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Nothing · headphones
Nothing Headphone (1) Pro
Nothing's first $399 flagship: three drivers per ear cup, a hardware Flat switch that turns off the stock tuning, a fully parametric EQ, and the best noise cancelling Nothing has made. Reviewers rate the ANC, controls, and comfort highly but split sharply on the stock sound, and most of them dislike the heavy half-shell case.
Quick Answer
- Is the Nothing Headphone (1) Pro worth buying in 2026?
The $399 Nothing Headphone (1) Pro has the best noise cancelling Nothing has made, excellent physical controls, comfortable cushions, wired lossless audio, and a hardware Flat switch for critical listening. Reviewers split on its triple-driver sound: some rank it among the best of 2026 once tuned, others measured harsh treble and fit-dependent results. Most of them dislike the heavy half-shell case. Buy it if you will use the EQ or the Flat mode; otherwise rivals sound better out of the box.
The $399 Nothing Headphone (1) Pro has the best noise cancelling Nothing has made, excellent physical controls, comfortable cushions, wired lossless audio, and a hardware Flat switch for critical listening.
Aggregated from 14 reviews across YouTube, Reddit, and Amazon
+Pros
- Strong noise cancelling: SoundGuys measured an 87.4% average reduction in perceived outside noise, and RecordingNOW and Picky Audio score it 9.0 and 9.1 out of 10
- Physical roller, paddle, and buttons that reviewers call among the best headphone controls available
- Hardware Flat switch turns off the stock tuning for editing and critical listening
- Fully parametric 8-band EQ in the Nothing X app, plus a separate adjustment for one of the drivers
- Wired listening over USB-C (up to 24-bit/192 kHz) and 3.5mm, plus LDAC over Bluetooth 6.1
- 30 hours of battery with ANC on, 68 hours with it off, and wear detection
−Cons
- The included half-shell case is heavy (383.8g, per RecordingNOW), leaves the headband exposed, has no room for cables, and blocks charging
- The headphones don't fold, so they stay bulky in a bag
- Stock tuning divides reviewers: MKBHD found the bass less punchy and the instruments muddied together, and The Headphone Show measured a harsh treble peak around 5–7 kHz
- The triple-driver design is sensitive to fit: SoundGuys and The Headphone Show both struggled to get consistent measurements
- At about 327g it is heavier than the Sony WH-1000XM6 and Beats 360
- Glass backs pick up fingerprints easily
In-depth Review
Nothing Headphone (1) Pro Review — Flagship noise cancelling and a clever Flat switch, if you're willing to EQ
Specifications
| driver type | Triple driver: 40mm bass dynamic, precision dynamic, XMEMS treble |
| conn type | Bluetooth 6.1, USB-C lossless (up to 24-bit/192 kHz), 3.5mm |
| form factor | closed-back over-ear, does not fold |
| wireless | Bluetooth 6.1 (SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3) |
| weight | ~327g |
| battery | 30 hrs (ANC on), 68 hrs (ANC off) |
| anc | true |
| water resistance | IP52 |
| microphones | 10 |
Why This Headphone
The Headphone (1) Pro is Nothing's most expensive headphone so far, priced at $399; the first reviews appeared on September 29, 2026. It keeps the transparent, square-cup design of the Headphone (1) but upgrades the materials (titanium arms, an aluminum frame, and glass backs) and the ear and headband cushions. Inside, each cup has three drivers: a 40mm bass driver, a precision driver, and an XMEMS treble driver. Its headline feature is a physical "Flat" switch inside the left ear cup, tuned with London's Metropolis Studios, that switches off the stock tuning and, Nothing says, all audio processing and coloration, for critical listening. Noise cancelling still works in Flat mode, but transparency mode and EQ do not.
Key Specs
| Spec | Value |
|---|---|
| Drivers | 40mm bass dynamic + precision dynamic + XMEMS treble, per ear cup |
| Connection | Bluetooth 6.1 (SBC, AAC, LDAC, LC3); USB-C lossless up to 24-bit/192 kHz; 3.5mm |
| Noise cancelling | Adaptive, 10 microphones, up to 46 dB (Nothing's claim) |
| Battery | 30 hours with ANC on, 68 hours with ANC off; 5-minute charge for about 2 hours with ANC on |
| Weight | About 327g (324.7g as weighed by RecordingNOW) |
| Water resistance | IP52 |
| Extras | Flat EQ switch, 8-band parametric EQ, wear detection, multipoint, hard half-shell case |
Who It's For
Reviewers see it as a fit for people who want strong noise cancelling and like to tune their own sound: Android users who can use LDAC, people who edit audio or video and want the Flat mode, and anyone who wants physical controls instead of touch panels. It is a poor fit if you want great sound with no EQ work, need a compact case for travel, or want the lightest headphone in the class.
Community Signal
The full review synthesizes ten independent YouTube reviews from nine channels published between September 29 and October 17, 2026 (Marques Brownlee, The Headphone Show, SoundGuys, RecordingNOW, Tech Spurt, Mark Ellis Reviews, WhatGear, Picky Audio, and Kevin Breeze), each linked to the exact video. On Amazon US the Black model showed 4.1 out of 5 stars from 14 ratings, sold by Amazon.com, when we checked on October 27, 2026.
Last updated: October 27, 2026 · By Jordan Kim
