Nothing has finally launched the Headphone (1) officially in India and globally. This is the first over-ear headphone from the brand and features acoustic engineering from KEF, a renowned British audio brand. With that said, let's dive deeper into the technical specifications, pricing and launch details of the Headphone (1).
Nothing Headphone (1) Specifications and Features
The first thing that is immediately noticeable with the Headphone (1) is its retro design language. It bears the same Nothing-esque minimal design approach with a pinch of transparency. It has a three-part design with the inner memory foam ear cups, a middle aluminium mid-plate, and the outer transparent plastic shell.
The transparent outer chamber is designed to mimic the look of a cassette tape and reveals the acoustic chambers and select internal components. The adjustable headband is also made out of plastic with a middle foam for a comfortable and secure fit.
Apart from this, all the physical controls and the ports are present on the right earcup (identified with a red dot) with the "Nothing Headphone (1)" branding. Meanwhile, the left earcup is completely clean except for the sole "Sound by KEF" branding.
Nothing has made it easier for users to control the headphones by adding physical buttons, a lot of them actually. There is a roller, a paddle and three buttons.
The roller will let users adjust the headphone volume as well as play and pause the music playback. Additionally, long-pressing the roller will toggle between ANC and Transparency Mode.
The paddle is there to toggle between the next and the previous track, for the most part. It will also increase the audio playback speed when pressed for a long time.
As for the buttons, there is the power on/off switch at the bottom, a dedicated Bluetooth button on the inside part of the mid-plate, and a "channel-hop" button on the top outer section of the mid-frame. Using the channel-hop button, users will be able to trigger a bunch of actions like summoning AI assistants or triggering the Essential Space.
The headphone measures 173.8mm x 78mm x 189.25mm, which is on the chunkier side. It is also heavier at 329 grams.
Now coming to the sound quality, the Headphone (1) features 40mm dynamic drivers with PU nickel-plated diaphragms and an impedance of 16 ohms. Nothing is using KEF's audio tuning to deliver a "natural, detailed, and true to life" audio listening experience.
It also features Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) of up to 42dB and comes with a dedicated Transparency Mode of a 2,000 Hz frequency range. Nothing claims that the headphones can scan the user's surroundings every 600ms to check for sound leakage.
As for supported codecs, there is AAC, SBC and Hi-Res (LDAC) support. Additional audio features include adaptive bass enhancement, spatial audio support, 360˚dynamic head tracking, and a dedicated low lag mode for gaming.
Apart from this, there are four built-in microphones for effective audio quality and optimum background noise cancellation. Nothing is using an AI-backed Clear Voice technology to deliver a high-quality quality interruption-free call experience.
The Headphone (1) packs a 1,040mAh battery with up to 80 hours of battery life. Nothing claims that with ANC off, the headphones can deliver up to 54 hours of high-quality (LDAC) audio output. While with ANC on, it can reach up to 30 hours of battery life with LDAC audio output.
On the connectivity front, the headphone features Bluetooth 5.3 connectivity along with Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. The headphones can be connected and further tuned via the Nothing X app available for both Android and iOS.
It comes with a multitude of customisation options like an 8-band custom Equaliser, noise cancellation and spatial audio controls, a channel hop toggle and more. Users will also be able to add personalised EQ profiles via QR codes.
Apart from this, the headphones are IP54 rated for dust and water resistance, it has a 3.5mm audio jack and a music cum charging Type-C port. Inside the box, there is a hardshell carrying case and it comes with a white Type-C to Type-C cable and another 3.5mm to 3.5mm cable.
With that being said, let's have a look at the pricing and availability details for the Nothing Headphone (1).
Nothing Headphone (1) Price in India and Sale Date
The Nothing Headphone (1) retails for Rs 21,999 in India in the White and Black colourways. It will be on sale starting July 15, 2025, and will be available to purchase via Flipkart in the subcontinent. Pre-orders will begin on July 12, 2025.
Additionally, interested buyers can grab the Headphone (1) for as low as Rs 19,999 only as part of the brand's day one sale offer.
