All you really need to understand about the Nothing Headphone (a) is that for £149, they are one of the best deals in audio right now – and that’s not even a discounted price.

Nothing, the UK tech startup, has followed up its £299 Nothing Headphone (1) from 2025 with a new set that costs half as much but is an all-round better product.

That’s because for half the price you get a bold design, excellent sound quality and incredible 135 hour battery life – that’s more than five days. Even with ANC on, they’ll keep going for 75 hours. With their tactile physical controls, solid active noise cancellation (ANC) and Hi-Res compatibility, I still can’t believe the Headphone (a) only costs £149.

Before I wax lyrical, what don’t I like about these headphones? Firstly, they lack hinges so do not fold down as compactly as other popular, pricier models such as the Sony WH-1000XM6, Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones 2 or Beats Studio Pro.

And presumably to save on costs, Nothing includes an odd drawstring bag instead of a hard case, which feels more like a wash bag than important protective storage.

But apart from those niggles, I have found it hard to find real fault with these headphones considering their price.

Nothing has ditched the transparent design of the Headphone (1) in favour of opaque glossy plastic on the outside. I reviewed the all-white pair, which also come in pink and yellow versions, if you’re brave. An all black option looks slick.

They are a tight fit on my quite large head, but I found them more comfortable to wear for hours compared to the aforementioned Beats, but Bose still makes the most cosy cans on the market.

The outstanding thing about Headphone (a) is they sound as good, if not better, than the more expensive Headphone (1). The (1) were tuned in partnership with audio firm KEF, but this time around, Swedish firm Audiodo has lent a hand. Here, Audiodo’s Audiosphere technology is used to tune spatial processing and the perceived soundstage. Whatever it does, it’s definitely working well.

Comparing the Headphone (a) to last year’s Headphone (1), the newer, cheaper pair sound, if anything, more expansive. When using the Nothing X app to set the EQ to Balanced, they deliver a bright, level sound with a dollop of bass that you can tune down if you wish.

Testing with the Nothing Phone (4a) and streaming with Hi-Res streaming service Qobuz, the guitars on Suede’s ‘Animal Nitrate’ have the jagged angular quality you’d hope for, while GZA’s ‘Liquid Swords’ will have you strutting down the street, such is the competence of the Headphone (a)’s low end. All genres sound good, and with a little tweaking of the EQ in the excellent Nothing X app for Android or iPhone, you should find the right balance for your own tastes.

Dua Lipa’s ‘Houdini’ leaps out with excellent separation and a much wider soundscape than I expected considering the decidedly mid-range price. As with its superb Nothing Ear (a) earbuds, Nothing is showing that spending less on personal audio is possible without truly compromising on quality.

Sony’s WH-1000XM6 sound better, but only marginally. Considering those headphones cost £399, Nothing’s audio quality here is a very close second for £250 less. Likewise, the ANC is not as good as Sony, but I missed more than one home delivery testing these while working, and they blocked out noisy neighbours on commuter train into London with no issues.

If you want to go wired for the best possible sound quality, you can, thanks to the 3.5mm jack with included cable, or via USB-C. Along with support for the LDAC Hi-Res codec (with compatible Android phones and streaming services), you’re getting premium playback options here.

The aforementioned Nothing X app is excellent, and makes these headphones easy to set up and control. Dual connection with my laptop was a doddle and worked seamlessly, and on Android the app’s widgets are great, letting you tap to change modes and view battery life.

The physical controls are also preferable to fiddly touch panels and sensors, and are the same as on the expensive Headphone (1), with a rolling dial for volume that you push for play/pause or hold for mode changes, with a paddle to skip back and forth.

There’s even a customisable button that you can set up to do things such as open the camera and snap a selfie, if that’s your thing.

In all, the Headphone (a) is the quintessential Nothing product: a standout design with performance that shoots well above its price, and scores. If you want to spend as little as possible on great headphones, these should immediately be right at the top of your list.

You can spend more than double to get the best of Sony and Bose – and get better ANC and marginally better audio – but Nothing has proven that you don’t have to pay top dollar to get great over-ear headphones in 2026.

The Nothing Headphone (a) cost £149 and are available now from Nothing.