Nothing has just unveiled its latest pair of headphones, with the Headphone A. But how does it compare to the Headphone 1?
We’ve compared the specs of the Nothing Headphone A to the Headphone 1 and highlighted the key differences, alongside any noteworthy similarities, between the two.
Keep reading to see what’s new with the Headphone A and to see whether it stands a chance at entering our best headphones guide.
Price and availability
The Nothing Headphone A can be preordered now, ahead of its official release on March 13th. At £149, the Headphone A is considerably cheaper than its older sibling.
With an RRP of £299, the Nothing Headphone 1 is firmly cemented as a mid-range pair of headphones as it doesn’t quite reach the levels of the AirPods Max or Sony WH-1000XM6, but certainly doesn’t belong in our best cheap headphones guide.
Nothing Headphone A promises longer battery life
Although the Nothing Headphone 1 is no slouch when it comes to battery life, offering up to 35 hours of music playback with ANC enabled, the Nothing Headphone A promises an even higher figure.
According to Nothing, the Headphone A should last for up to 135 hours, or over five days, before needing a top-up. This is thanks to the headphone’s dual-core chipset that keeps AI-powered Active Noise Cancellation for over 75 hours on a single charge. Nothing claims that this chipset enables the Headphone A lasts for around “46% longer than other headphones in a similar price range”.
Of course, we’ll have to wait until we review the headphones to see how these claims measure up.
Nothing Headphone A
Nothing Headphone 1
Both have an IP52 rating
Both the Nothing Headphone A and Headphone 1 are equipped with an IP52 dust and water resistance rating. If you’re a Nothing fan, you’ll likely be familiar with IP52, as the CMF Phone 1 sported the surprisingly low rating.
Essentially, IP52 means that the headphones are dust-protected (not dust-tight) and they can withstand “vertically dripping water” at certain angles. It’s somewhat of a disappointing rating as, although it’s better than nothing, it does mean you should exercise caution when using the headphones in the rain or during a sweaty workout.
If the latter is particularly important to you, then you might be better off with our list of the best running headphones instead.
Nothing Headphone A retains the controls of Headphone 1
We really appreciated the physical controls of the Nothing Headphone 1, and hailed its selection as “an exercise in intuitive design and tactile delight”. With this in mind, we’re pleased to see that the Headphone A retains those delightful controls.
If you’re not familiar, the controls include a roller switch that you swipe across to adjust volume or press to either play or pause audio. Then there’s a vertical switch, coined paddle, which allows you to skip tracks and jump through podcasts. Finally, there’s the mechanical button which is customisable via the Nothing X app and can be used to do anything from take photos, summon your preferred digital assistant or just open Spotify.
While the controls might sound complicated to remember, we found that actually as each control has a very different texture and feel, there was no confusing one for the other.
Nothing Headphone A
Nothing Headphone 1
Nothing Headphone A comes in new colours
Let’s get the obvious out of the way – both the Headphone A and Headphone 1 sport very divisive designs, and whether you want to don a pair in the first place will depend entirely on your personal preference. Having said that, it’s fair to say that both pairs are eye-catching, although the Headphone A does boast a few additional colourways.
Nothing explains that it has built on the clear design of the Headphone 1, which comes in a choice between black and white, and has added a pop of colour into the mix – specifically onto the ear cups. You can choose between Pink, Yellow, Black and White enclosures, with each one moulded onto the ear cup while still showing hints of battery structures and flex cables.
Both have ANC and a 40mm driver
Check under the hood and Nothing has retained many Headphone 1 features with the Headphone A. Firstly, both are fitted with adaptive ANC, which is split into three modes: ANC on, Transparency or ANC off.
We’ve found that with both pairs of headphones, although neither are on par with the likes of Bose QuietComfort headphones, they still do a decent job at cutting out noise and reducing the sound of traffic and public transport. For the Headphone A, this is a solid result considering the price, however for the Headphone 1 this feels somewhat disappointing.
Otherwise, we found the Headphone 1’s sound quality to perform well across most genres, and handled bass especially well. In fact, the Headphone 1 is fitted with Sound by KEF tuning, which is known for its neutral tones, whereas the Headphone A isn’t equipped with this. Essentially, whether this is a good or bad thing will depend on your personal preference.
However, overall we found both headphones handle bass brilliantly and we appreciate the Nothing X app for its endless customisation options too.
Early Verdict
With a much cheaper starting price, similar features and a seriously long-lasting battery life, the Headphone A is a much easier recommendation over the Headphone 1.
In fact, unless you’re especially keen to embrace Sound by KEF tuning, and don’t want any cover on your ear cups, then it feels as if there’s no need to opt for the Headphone 1 anymore – unless you can nab the pair for a bargain.
