Nothing Headphone(A) Review — The Best £149 Headphones You Can Buy in 2026?
Nothing has done it again. The company that made budget tech look premium is back with the Nothing Headphone (a) — a follow-up to the Headphone (1) from 2025, but at almost half the price. At £149 in the UK, these are trying to take on Sony, Bose and Apple in the over-ear headphone space without making you spend £300+. Bold claim. Let's see if they actually deliver.
Quick Specs
| Feature | Nothing Headphone (a) |
|---|---|
| Price (UK) | £149 |
| Driver | 40mm titanium-coated dynamic |
| Bluetooth | 5.4 |
| Codecs | LDAC, AAC, SBC |
| ANC | Adaptive, up to 40dB |
| Battery (ANC off) | 135 hours |
| Battery (ANC on) | 75 hours |
| Quick Charge | 5 mins = 5 hours |
| Weight | 310g |
| IP Rating | IP52 |
| Colours | Black, White, Pink, Yellow (LE) |
Design — Turning Heads for All the Right Reasons
If you've seen Nothing's phones, you already know what to expect — bold, retro-futuristic styling that makes everything else look boring. The styling won't be for everyone, but if you're down with Nothing's retro-futuristic aesthetic, you will fall in love with these headphones.
Nothing has really expanded its colour palette for 2026, putting pink and yellow on the menu alongside more traditional black and white — making these arguably the most visually exciting headphones at this price point. One heads-up though — the yellow colour is limited edition, with plans to launch for open sales at a later date, while black, white, and pink are the standard options.
The build uses plastic instead of the metal frame on the Headphone (1), but it doesn't feel cheap. The sliding arms are reinforced with glass-fibre-filled nylon, the hinges use metal injection moulding, and the earcups are made of spongy memory foam. The rectangular earcups can both tilt and swivel, and combined with the elastically extendable headband, the fit adapts well to a wide range of head shapes and sizes.
One small downside — instead of the hard-shell case from the Headphone (1), the Nothing Headphone (a) comes with a travel bag rather than a hard case, which is a step down from the original. Not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing.
Verdict: 9/10 — genuinely one of the best-looking headphones under £200.
Comfort — Wear Them All Day
A lighter plastic build, softer clamping force, and plush earcups make them far more comfortable for long listening sessions. Despite the heft, they're incredibly comfortable — deep, wide ear cushions sit around your ears rather than on them, covered with leatherette material and soft memory foam underneath.
The clamping force sits comfortably in the middle — neither too tight nor too loose — providing enough grip for on-the-go use, including the occasional quick dash. They also have the same IP52 rating as the Headphone (1), meaning they can handle sweat and light splashes without issue.
Verdict: 8.5/10 — excellent for long commutes and study sessions.
Sound Quality — Big, Bold and Bass-Forward
The Nothing Headphone (a) is powered by 40mm titanium-coated dynamic drivers with support for LDAC, AAC, and SBC codecs — including full Hi-Res audio certification.
The sound signature leans warm and punchy. The sound leans warm and bass-forward out of the box, but the Nothing X app offers handy EQ control to dial things in — including a full 8-band EQ with presets created by other users that you can download. The sub-bass handling is a real standout — confident and satisfying, especially for bass-heavy music.
If you're a pure audiophile, the Headphone (1) with its KEF tuning is technically superior — but for most people listening to pop, hip-hop, podcasts or gaming audio, the Headphone (a) sounds excellent for the money.
Verdict: 8/10 — great for most listeners, not quite audiophile grade.
Active Noise Cancellation — Punches Well Above £149
The Nothing Headphone (a) can cancel up to 40dB of external noise with adaptive ANC that adjusts based on the environment you're in and the fit around your ears, with three adjustable intensity settings.
Real-world performance is genuinely impressive. On a subway commute, the Headphone (a) was able to almost entirely tune out loud ambient noise with ANC activated — on par with the Headphone (1) in ANC performance, which is remarkable considering the £100 price difference.
Verdict: 8.5/10 — one of the best ANC performances at this price.
Battery Life — Absolutely Ridiculous in the Best Way
This is where the Nothing Headphone (a) completely blows the competition away. The 1,060mAh battery offers up to 75 hours of playback with ANC on, and 135 hours with ANC off.
To put that in perspective — the Nothing Headphone (1) gets about 35 hours with ANC on and 80 hours with ANC off. The cheaper model more than doubles the flagship on battery. A five-minute quick charge provides around eight hours of playback without ANC, and a full charge takes around 95 minutes.
Wired use is also available alongside Bluetooth, either via the 3.5mm jack or digitally over USB-C — and since the onboard electronics remain active in both cases, noise cancellation and transparency mode stay available throughout.
Verdict: 10/10 — best battery life at this price, full stop.
Controls — Physical Buttons Done Right
There's a pill-shaped scroll wheel that controls volume and can be pushed in to play/pause, a rocker tab to skip tracks or fast forward, and a customisable button. No touch controls — which is actually a relief. Touch controls on headphones regularly misfire. Physical buttons are reliable, easy to find by feel, and never accidentally skip your track when you adjust the headband.
Verdict: 9/10 — simple, reliable, no gimmicks.
What's Missing Compared to the Headphone (1)?
| Feature | Headphone (a) | Headphone (1) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | £149 | £299 |
| Sound Tuning | Nothing in-house | Tuned by KEF |
| Build | Plastic + metal hinges | Mostly aluminium |
| Case | Soft travel bag | Hard shell case |
| Battery (ANC on) | 75 hrs | 35 hrs |
| Colours | 4 (inc. limited yellow) | 2 (black/white) |
At £149, the Nothing Headphone (a) are arguably the best headphones in their category — and the areas where the Headphone (1) wins (sound tuning, premium build) only matter if you're a serious audiophile spending £299. For everyone else, the Headphone (a) wins on value by a mile.
Who Should Buy the Nothing Headphone (a)?
✅ Students who want great ANC for studying ✅ Daily commuters who need long battery life ✅ Anyone who wants standout design without paying £300+ ✅ First-time over-ear headphone buyers ✅ Android users (works best with LDAC-supported phones)
❌ Serious audiophiles who want reference-quality sound ❌ People who need a solid hard-shell case included ❌ Heavy phone call users (mic picks up ambient noise in loud environments)
Final Verdict
The Nothing Headphone (a) are super affordable, packed with useful features, sound great, have brilliant controls, and offer monster battery life — extremely easy to recommend. At £149 they undercut Sony, Bose and Apple by £100–200 while holding their own on the features that actually matter day-to-day.
Overall Score: 8.5/10
Check the current price of the Nothing Headphone (a) on Amazon UK → [ https://amzn.to/3NLWtaD]
Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase through them I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.
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