If you’re dead set on a pair of Nothing headphones, you now have two options: the $299 Headphone 1 or the $199 Headphone A. Like the company’s other audio offerings, the use of a letter instead of a number connotes a few things—a lower price tag, chief among them.
Like any budget-focused gadget, though, there are some tradeoffs you should note before going out and buying the Headphone A based on price, and having tested both pairs of wireless headphones extensively myself, I can tell you which one might meet your expectations.
Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Design
- © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo
Normally, this category would be an easy one to award when Nothing is in the mix since the company is known for its emphasis on design, but pitting Nothing against itself makes things a little trickier. While both pairs of wireless headphones share a similar look overall, there are actually some major design differences worth noting.
One of the biggest differences is in color. While the Headphone 1 come in just black or white, the Headphone A expand the color options to include pink and yellow in addition to black or white, though the latter is limited edition, so if you’re reading this in a timely fashion, keep that in mind.
Though the Headphone A have the Headphone 1 beat on colors, the edge goes to Nothing’s flagship pair in terms of intricacy. Unlike the simplified Headphone A, the Headphone 1 have more details on the ear cups—a cassette motif. The more expensive Headphone 1 also use different materials, opting for aluminum on the ear cups, while the Headphone A are made entirely of plastic.
Luckily, both pairs of wireless headphones come with the array of buttons introduced with the Headphone 1, including the pill-shaped volume wheel, a paddle for track skipping, and an on/off switch on the bottom.
With these two pairs of wireless headphones, design is probably the toughest category, because each pair has something going for it that the other doesn’t have. I’m close to calling this one a tie, but I’m going with the Headphone 1, just because they feel more premium, and the cassette tape motif on the side is really eye-catching. If you’re really into pops of color, though, the Headphone A are an obvious pick, even if I feel like they could have gone a little further in that department.
Winner: Headphone 1
Headphone 1 vs. Headphone 1: Sound
- © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo
Looks are mighty important when it comes to Nothing’s wireless headphones, but sound is still the number one way to judge value. While both pairs of wireless headphones use similar 40mm drivers, the difference here is in the tuning. Nothing notably partnered with hi-fi company KEF to tune the Headphone 1, while the Headphone A has no such collab.
Having listened to both pairs extensively, I can tell you that this discrepancy makes a big difference. The Headphone A sound pretty good, but the Headphone 1 are still my preferred pick in terms of sound by a significant margin. The Headphone A sound muddier, especially in midrange frequencies, while the Headphone 1 feel as though they have a bigger soundstage, letting mids, highs, and lows breathe. The low-end in the Headphone A sounds just a little too artificially boosted for my taste, too, which is a similar complaint I have with CMF’s Headphone Pro (CMF is a sub-brand of Nothing, for the record).
This is all to say that the Headphone 1 definitely have the superior sound, so if you’re okay spending $100 more and sound is your biggest factor, this should be an easy pick for you.
Winner: Headphone 1
Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Comfort
It might be easy to look at both pairs of Headphones and assume that they feel the same on your head, but differences in materials do make for a slightly varied feel. Both pairs have memory foam cushions on the headband and ear cups, but as I mentioned before, the Headphone A are made entirely out of plastic. That makes them feel a little bit cheaper, but it also makes them notably lighter. The Headphone A weigh 310g compared to the Headphone 1’s 329g, which isn’t a ton, but it is more noticeable on your head over long periods.
Other than that, the fit is about the same, which is to say good. I have no complaints with the comfort of either pair, but since the Headphone A are lighter, I actually think they have a slight edge—you could wear these wireless headphones for hours and not get fatigued.
Winner: Headphone A
Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: Battery life and features
- © Raymond Wong / Gizmodo
One of the biggest selling points of the Headphone A is that it has a Big Boy Battery; Nothing is putting its battery cell where its mouth is in this case. The Headphone A tout 135 hours with active noise cancellation (ANC) turned off and 75 hours with ANC on. That’s a big figure, period, even outside the context of Nothing headphones. On the other hand, the Headphone 1 get 80 hours with ANC off and 35 hours with ANC on. That’s a huge difference, and for obvious reasons, the point goes to the Headphone A here.
With features, however, the scales are tipped in the other direction. Both wireless headphones have mostly the same feature set, including ANC, granular EQ in the Nothing X app, and hybrid ANC that can adapt to the level of noise in your current environment, but the Headphone A don’t have arguably my favorite Nothing feature: personalized EQ. Why Nothing didn’t include personalized EQ (a feature that adjusts sound to your specific hearing) is a mystery to me, but I do wish it were there.
With that said, battery life is still more important than personalized EQ, and for that, the Headphone A get the nod here.
Winner: Headphone A
Headphone A vs. Headphone 1: ANC
As I mentioned before, both pairs of wireless headphones have ANC, which is great because you shouldn’t accept anything less in these price ranges. When I reviewed the Headphone 1 back in June of 2025, I gave them positive marks for being able to block out a decent amount of noise. They’re no competition compared to Bose and its QuietComfort Ultra Headphones (2nd Gen), but they’re still solid, and I don’t feel like they’re lacking in any way.
And the Headphone A? Well, you can pretty much just copy and paste what I wrote above. The Headphone A’s ANC is as good as the Headphone 1 in my experience, meaning they were able to block out a good amount of noise on the New York City subway and more than enough in an office setting. It would be easy to call this one a tie since it technically is, but since you’re getting the same level of ANC as the Headphone 1 for a lower price, I’m going to have to lean toward the Headphone A on this one.
Winner: Headphone A
Bottom line
While the Headphone A might win more categories (some by a very tight margin), for me, the Headphone 1 are still the superior pair of wireless headphones. Yes, the Headphone A have cool colors, longer battery life, and they cost $100 less than the Headphone 1, but the categories that the Headphone 1 truly win are more important in my opinion. By going flagship, you’re getting a far superior sound and a more premium build. And even though the Headphone A embellish with colors, I think Headphone 1 still look cooler thanks to the cassette aesthetic and aluminum.
Isn’t that what Nothing audio is all about at the end of the day? Looking cool and delivering on sound? Do you, but for me, I think the $100 premium is worth it.
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