory foam adds softness and brings comfort to the user
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

If there's one thing that adds character to the overall design of the Headphone 1, then it has to be the physical buttons on the device. The addition of the roller is fantastic, and it works well. It is also satisfying to use. You can roll it to adjust the volume and click to play or pause. With a long press, you can switch between Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency Mode. There's also a paddle below the roller to push right to skip forward or left to go back. You can also hold it to scrub the speed. The adjustable arms with telescopic movement allow you to fine-tune the fit and lock it into place before use.

The headphones come with a roller, paddle, and button
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

Nothing has also added an all-new button for instant shortcuts. However, this feature is currently only available with the Nothing Phone 3 (and will soon be rolled out to other Nothing smartphones), which the company refers to as Channel Hop. It switches between recent audio apps, be it Spotify, Apple Music or YouTube Music. It works as intended, and it is enjoyable to switch between these apps with just one button press. On the rest of the Android devices and iPhones, the default action launches the smart assistant.

The Roller on the headphones can be used to adjust volume, click to play or pause, and long-press to toggle between ANC and Transparency Mode
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

The Headphone 1 comes with a Softshell Case, which is durable enough for daily travel. However, I would have loved a small lanyard attached to this case, which would have made it more convenient to carry. The zipper strap is slightly awkward, and I keep struggling to zip it in one smooth motion. It has a dedicated pouch to keep a 3.5mm cable and a charging cable. The housing inside the Softshell Case holds the headphones well when you are putting it inside (when kept on a table), but I found it inconvenient and almost dropped the Headphone 1 once during the review as the housing doesn't lock the headphones in its place so when you unzip and open the case, chances are the device is already out of its housing and could accidentally fall out. This is an experience that users may encounter when using it regularly.

During my review time, I could wear the Headphone 1 for long hours without any fatigue. However, what I noticed was that when I'm not using these, they're around my neck. The corners (squarish housing) of the headphones tend to brush against each other. Well, this was something that I noticed in the limited time of the review, so how well the paint holds up is yet to be seen.

Nothing says the internal driver is reinforced with a nickel-plated diaphragm
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

Another thing that would have made Headphone 1 the ultimate portable device would have been the ability to fold fully. It can only rotate to lay flat, which means if you're not using the case, then the headphones will take up more space in your bag.

The Headphone 1 is available in White and Black colours. I got the former, and it looks cool in white for sure. It comes with an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance.

Nothing has a reputation when it comes to app compatibility for its audio products. The Headphone 1 receives support for the Nothing X, the company's in-house app for all audio products, and will likely be expanded to include other ecosystem products when the company decides to expand beyond phones and audio products. I have already used this app for multiple Nothing products, and it provides users with full control over their listening experience.

The Nothing X app has plenty of customisation options for users

Once paired with your device using the Nothing X app, you can fine-tune audio with an 8-band equaliser where you can create and save custom presets and even share your sound profile via a QR code with friends. The Nothing Headphone 1 features a dual connection, allowing it to pair with two Bluetooth devices simultaneously. It is an excellent addition to a personal product like this, allowing you to switch between your laptop and phone based on the use case. You can customise all buttons for single press and press-and-hold functions. The app offers customisation options for three controls: the button on top of the aluminium casing, the Roller, and the Paddle at the back.

You can switch between ANC modes—Noise Cancellation, Transparency, and Off — via the Nothing X app. You can also choose a spatial audio preference between head-tracking, fixed, and off. There's a dedicated Bass Enhancement option for users who love bass. The equaliser option offers plenty of customisation options but offers Balanced, More Bass, More Treble, and Voice as saved presets. I found the Balanced preset to be ideal for my liking. The Nothing X app, when connected, shows the battery status of the Headphone 1 - a necessary feature for iOS users. The Nothing Headphone 1 supports AAC, SBC, and LDAC Bluetooth codecs. It packs a total of six mics, while Nothing says it used a 4-mic ENC call architecture.

The Nothing X app is available to download via Google Play and the App Store
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

For quick pairing, the Headphone 1 supports Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. For gaming enthusiasts, the Headphone 1 comes with low-latency and low-lag modes. The headphone gets an LED charging (status) indicator along with a switch to turn the device on and off the device. As expected, the Headphone 1 supports on-head detection with auto-play and pause options.

Nothing's first over-ear headphones are impressive if I can break it to you straight away without much drama. Collaborating with the British audio company KEF has paid dividends to the company. The sound is solid, balanced, and out-and-out fun at times. I began my audio tests with "Hotel California" by the Eagles to test the instrument separation and vocal clarity. Thankfully, Don Henley's vocals were clear and natural, and the instruments could be clearly distinguished. Next up, "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen offers sufficient dynamic range, vocal layering, and overall balance to test. The Nothing Headphone 1 managed to handle the shifts between quieter piano, solo vocals, and bombastic layerings. The "Why So Serious?" from The Dark Knight soundtrack was a good test for Headphone 1, particularly to test the bass and dynamic range. The headphones impressed, reproducing a clean rumble and handling the intense sub-bass frequency effectively.

The Headphone 1 can pair with two Bluetooth devices at once
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

Active noise cancellation on the Headphone 1 is excellent, though I felt that it doesn't quite beat the Sony WH-1000XM5, which we reviewed in 2022 and called a benchmark for ANC. However, that model is still available at around Rs. 25,000, which is slightly above the price of the Headphone 1. The ANC kicks in quickly on the Headphone 1, as per Nothing, and scans the surroundings every 600 ms to adapt in real-time.

Dynamic head tracking is also available on the Headphone 1 and offers a 360-degree audio field that follows your position. However, I feel that the Apple AirPods Max does a better job in head-tracking, but it is almost three times the price of Nothing's new over-ear headphones.

Thanks to the ear-cup depth and adjustable headband, you can easily achieve a snug seal, which, on its own, without any music playing, creates a good level of noise reduction. The Headphone 1 excels in calls, with call quality remaining amazing throughout the review period. It delivers excellent microphone performance, handling real-world ambient noise during calls. Nothing uses AI to enhance calls on its Headphone 1 as it comes with Clear Voice Technology to isolate speech and suppress background noise.

The adjustable headband on the Headphone 1 has a nice quality and feels durable
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

Nothing has claimed some impressive battery life numbers for its first over-ear headphones. It claims up to 35 hours of playback with ANC on and up to 80 hours with ANC off. Additionally, it features fast-charging support, which can charge the headphones to 40% in under 30 minutes. The company claims that the headphones take about 2 hours to charge fully. During my time testing the Nothing Headphone 1, it impressed me with its battery backup, and I didn't even charge it during my three-day travel for the launch of new Nothing products, from 100% to 40% charge after over 25 hours of music playback and streaming usage, with the volume at around the 60% mark.

The headphones come with a dedicated on and off toggle
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

Nothing Headphone 1 does pretty well as a first-gen product from a brand that's not even 10 years old. It delivers a solid ANC performance and promises a long battery life. The retro design is the product's biggest USP, and I can guarantee that you won't find anything like it in the market. The Nothing X app is fantastic and offers plenty of customisation options. Most things work in favour of Headphone 1.

But, being a Nothing product, there are a few things that only time can tell. For instance, with the transparent design on the outside, it is unclear how well it can withstand daily wear and tear. The head-tracking and ANC are not top-notch, but there's not a big gap between the best and Headphone 1. Though, remember that the Sonys and Apples cost much more than this.

The Headphone 1 supports fast charging
Photo Credit: Mohit Dawar/ Gadgets 360

So, who should buy the Nothing Headphone 1? If you're looking for daily headphones that look cool and turn heads, then this is the product for you. Of course, the add-ons are the balanced sound output and excellent battery performance. The pricing is a cracker and elevates the overall product.

As an alternative, consider the Sony WH-1000XM5, which remains a solid contender in this price segment.