Nothing’s new Headphone (1) Pro landed on my desk this week. First things first, they look like nothing else out there. Pun very much intended.
The design
If you know Nothing, you’ll know the look. It’s all see-through panels and sharp, techy details, and the Pro takes that even further. You get aluminium ear cups, a glass window showing the insides, and a titanium headband. They come in black or white and cost £349, which puts them right up against Sony, Bose and, of course, Apple.
My honest take? These are big, boxy headphones with a lot of presence. I’ve been an AirPods Max girl for a while, and I love how smooth and seamless those feel, a bit like wearing a pebble. The Nothing Pro is the opposite. It’s angular and industrial and very deliberately bold. On paper they’re actually a little lighter than the AirPods Max at 327g, but they look chunkier, and that’s the impression that stuck with me. I think a lot of guys will love this design. It’s very masculine and very “statement gadget”. It’s just not quite me.
The case (oh, the case)
This is where things get a bit odd. The case only half covers the headphones. It’s a strange, chunky shell that feels like it’s adding weight rather than protecting anything.
And here’s the thing. As a woman, I’m constantly trying to carry less in my already heavy handbag. Handbags are heavy enough on their own before you’ve even put anything in them. Every gadget I carry has to earn its place. There’s no way the Pro and its case are sliding in next to my purse, keys and makeup bag. They’d take up half the bag and add a noticeable amount of weight on my shoulder. For travel it’s the same story. They’d take up a lot of space in a carry-on that’s already packed to the brim.
It honestly made me wonder who Nothing had in mind when they designed these. Between the boxy look and a case that really needs a backpack, it doesn’t feel like women carrying handbags were the target customer. I’m not the only one frustrated either.
The sound
This is where the Pro really wants to win you over. Nothing has moved from one driver per ear to three. There’s a 40mm driver for bass, a separate driver for vocals and midrange, and a tiny solid-state xMEMS driver just for the high notes. The idea is that each one focuses on what it does best, so everything sounds clearer and more separated.
They’ve been tuned with London’s legendary Metropolis Studios, and the early verdict is that it’s paid off. The general feeling is that these are a big step up from Nothing’s cheaper headphones (which I can’t compare too as I haven’t tried these), with clearer vocals, more energy and a much wider sense of space in the music.
For the audio geeks, there’s a physical Flat EQ switch that strips everything back so you hear the music exactly as the artist intended. There’s also a proper parametric EQ in the Nothing X app if you like to fiddle. They support hi-res listening over LDAC, and you can plug in via USB-C for lossless audio when you really want to settle in with an album. Noise cancelling has had an upgrade too, with ten microphones and up to 46dB of adaptive ANC. That should make a real difference on the Tube. Battery life is up to 30 hours with noise cancelling on, or 68 with it off, so a long-haul flight is no problem.
My verdict
The Headphone (1) Pro is a genuinely exciting pair of headphones, and all signs point to the sound earning its £349 price tag. But between the bold, masculine design and a case that simply won’t work with my handbag, they don’t feel like they were made with women like me in mind. If you want something sleek that slips easily into your bag, Apple still wins for me. If sound is your priority and you carry a backpack anyway, these are well worth a look. And if you’re stuck for a Christmas present for the tech-loving man in your life, consider this your sign.
Nothing sent Femme Tech the Headphone (1) Pro to review.
