Nothing Headphone (1) vs Sennheiser Momentum 4

If you want a pair of premium wireless noise-cancelling over-ears for around £200 and your shortlist has come down to the Nothing Headphone (1) and the Sennheiser Momentum 4, you are choosing between two very different characters. One is a bold newcomer with a see-through, retro-futuristic look and physical controls; the other is a refined classic from an audio house with class-leading stamina. Both are excellent, and both now sell at a similar price. Here is how they compare, drawn from independent expert reviews of each, with current UK prices.

At a glance

The Nothing Headphone (1) (around £209.00) is the one to pick if you want standout style, tactile physical controls and hi-res LDAC sound tuned with a famous British hi-fi name, plus enormous battery life. The Sennheiser Momentum 4 (around £194.00) is the choice for a warmer, more traditional sound, superb call quality and a lighter, more discreet fit, from a brand with a long headphone pedigree. Neither is a wrong answer; they simply suit different tastes.

Check the Nothing Headphone (1) price on Amazon · Check the Sennheiser Momentum 4 price on Amazon

Sound quality

Both sound very good, but they are voiced differently. The Momentum 4 uses a 42 mm dynamic driver and leans into a warm, rounded, bass-forward signature that is easy to enjoy across any genre, with the low end lifted noticeably in the 20-60 Hz region. It is a smooth, full-bodied listen straight out of the box.

The Nothing takes a more neutral path. Its 40 mm driver was tuned in partnership with KEF, a respected British hi-fi maker, for a balanced, detailed and powerful presentation with controlled bass and generous mids; the one criticism reviewers raise is that the treble can occasionally lack sparkle, though the app's equaliser lets you adjust it. In short: the Sennheiser is the warmer crowd-pleaser, the Nothing the more neutral and revealing of the two.

Noise cancelling and calls

Both are strong performers. The Nothing runs a hybrid system rated at up to 42 dB of cancellation, with three microphones on each side sampling the outside world roughly every 600 milliseconds and adapting in real time; reviewers rate it among the best on steady, continuous noise, though it copes less well with sudden sounds. The Momentum 4 delivers excellent isolation too, and this is where Sennheiser's other strength shows: its microphone quality for calls is rated a cut above, so if you take a lot of voice and video calls it has the edge. For raw isolation the two are closely matched; for call clarity the Sennheiser leads.

Battery life

Both are endurance champions, which makes long trips easy. The Momentum 4 offers around 60 hours and was singled out by reviewers as sitting well above most rivals. The Nothing goes even further on paper thanks to its 1040 mAh cell: up to 80 hours with noise cancelling off, or around 35 hours with it on. Either way you are charging these once every week or two, not every day; the Nothing wins the headline figure, but neither will leave you short.

Design, build and comfort

This is where their personalities diverge most. The Nothing Headphone (1) is unmistakable: formed-aluminium shells with transparent panels give it a retro-futuristic, almost cassette-deck look, and Nothing says every part passed more than 50 reliability tests, with IP52 dust and splash resistance to back it up. It is a substantial headphone, though, at roughly 329 g.

The Momentum 4 is the understated one, with a premium, low-key finish and memory-foam padding. It no longer folds — the ear cups simply pivot flat — but it is lighter, at around 290 g (down from about 310 g on the previous model). Reviewers found it very comfortable, with one caveat: some testers felt a little pressure on the crown after a few hours. If you want a headphone that makes a statement and shrugs off knocks, the Nothing appeals; if you want the lightest, most low-profile fit, the Sennheiser wins.

Controls, app and connectivity

The two take opposite approaches to control. Nothing fits genuine physical controls — a clever roller that handles volume, play and pause and switches the noise-cancelling mode, plus a paddle for tracks — and reviewers love how intuitive they are; the Nothing X app is praised as simple and complete. Sennheiser instead goes all-touch, with taps and swipes on the ear cup, and its app, while functional, was described as needing work, offering only a three-band graphic equaliser rather than the fuller parametric one from older models.

On codecs the Nothing is the more future-proof: Bluetooth 5.3 with LDAC and LHDC for genuine hi-res streaming, plus a 3.5 mm jack, USB-C lossless audio and multipoint. The Momentum 4 skips LDAC in favour of AptX Adaptive (which includes AptX and AptX HD) alongside the usual AAC and SBC — excellent quality, but Android hi-res fans will prefer the Nothing's LDAC support. It, too, includes a 3.5 mm jack cable in the box, though reviewers noted its 2.5 mm-to-3.5 mm lead feels a touch flimsy.

Price

At the time of writing the Nothing Headphone (1) is around £209.00 and the Sennheiser Momentum 4 around £194.00, so the Sennheiser is marginally cheaper, and both dip lower in the sales. Given that the Nothing launched at a higher price and won awards for its value, the fact that these two now sit so close together makes the decision come down to character rather than cost.

Verdict: which should you buy?

Buy the Nothing Headphone (1) if you want the more exciting package: a genuinely distinctive design, satisfying physical controls, hi-res LDAC sound with a KEF-tuned balance, class-leading battery life and strong noise cancelling. It is the more modern, characterful choice, and superb value for what it offers.

Buy the Sennheiser Momentum 4 if you prefer a warmer, more forgiving sound, the best microphone quality for calls, a lighter and more discreet fit, and a slightly lower price. It is the understated audio-brand classic, and its stamina is still exceptional. Both are excellent at around £200; you are really choosing between the Nothing's bold, tactile modernity and the Sennheiser's refined, easy-listening polish.