New Nothing Headphone (a)

Nothing just unveiled wireless headphones — Headphone (a). The announcement went down in London on March 5, 2026, alongside the new Nothing Phone (4a). Visually, the Bluetooth headphones Headphone (a) mirror the design of Nothing Headphone (1), but the ear cup inserts are filled in — just like on the CMF Headphone Pro (review coming soon). Controls match the Headphone (1), LDAC is on board, and there’s an advanced EQ. The headphones also pack dual batteries for 135 hours of playback. That’s likely a new record for full-size headphones. The previous record was 120 hours — held by the Ugreen Studio Pro.

Check where Nothing Headphone (1) landed in the headphones ranking.

If you want a full review of Nothing Headphone (a) — show your support. Drop your questions about the model in the comments.

Sound. Headphone (a) packs 40 mm dynamic drivers with titanium coating — without the KEF tuning from the flagship version. LDAC is on board with 24-bit/96 kHz audio quality. Wired listening? There’s a 3.5 mm TRS jack and a USB-C port.

ANC. Four mics inside: 3 for calls, 2 for active noise cancellation.

Claimed noise reduction reaches -40 dB over a 2000 Hz range — same specs as CMF Headphone Pro. Effective mostly in the low-frequency range.

Battery. Two batteries inside, rated for 5 days or 135 h with AAC. Drop to LDAC and you get 90 h. A 5-minute charge buys 8 h of AAC playback. Full charge: 2 hours.

Controls. Reference-grade for over-ears — physical, separated, intuitive:

Button for play/pause.
Two-position toggle to power on/off.
Scroll wheel for volume.
Paddle for track skipping.

Nothing phone owners can also control the camera through the headphones — snap a photo, start or stop video recording. There’s also Essential Space — an AI hub available on every Nothing smartphone. Press the button on the headphones and all voice notes get transcribed and saved to the phone. ChatGPT can be summoned by voice command.

App. Nothing X — available for Android and iOS. Same 8-band EQ as the flagship — and without it, the flagship sounds on par with CMF Headphone Pro. Community EQ presets are available too. Spatial audio with fixed-position head-tracking and LDAC (Android) round out the features.

Design and Build. Headphone (a) copies the Nothing Headphone (1) design — filled-in ear cup inserts like CMF Headphone Pro. Colors: classic black and white, plus yellow and pink. Dimensions: 177 x 78.0 x 190.4 mm, weight 310 g. Same footprint as the flagship, 19 g lighter — barely noticeable.

Headband made of liquid silicone. Ear cups with memory foam. The fit was apparently designed with pierced ears in mind too.

Flexible steel arms with MIM (metal injection molding) hinges. The sliding mechanism is nylon reinforced with 55% fiberglass.

IP52 dust and water resistance — same as the flagship. Nothing claims 50 different tests before production.

Connectivity. Bluetooth 5.4, Google Fast Pair for quick Android pairing and Microsoft Swift Pair for Windows.

Price and Availability. Available in white, black, yellow, and pink for €159 / $199 / £149. Prices may vary in some European markets. Pre-orders opened March 5. Official sales start March 13, 2026.

What would you compare this to? Drop your take below.

Nothing Headphone (a) — Specs:

Release date: March 5, 2026.
Starting price: €159 / $199 / £149.
Type: over-ear.
Drivers: 40 mm, dynamic, 20 Hz – 40 kHz, Nothing tuning.
Codecs: LDAC, AAC, SBC.
Bluetooth: 5.4.
ANC: up to -40 dB, 2000 Hz.
Transparency mode: yes.
Controls: physical buttons.
Battery: 135 h with AAC. With LDAC — 90 h. 5 min charge = 8 h (AAC). Full charge: 2 h.
App: Nothing X — Android and iOS.
Extras: multipoint, low-latency mode.
IP rating: IP52.
Materials: plastic, metal, silicone.
Weight: 310 g.
Dimensions: H 177.0 mm, W 78.0 mm, D 190.4 mm.
Microphones: 4.