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  1. Home
  2. Headphones
  3. Compare

Nothing Headphone (1) vs Headphone (a)

Which Headphones Are Better?

    Top
    Main Differences
    Sound
      Sound ProfileFrequency Response ConsistencyRaw Frequency ResponseBass Profile: Target ComplianceMid-Range Profile: Target ComplianceTreble Profile: Target CompliancePeaks/DipsStereo MismatchCumulative Spectral DecayPRTFHarmonic DistortionElectrical AspectsTest Settings
    Design
      StyleComfortControlsPortabilityCaseBuild QualityStabilityHeadshots 1Headshots 2TopIn The Box
    Isolation
      Noise Isolation - Full RangeNoise Isolation - Common ScenariosNoise Isolation - Voice HandlingANC Wind HandlingLeakage
    Microphone
      Microphone StyleRecording QualityNoise Handling
    Active Features
      BatteryApp Support
    Connectivity
      Wired ConnectionBluetooth ConnectionWireless Connection (Dongle)PC CompatibilityPlayStation CompatibilityXbox Compatibility
    Comments

Products

Nothing Headphone (1)
Nothing Headphone (a)

Tested using Methodology v2.3

Updated Jun 15, 2026 08:30 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon

Tested using Methodology v2.3

Updated Jun 15, 2026 10:57 PM

SEE PRICE
Amazon
Nothing Headphone (1) Picture

Track

Nothing Headphone (a) Picture

Track

TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Balanced (0 dB)
WirelessYes
Treble Amount
Underemphasized (-4 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
TypeOver-ear
Noise CancellingYes
EnclosureClosed-Back
Bass Amount
Slightly Emphasized (2 dB)
WirelessYes
Treble Amount
Slightly Underemphasized (-2 dB)
MicYes
Sound Signature
Warm
  1. Recommended in 1 article:
  2. USB-C

Our Verdict

Nothing Headphone (1)

Nothing Headphone (a)

The Nothing Headphone (a) and the Nothing Headphone (1) share a lot of the same DNA: a distinctive transparent design, physical controls, IP52 dust and water resistance, a detailed EQ in the companion app, and wired playback that still requires battery power. The Headphone (a) are the better choice if battery life is your priority, as they last around 80 hours compared to just over 33 hours for the Headphone (1). That said, the Headphone (1) are still the more premium model. They have an aluminum body instead of a plastic one, a hard case instead of a pouch, better overall noise isolation, better stability, wear detection, and head-tracked Spatial Audio.

GIFT THIS COMPARISON

0 

Variants

  • Headphone (1) (Black)
  • Headphone (1) (White)
  • Headphone (a) (Black)
  • Headphone (a) (Pink)

Review

See Nothing Headphone (1) Review
See Nothing Headphone (a) Review
13 
0 

Check Price

Black
Headphone (1)
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
Headphone (1)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Pink
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Yellow
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon

Main Differences for
Sports And Fitness

Threshold 

0.10

Sports And Fitness 
 

0.0
0.0
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Full Comparison

Sound

Sound Profile 
 

Sound Profile  

Nothing Headphone (1) Sound Profile Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Sound Profile Sample

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Normalization Frequency 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Bass Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Treble Amount 
 

Locked
Locked

Sound Signature 
 

Locked
Locked

Frequency Response Consistency 
 

N/A
N/A

Consistency L  

Nothing Headphone (1) Consistency L Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Consistency L Sample

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Consistency R  

Nothing Headphone (1) Consistency R Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Consistency R Sample

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Std. Deviation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Raw Frequency Response 
 

Raw FR L  

Nothing Headphone (1) Raw FR L Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Raw FR L Sample

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Raw FR R  

Nothing Headphone (1) Raw FR R Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Raw FR R Sample

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Bass Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Bass Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Headphone (1) Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Bass Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low-Frequency Extension 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Low Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Headphone (1) Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Mid-Range Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid-Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble Profile: Target Compliance 
 

N/A
N/A

Treble Profile: Target Compliance  

Nothing Headphone (1) Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Treble Profile: Target Compliance Sample

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RMS Deviation From Target 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Low Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

High Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Peaks/Dips 
 

N/A
N/A

Peaks/Dips Graph 
 

Nothing Headphone (1) Peaks/Dips Graph Sample

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Peaks 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Dips 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Stereo Mismatch 
 

N/A
N/A

Frequency Response Mismatch  

Nothing Headphone (1) Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Frequency Response Mismatch Sample

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Phase Response Mismatch  

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Weighted Amplitude Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Frequency Response Mismatch 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Weighted Phase Mismatch 
 

Lock°
Lock°

PRTF 
 

N/A
N/A

PRTF  

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PRTF Accuracy (RMS Deviation) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Size (Avg.) 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

PRTF Distance 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Harmonic Distortion 
 

N/A
N/A

Harmonics Levels  

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THD Ratio  

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WHD @ 94 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%

WHD @ 104 dB SPL 
 

Lock%
Lock%

Electrical Aspects 
 

Impedance  

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Sensitivity @1kHz-1V 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Max SPL 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Test Settings 
 

Firmware 
 

Locked
Locked

Power 
 

Locked
Locked

Connection 
 

Locked
Locked

Codec 
 

Locked
Locked

Test Instrument  

Locked
Locked

EQ 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC 
 

Locked
Locked

Tip/Pad 
 

Locked
Locked

Microphone 
 

Locked
Locked
Design

Style  

Design Picture 2  

Nothing Headphone (1) Design Picture 2 Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Design Picture 2 Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

Enclosure  

Locked
Locked

Wireless  

Locked
Locked

Transducer  

Locked
Locked

Comfort 
 

N/A
N/A

Comfort Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Comfort Picture Sample

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Weight  

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Clamping Force 
 

Lock lbs
Lock lbs

Controls 
 

N/A
N/A

Controls Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Controls Picture Sample

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OS Compatibility 
 

Locked
Locked

Ease Of Use  

Locked
Locked

Feedback  

Locked
Locked

Call/Music Control  

Locked
Locked

Volume Control  

Locked
Locked

Microphone Control  

Locked
Locked

Channel Mixing 
 

Locked
Locked

Noise Cancelling Control  

Locked
Locked

Talk-Through 
 

Locked
Locked

Additional Controls  

Locked
Locked

Portability 
 

N/A
N/A

Portability Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Portability Picture Sample

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L  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

W  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

H  

Lock" (Lock cm)
Lock" (Lock cm)

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
Lock in³ (Lock cm³)

Transmitter Required  

Locked
Locked

Case 
 

N/A
N/A

Case Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Case Picture Sample

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Type  

Locked
Locked

L  

Lock" (Lock cm)
N/A

W  

Lock" (Lock cm)
N/A

H  

Lock" (Lock cm)
N/A

Volume  

Lock in³ (Lock cm³)
N/A

Build Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Build Quality Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Build Quality Picture Sample

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Stability 
 

N/A
N/A

Stability Picture  

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Headshots 1  

Angled Picture  

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Nothing Headphone (a) Angled Picture Sample

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Side Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Side Picture Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Side Picture Sample

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Headshots 2  

Front Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Front Picture Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Front Picture Sample

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Rear Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Rear Picture Sample

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Top  

Top Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Top Picture Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Top Picture Sample

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In The Box  

In The Box Picture  

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Isolation

Noise Isolation - Full Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph  

Nothing Headphone (1) Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) Noise Isolation - Full Range Graph Sample

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Noise Cancelling  

Locked
Locked

Overall Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Bass 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Mid 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Treble 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios 
 

N/A
N/A

Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph  

Nothing Headphone (1) Noise Isolation - Common Scenarios Graph Sample

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Airplane Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Airplane Noise Isolation Audio 
 

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Office Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Office Noise Isolation Audio 
 

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Street Noise Attenuation 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Street Noise Isolation Audio 
 

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Noise Isolation - Voice Handling 
 

Female Voice 1 
 

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Male Voice 1 
 

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Female Voice 2 
 

Join Now
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Male Voice 2 
 

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ANC Wind Handling 
 

ANC Wind Handling Graph  

Nothing Headphone (1) ANC Wind Handling Graph Sample

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ANC Wind Noise 
 

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Leakage 
 

N/A
N/A

Leakage  

Nothing Headphone (1) Leakage Sample

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Leakage Audio 
 

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Overall Leakage @ 1ft 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB
Microphone

Microphone Style 
 

Integrated 
 

Locked
Locked

In-Line 
 

Locked
Locked

Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable Boom 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic  

Locked
Locked

Recording Quality 
 

N/A
N/A

Microphone Frequency Response  

Nothing Headphone (1) Microphone Frequency Response Sample

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Recorded Speech 
 

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LFE 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

FR Std. Dev. 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

HFE 
 

Lock Hz
Lock Hz

Weighted THD 
 

Lock
Lock

Gain 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Handling 
 

N/A
N/A

SpNR  

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SpNR 
 

Lock dB
Lock dB

Noise Gate 
 

Locked
Locked

Speech + Pink Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Pink Noise Audio Sample  

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Speech + Subway Noise Handling 
 

0.0
0.0

Speech + Subway Noise Audio Sample  

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Active Features

Battery 
 

N/A
N/A

Battery Type 
 

Locked
Locked

Continuous Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Additional Charges 
 

Lock
Lock

Total Battery Life 
 

Lock hrs
Lock hrs

Charge Time 
 

Lock hrs
≈ Lock hrs

Power-Saving Feature 
 

Locked
Locked

Audio While Charging 
 

Locked
Locked

Passive Playback 
 

Locked
Locked

Charging Port  

Locked
Locked

App Support 
 

N/A
N/A

App Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) App Picture Sample

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Nothing Headphone (a) App Picture Sample

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App Name  

Locked
Locked

iOS  

Locked
Locked

Android  

Locked
Locked

macOS  

Locked
Locked

Windows  

Locked
Locked

Equalizer 
 

Locked
Locked

ANC Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Mic Control  

Locked
Locked

Playback Control 
 

Locked
Locked

Button Mapping  

Locked
Locked

Virtual Surround 
 

Locked
Locked
Connectivity

Wired Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Cable Picture  

Nothing Headphone (1) Cable Picture Sample

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Analog Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

USB Audio 
 

Locked
Locked

Detachable 
 

Locked
Locked

Length 
 

Lock ft (Lock m)
Lock ft (Lock m)

Connector 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - Analog 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Latency - USB 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Recorded Latency 
 

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Recorded Latency Connection  

Locked
Locked

Bluetooth Connection 
 

N/A
N/A

Bluetooth Version 
 

Locked
Locked

Multi-Device Pairing 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (Android) 
 

Locked
Locked

Quick Pair (iOS) 
 

Locked
Locked

Latency - SBC 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Latency - aptX Adaptive (High Quality) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - aptX Adaptive (Low Latency) 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - LDAC 
 

Lock ms
Lock ms

Recorded Latency 
 

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Recorded Latency Codec  

Locked
Locked

AAC Support 
 

Locked
Locked

Wireless Connection (Dongle) 
 

N/A
N/A

Line Of Sight Range 
 

N/A
N/A

Latency - Dongle 
 

N/A
N/A

Recorded Latency 
 

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PC Compatibility 
 

Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

PlayStation Compatibility 
 

PS5 Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

PS5 Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Compatibility 
 

Xbox Series X|S Analog 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Wired USB 
 

Locked
Locked

Xbox Series X|S Non-BT Wireless 
 

Locked
Locked

Check Price

Black
Headphone (1)
SEE PRICE
Walmart.com
Black
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
BestBuy.com
White
Headphone (1)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
White
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Pink
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
 
Yellow
Headphone (a)
SEE PRICE
Amazon
Back to Top

Nothing Headphone (1)

Nothing Headphone (a)

Comments

  1. Comparison
 • Posted 1 month ago

Nothing Headphone (1) vs Nothing Headphone (a): Main Discussion

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