Nothing recently introduced the Nothing Headphone (1), the company’s first-ever over-ear headphones with quite a unique design. These debuted alongside the Nothing Phone (3) (First Impressions here)
The Nothing Headphone (1) brings the iconic Nothing design to the headphone space and features physical buttons.
We recently received the Nothing Headphone (1) and here’s our initial experience with the Headphones (1). This just covers our first impressions of the headphones; we will have a full review up soon.
Nothing Headphone (1)
Unboxing Experience
One thing I loved about the Nothing Headphone (1) experience is the inner box that has the headphone design. This is something that has become pretty familiar for me, as an enjoyer of Nothing devices.
It’s a very minor thing, but it makes unboxing the device so unique and truly a Nothing experience.
I also appreciate the felt case that it comes with and the pouch where I placed the cables, just so I don’t forget them.
Build and Design
We received the Nothing Headphone (1) in the White colorway, which is actually my preferred color because of its silver aluminum earcups that offer a contrast from the transparent white part of the outer earcups where the headband connects. Additionally, the black polyurethane leather padding in the headband and earcups offers more color.
That’s not to put down the Black color option, though, which comes in a monochrome black, including the metallic earcups. I just think the White color option is more eye-catching, which, for me, has become what Nothing is known for.
The Headphone (1) feels robust and well-built while still being comfortable and secure. Its clamp force, based on my experience, is just enough to be secure but not painful, even while wearing my eyeglasses over long periods of use.
Unfortunately, the Nothing Headphone (1) earcups only twists inward when you want to store them in the included black felt case. Yes, it doesn’t fold upward to offer a portable case. It’s hard to say if this was done to lessen the moving parts, but I wish it folded. The case is a bit too big for me, and I prefer storing my audio products when I’m not using them outside.
My favorite feature of the Headphone (1) is the physical buttons. And no, they’re just not a round button that you press, tap, and hold. There are essentially four buttons at play and found on the right earcup.
A round button on the outer earcup face to trigger the AI Assistant (Google Gemini or Siri) or can be customized, a Roller which you can use to adjust volume and press to Play/Pause your songs, a Paddle to scrub through or skip songs, and a Bluetooth button on the inside of the earcup. There’s also a switch at the bottom to turn the Headphone (1) on and off.
I think these are well-implemented and they are very intuitive. It also helps lessen the confusion of memorizing how many times I need to tap a certain earcup. If I want to lower the volume, I use the Roller or if I don’t like the song, the Paddle is what I want.
Initial Audio Experience
The Nothing Headphone (1) is said to be tuned by KEF, a London-based audio company. The earcups are equipped with custom nickel-coated 40mm speakers.
Based on my experience with the headphones, they offer a deep bass and decent mids and treble. I would assume that it follows the Harman curve for tuning, but tweaked a bit to have a punchier bass.
This works well with SB19’s Dam or Le Sserfaim’s DIFFERENT and other Pop songs. However, adding a bit more highs or even lifting the mids would help. I’ll have to play around with it more, and you’ll definitely hear from me in my full review.
While I don’t mind the tuning, at least with my initial testing, it’s worth mentioning that for those who are looking for a more balanced tuning. However, Nothing also offers pretty deep EQ tuning via the Nothing X app.
Software Support
The Nothing X is as solid a software as you can get. However, because I got the Nothing Headphone (1) earlier than its official launch, most of my early testing was without the help of the app itself. It’s only now that the Headphone (1) is supported on the Nothing X app.
Nothing X will allow you to customize the buttons, adjust the EQ, and update the software of the headphones.
Like the audio experience, I’ll have to play around with the Nothing X app in the coming days and I’ll share my full experience in the review.
Initial Verdict
The Nothing Headphone (1) is now available for pre-order via Digital Walker until July 23, 2025. It is priced at PHP 14,999, and it comes with a Nothing Headphone Protective Case as a pre-order gift.
Based on my initial testing with the Nothing Headphone (1), it is a solid over-ear headphone, and I think it goes way beyond just a pretty and unique headphone. That isn’t saying that the design helps its case for me. Whether it’s worth the PHP 14,999 price tag, though, I’ll have to get back to you on this.
I’ve only recently unlocked the Nothing X app as support for the Headphone (1) is now rolled out. This will now allow me to fully see the capabilities of the Nothing Headphone (1) with customization and more.
However, out of the box and using it for a couple of days, I think it’s worth at least giving it a try when you can.
We’ll have our full review up soon enough, stay tuned!
Ram found his love and appreciation for writing in 2015 having started in the gaming and esports sphere for GG Network. He would then transition to focus more on the world of tech which has also began his journey into learning more about this world. That said though, he still has the mentality of "as long as it works" for his personal gadgets.
