Nothing Headphone (a) Review: The Smart Affordable Wireless Headphones

The Headphone (a) is exactly the kind of product Nothing needed to make. Instead of chasing the most expensive part of the market, the company has taken the broader Headphone formula and pushed it into a far more accessible price bracket. That means cutting a few luxuries, but keeping the elements that actually define the experience: the distinctive design, the physical controls, the flexible connectivity and the strong battery life.

At 159 euros, the challenge is not whether the Headphone (a) beats top-tier noise-cancelling headphones. It does not need to. The real question is whether it offers enough of the premium experience to embarrass the rest of the mid-range. In many ways, it does.

Nothing prices the Headphone (a) at 159 euros, which immediately makes it one of the more interesting options in the affordable wireless over-ear category. It sits well below the full-fat Headphone model and undercuts many of the better-known premium names by a wide margin.

The appeal is obvious. Buyers who like Nothing's design language but do not want to spend flagship money get access to a product that still feels recognisably Nothing rather than like a watered-down badge exercise. That matters more than the raw price alone.

Nothing has preserved the core visual identity well. The Headphone (a) still looks distinctive, with the brand's usual semi-transparent styling and a shape that stands out immediately from a crowd of generic wireless headphones. That alone gives it more character than most rivals at the same price.

To hit the lower price, some materials have been downgraded. Aluminium gives way to more plastic, the headband padding is less premium, and the supplied case is soft rather than rigid. Those are real cutbacks, but the overall construction still feels more solid than cheap. Steel remains in key structural areas, the hinges inspire confidence and the product does not come across as flimsy.

At 310g, the Headphone (a) is not especially light, but the weight is managed well. Comfort is generally good once the fit is settled, though the headband adjustment mechanism requires more force than it should and the non-folding design makes the headphones less travel-friendly than some competitors.

This is one of the Headphone (a)'s strongest areas. Nothing's physical controls are genuinely good. Volume, playback, track navigation and ANC mode changes are all handled by well-judged hardware inputs that are easy to learn and use. That sounds basic, but many more expensive headphones still get this wrong.

The companion app is also strong for the price. It offers a parametric equaliser, user-created sound profiles, ANC controls, low-latency mode and other tuning options that many rivals would bury in more limited software. If you care about being able to shape the sound rather than accept a fixed tuning, the Headphone (a) offers unusual value.

The missing wear-detection sensors are a small regression, but not a fatal one. The product still feels notably well thought out from a usability perspective.

Nothing gives the Headphone (a) more flexibility than most headphones at this price. Bluetooth 5.4 is onboard with multipoint, and the codec support includes SBC, AAC and LDAC. That alone is solid.

More important is the wired flexibility. The headphones support audio over USB-C and also include a 3.5mm input. That means they are far easier to integrate into different use cases than many mainstream wireless competitors. For a product in this bracket, that is a genuine strength.

The one clear omission is LE Audio. In 2026 that feels like a missed opportunity, but it does not erase the broader connectivity advantage Nothing has built here.

The active noise cancellation is decent rather than exceptional. It does enough for commuting, offices and general daily use, but it is not the sort of ANC that fully erases the outside world. Low-frequency noise in particular is where the Headphone (a) trails stronger premium models.

That does not make it weak for the money. It simply sets the limit clearly: this is a good mid-range ANC headphone, not a true high-end noise-cancelling benchmark.

Transparency mode is broadly serviceable, though voices lose some natural presence. Call quality follows the same pattern. Speech remains understandable, but the microphones do not flatter the voice and can sound thinner or harsher than ideal. If calls are central to your buying decision, better options exist.

The Headphone (a) is tuned for engagement rather than strict neutrality, and for a product at this price that is the right call. Bass is punchy and well controlled, the overall sound has energy, and the headphones remain enjoyable across a wide range of genres.

There are compromises. The lower mids can feel slightly scooped, and the presentation is not as refined or as technically precise as more expensive models. But the basic balance is good, the treble stays manageable, and the headphones sound far more mature than a cheap bass-heavy crowd-pleaser.

Just as importantly, Nothing gives buyers the tools to change the tuning. The parametric EQ in the app is a real advantage here, and it adds value that many competitors simply do not offer.

Battery life is the Headphone (a)'s killer feature. The quoted figures are already ambitious, and the real-world results are even more impressive. In practical terms, these headphones last far longer than most direct rivals.

That makes them unusually easy to recommend for travel, office use and anyone who hates constantly recharging wireless gear. Nothing has turned endurance into a major competitive edge here, and it is one of the best reasons to choose the Headphone (a) over more famous alternatives.

The Headphone (a) gets the important things right. It looks distinctive, lasts an exceptionally long time, offers one of the best physical control schemes in the category and sounds lively enough to satisfy most buyers. The app and connectivity options strengthen the package further.

Its weaknesses are also clear. ANC is only decent, call quality is merely average and some of the premium feel of the more expensive model has been pared back. Even so, the balance is impressive. At 159 euros, the Headphone (a) is one of the most complete and convincing affordable wireless headphones available.