Nothing’s over-ear headphones are all about the buttons

Nothing has launched its first pair of over-ear headphones, imaginatively named the Headphone 1. At $299, these are priced to compete with flagship fare, distinguished primarily by their distinctive Nothing design language — right down to the buttons.

While the boxy outline calls to mind Apple’s AirPods Max, the semi-transparent detailing on the outside of each earcup is all Nothing. So are the buttons, all differently shaped, with some you press, some you flick, and some you toggle. They’re meant to be more intuitive to use by touch alone, so you don’t have to take the headphones off to remind yourself which button turns on pairing.

With active noise cancelling, spatial audio, and support for lossless playback, these tick off most of the usual high-end headphone features. There’s 35 hours of battery life with noise cancelation on, an IP52 rating for water-resistance, and the audio itself was developed in partnership with HiFi brand KEF, with custom 40mm drivers.

My colleague Andru Marino has already reviewed the Headphone 1, so check out his review to find out how they stack up. Preorders launch on Friday, 4th July, with a full release on the 15th.