Nothing Headphone (a) with Adaptive ANC, up to 135 hours playback launched: Price, specifications and more

Nothing Headphone (a) has been launched as the company’s affordable alternative to its flagship Headphone 1. Unveiled alongside the Nothing Phone 4a series, which includes the Nothing Phone 4a and Nothing Phone 4a Pro, the new headphones bring the brand’s signature design to a wider audience.

One of the biggest selling points of the audio device is the claim that the Nothing Headphone (a) are capable of offering up to 135 hours of playback on a single charge.

Nothing Headphone (a) price and availability

The Nothing Headphone (a) is priced at 149 pounds in the UK, $199 in the US, and 159 euros in Europe – which is roughly Rs 18,200. Nothing is yet to announce the India pricing. The headphones come in four colour options: Black, White, Pink, and Yellow. Global pre-orders are open today through Nothing's official website and select retail partners.

Black, White, and Pink variants go on open sale from March 13, while the limited-edition Yellow variant follows on April 6, according to the company’s UK website.

Nothing Headphone (a) specifications and features

Nothing Headphone (a) weigh 310 grams with the ear cushions made of breathable memory foam – all to reduce fatigue during extended wear sessions. The overall design stays true to Nothing’s clean, industrial aesthetic that has become a recognisable signature of the brand.

The headphones carry an IP52 rating for dust and water resistance.One of the headline features is the Adaptive Active Noise Cancellation (ANC), which automatically adjusts the level of noise cancellation depending on the wearer’s surroundings. According to Nothing, the headphones read the environment and respond with volume accordingly. For calls, a three-microphone Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC) system works to isolate the speakers’ voice and reduce background noise.Coming to the audio output, the Nothing Headphone (a) are fitted with 40mm titanium-coated driver, designed to deliver detailed, balanced audio across a wide frequency range. The headphones also feature Static Spatial Audio, which creates a surround sound-like listening experience.Battery life is arguably the most impressive number on the spec sheet. With ANC switched off, the Headphone (a) offers up to 135 hours of playback (AAC codec quality) – roughly five full days of listening – on a single charge.

With ANC on, that drops to a 75 hours. For those using LDAC for higher-quality audio streaming, playback reaches up to 90 hours with ANC off and 62 hours with ANC on.Nothing says that five minutes plugged in via USB-C delivers up to 8 hours of playback with ANC off, or 5 hours with ANC on. A full charge takes approximately 2 hours.Nothing has built its physical control system directly into the earcups. The Roller, Paddle, and Button controls handle volume adjustment, mode switching and track navigation through simple gestures. The Button doubles as a Camera Shutter trigger, allowing users to remotely capture photos or start video recording on a paired smartphone.