Nothing Headphone (a) price, specs, and 5-day battery life revealed
The TL;DR
- Nothing has announced its Nothing Headphone (a) over-ear cans.
- This promises 135 hours of battery life, LDAC audio, and adaptive noise cancellation.
- Worldwide pre-orders start on March 5 for $199.
After weeks of speculation and leaks, Nothing has finally revealed the Headphone (a). This extends the company’s line of earmuffs with a striking design while emphasizing long-term durability. In particular, No claims that the headphones can deliver 135 hours of listening time with ANC turned off. That figure drops with noise cancellation, but still, the company ranks the Headphone(a) as a category leader for battery performance. When tethered, a quick 5-minute charge is reported to provide up to 5 hours of playtime. There are some useful features baked in, too, alongside these impressive battery life claims.
Design, controls, and durability
Nothing Headphone (a) features the same tactile controls as Headphone (1).
The Nothing Headphone (a) takes a lot of inspiration from its more expensive sibling the Headphone (1). For example, the headphones weigh 310g and feature foam ear cushions. They also carry an IP52 rating for dust protection and water resistance, which should cover exercise and light rain. Fashion-conscious shoppers will appreciate the available Black, White, Pink, and Yellow color options.
Nothing goes further with its tactile control system with an integrated Roller, Paddle, and Button built right into the ear cups. These virtual controls allow users to adjust volume, change tracks, and change ANC modes without relying on touch. No longer does the “Channel Hop” feature appear, which allows users to cycle between apps or audio functions using a hardware Button. The same button can also act as a remote camera shutter. However, like their predecessors, these features may be reserved for those with a bare (3) or newer phone.
What features does Nothing Headphone (a) offer?
The Nothing Headphone (a) ships in White, Black, Pink, and Yellow.
Headphone (a) supports high-quality wireless audio transmission with the LDAC codec. This delivers scalable bitrates of up to 990 kbps with a bit depth and sampling rate of up to 24-bit/96kHz. Inside, the headphones house 40mm titanium-coated drivers that are reportedly designed to maintain structural rigidity under load. It goes without saying that this helps reduce distortion.
Dynamic active noise cancellation includes low, medium, and high presets, as well as a transparent mode that lets outside noise through. Not to mention the hybrid feedforward and feedback microphone system, processed by AI, works to adjust the noise cancellation in real-time based on the relevant sound and ambient noise. For calls, the three-microphone system uses an AI-based noise reduction algorithm trained on millions of sound scenarios, aiming to isolate the user’s voice in busy environments.
Downloading the Nothing X app unlocks an 8-band EQ with advanced manual tuning. The app also allows sharing of custom EQ within the Nothing community via QR codes that can be published. You also get a real-time bass enhancement algorithm that analyzes low frequency content and dynamically adjusts the output. As always, we’ll reserve judgment on how well this works until we test it out for ourselves.
Price and availability
The Nothing Headphone (a) costs $199, $100 less than its flagship sibling. Global pre-orders begin on March 5, 2026, through nothing.tech and select retail partners, and open sales begin on March 13, 2026, for the White, Black, and Pink models. The limited Yellow Edition arrives on April 6, 2026.
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