Follow ZDNET: Add us as a favorite source On Google.
Nowadays, getting a good voice is not so difficult. So how do the headphones differentiate themselves? If you are based in London NothingYou’ll give your headphones great battery life, some smart improvements to quality of life, and add a distinctive visual style.
Also: Forget the iPhone 17e: Any Phone 4a Pro costs less and looks much better
But most importantly, you keep their price at $200 – much lower than competitors. I am talking nothing headphones (a)The brand’s latest over-ear pair. I tested them over the course of a week and found them a lot, but not perfect.
Best headphone deals of the week
Deals are selected by the CNET Group Commerce team, and may be unrelated to this article.
Nothing launched its Headphones (A) with its Phone 4A series on March 5, with compatibility with the Phone 4A series via ChatGPT to listen to Nothing news or Essential Space, its information center app.
The audio quality in its previous headphones wasn’t anything good, as I wrote when testing its open-ear Nothing Open and Nothing Ear (A). It’s no different here, with a neutral and clear sound suitable for all-day listening.
I loved working and traveling with these headphones, and the sound profile sounded amazing without in-app configuration. But if you want to customize the EQ, you can do so in the app. You can also access custom EQs created by Nothing community members.
Plus: These fashion-forward headphones sound so good they have no business being priced
What I appreciate about Nothing’s audio products is noise cancellation that doesn’t completely isolate you from your surroundings. I find that earbuds or headphones with strong noise-canceling tend to be overly noise-canceling, i.e., lull you into peace in such a way that it can become overly irritating after hours of use.
I didn’t get that with noise cancellation in headphones (A). This makes users less likely to suffer from headphone fatigue during prolonged use. Plus, with 75 hours of battery life with ANC on, you can technically use these all day – for days – before needing to recharge. With ANC off, nothing says the headphones (A) have a total of 135 hours of power.
Scrollers and paddles for volume and playback controls are not included.
Nina Raymont/ZDNET
The smallest parts of Nothing’s latest headphones made the biggest difference for me. I’m talking about the paddle controls, its mechanical buttons, and the roller – the physical buttons on headphones that are so good you don’t even have to touch your phone at all.
Also: After listening to these Fender headphones for several weeks, I’m still wondering who should buy them
The buttons can be assigned to certain functions in the Nothing X app, including the ability to capture hands-free photos. The pedal can skip tracks, and the roller increases and decreases the volume. For every headphone user out there, I hope other brands take a look at these buttons and implement them into their headsets; They were the easiest headphones to navigate without touching my phone — and that’s saying a lot.
This button can activate several features if you configure it through the NothingX app.
Nina Raymont/ZDNET
What I’d like to see on Nothing’s next headphones
There’s nothing to say that it’s improved comfort by lightening the weight of the headphones (A), but prolonged wear during a workday proves that they’re still a little clunky for my liking. They also hurt my ears wearing earrings, despite claims that the headphones were made for ear piercing.
Also: What is Bluetooth 6.0? How the latest standard fixes the audio problems we’ve learned to live with
While Nothing impressed with most of its little touches, there was one beloved feature it left out. I was hoping for an in-ear detection feature to instantly pause the music when I take the headphones off and resume the music when I put them back on.
ZDNET’s shopping advice
nothing headphones (a) There are enough color configurations to please consumers who want something neutral, but there’s also an expressive baby pink color and a special yellow color that resembles egg yolk. The headphones’ distinctive design is the initial attraction, but after using them over the past few days, I’ve come to love their sound, large battery, and thoughtful touch controls, which are lacking from major headphone brands.
Plus, these headphones are value-rich. They cost $199For shouting louder, and offering many of the same features that far more expensive, established headphone brands claim.
