Nothing has unveiled its second pair of mainline wireless over-ear headphones, and you can hardly miss them.
The colourful new Nothing Headphone (a) follow from the rather middling debut of the Headphone (1) from last year, this time aiming at a younger, trendier audience via their bass-oriented sound signature, lower price tag and colourful embellishments.
The new cans house a set of 40mm titanium-coated drivers, boasting a "strong and durable structure" for delivering a "powerful, distortion-free sound", with support for the hi-res LDAC Bluetooth codec for wireless streaming up to 32-bit/96 kHz.
Noise cancelling is on board, with the sophomore over-ears providing a variety of distinct flavours: standard noise cancelling sits alongside a transparency mode for letting more of the outside world pass into your lugs, while a hybrid ANC setting adapts noise cancellation in real time based on the surroundings and the fit of your headphones.
The big headline grabber on the features front is battery life. The Headphone (a) will furnish you with a rather staggering 135 hours of playback with ANC switched off, while a five-minute quick charge will provide around five hours of further listening in a pinch. At any price, we're struggling to think of a pair of wireless headphones that can match those numbers.
The Headphone (a) sport a similar aesthetic as the the established Headphone (1), albeit with rounded earcups which now boast a splash of extra colour.
The new over-ears opt for a combination of three main control types: a roller, a paddle and a customisable button, while a memory foam headband and earcups are designed for greater user comfort.
The Nothing Headphone (a) are available now, priced at £149 / €159, a good deal cheaper than the £299 / $299 / AU$549 of the standard Headphone (1). White, black and pink earcup finishes are on the menu, as well as a natty limited edition yellow colourway arriving on April 6th.
MORE:
We tested three excellent DACs in a head-to-head – and found the ultimate desktop upgrade
Now Playing: discover the 6 test room bangers soundtracking our March
Best headphones 2026: tested by our experts
