Nothing Headphone (1) – noise cancelling headphones that look like a cassette
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Walk through any airport and count the noise cancelling headphones. Black. Black. Beige. Black. They all look like they were designed by the same committee, and that committee was very tired.
The Nothing Headphone (1) are wireless noise cancelling headphones with a see-through panel on each ear cup, inspired by a cassette tape. They’re also tuned by KEF, the British speaker company. Nobody in that airport will mistake them for anything else.
I love that a headphone this weird exists. Whether it’s for you depends on how much you care about bass.
What is the Nothing Headphone (1)?
Nothing is the London company behind the see-through Phone and the Ear (1) earbuds. In July 2025 it launched its first over-ear headphones, and it brought in KEF to handle the sound.
The design is the hook: squared-off aluminum cups with a transparent window showing parts of the insides, a bit like an old cassette. Instead of fiddly touch panels, you get physical controls on the right cup: a roller for volume, a paddle to skip tracks and a separate button you can assign in the app.
How does it work?
They connect over Bluetooth like any other headphone, but the spec sheet is more serious than the looks suggest. According to Nothing:
- Up to 80 hours of playback with noise cancelling off, or 35 hours with it on. Five minutes of charging gives about 5 hours.
- Adaptive noise cancelling with High, Mid, Low and Adaptive settings, plus a transparency mode.
- LDAC for high-res Bluetooth, plus USB-C audio and a 3.5 mm jack for wired listening.
- Spatial audio with head tracking.
- Dual connection, so they can stay paired with your phone and laptop at once.
The good and the not-so-good
What I like, on paper:
- They look like nothing else (sorry). If you’re bored of black plastic, this is the cure.
- The battery life is silly. 80 hours is a week of commuting without a charger.
- Pocket Tactics praised the audio, the noise cancelling and the battery, and 9to5Google wore them for over seven hours and found them comfortable.
- Real buttons and a roller. You’ll never accidentally pause a song by scratching your ear.
What could be better:
- 9to5Google found the default sound too heavy on the bass, though the app’s EQ fixed most of it. What Hi-Fi wanted a more refined listen too.
- 9to5Google also rated the noise cancelling as good, not class-leading, and the headphones as heavy. They can get warm in hot weather.
- The pairing button is hidden away and not very intuitive, per the same review.
Who is the Nothing Headphone (1) for?
People who want headphones that start a conversation, and people who hate charging things. Android users get the most out of LDAC, but they work with iPhones too. They also make a good gift for the design nerd who already has the Nothing Phone.
If you want the absolute best noise cancelling or the most neutral sound, look at established names like the Sennheiser Momentum 4. And if you make music on headphones, studio cans like the AIAIAI TMA-2 are a better fit.
Where can I buy the Nothing Headphone (1)?
You can get the Headphone (1) on Amazon in white and black. They launched at 299 bucks, and Nothing’s own US store had them for 199 when I checked (October 2026), so it’s worth comparing before you buy.
Take my money. Preferably the white ones.