Nothing Ear (1) Pro review: more speaker and stronger ANC
6/10/2026
Translation: machine translated
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
The Nothing Headphone (1) Pro features strong noise cancellation and lets you customize its excellent sound with an extensive equalizer. Its protective case is more of a design piece than practical.
With the Headphone (1) Pro, Nothing aims to satisfy even professionals in the recording studio. I am not one of those, but the headphones already impress me in everyday use. However, I do not use the "Flat EQ" or Spatial Audio, among other things. Accordingly, the more affordable base version of the headphones is more attractive to me.
Transparent design, comfortable fit, and warm ears
Visually, the Headphone (1) Pro is very similar to the non-Pro version. Both are available in black or white, and the most noticeable change is the transparent cover on the ear cup. It reveals the three built-in speakers, or rather their casing.
The 327-gram headphones sit comfortably on my head. They are easy to adjust in size and do not press against my glasses. The ear pads made of synthetic leather and nylon are said to be 50 percent softer than those of the Headphone (1). I don't notice any difference when wearing them. The standard version fits just as comfortably for me. However, with the Pro version, the pads can be removed and replaced without tools. Nothing plans to offer them individually as spare parts.
Either it's me or it's Nothing: even with the Headphone (1) Pro, it quickly gets warm under the ear pads when moving. After a 20-minute walk at a pleasant 17 degrees, I have beads of sweat on and around my ears. I definitely shouldn't exercise or dance around the apartment with these headphones. Also because, with an IP52 rating, they are only protected against dripping water and not even against spray or splashing water.
For operation, Nothing continues to rely on haptic elements instead of touch-sensitive surfaces. I like that. With the dial or the toggle switch, just like with the push buttons, I have clear control over volume, playback, noise cancellation, and more.
Bulky transport protection: The audio handbag
Nothing does not include a soft pouch with the Headphone (1) Pro, but rather a hard plastic case. However, only the ear cups fit inside, and the headband remains outside. This turns the headphones into an audio handbag for transport, which suspiciously reminds me of the AirPods Max in their transport case.
Visually, it's not my cup of tea, and above all, I don't see any volume advantage over the soft case of the Headphone (1).
Three speakers ensure excellent sound
Each ear cup of the Headphone (1) Pro contains three speakers, also known as drivers. That is above average even for over-ear models. A 40-millimeter (mm) diameter bass driver, a 13 x 8 mm precision driver for the mids, and a 3.2 x 6 x 1.15 mm eMEMS speaker for the highs provide the sound in your ear.
This combination ensures excellent sound overall. The bass is even harder and punchier than on the Headphone (1) and yet remains clear even at high volumes. Whether hip-hop or electro, bass-heavy music is a pleasure with the Pro.
At the same time, the bass does not drown everything out. The precision driver makes voices sound even clearer than on the Headphone (1). With instruments, I hear more textures and details than with cheaper headphones. This is not only helpful for music tracks where you can hear more subtleties; I also notice more background noise in audio dramas.
If you don't like the preset tuning, you can adjust the sound to your preferences using two equalizers in the app. More on that in the section about the app.
Nothing is particularly proud of Flat EQ. There is even a dedicated slider button for it on the left ear cup. If I activate the function, it turns off the equalizer and all other presets. I get to hear a neutral sound without any processing – essentially the RAW format for sound. This is intended to be a reference value used during production in music studios. Since I am not a music studio professional, I can only say about the Flat EQ: the sound is completely flat and, in my opinion, terrible. I will leave the switch untouched in the future.
The Headphone (1) Pro communicates via Bluetooth 6.1 or uses a 3.5 mm audio cable. With AAC, SBC, and LDAC, it supports three widely used codecs, and for broadcasts, it also supports LC3. However, Qualcomm's aptX is missing.
The Headphone (1) Pro supports Dynamic Spatial Audio including head tracking and offers five different modes:
- Standard: for music and movies
- Studio B by Metropolis Studios: for focused listening
- Club: for electronic, dance, and pop
- Concert Hall: for orchestral and classical music
- Live House: for rock, indie, jazz, and hip-hop
When I activate them, I notice how the direction of the music sources changes and adapts to my viewing direction. This is impressive on one hand, but on the other, it's too much effort for me. I don't want to change it in the app every time I listen to something else. So, I mostly stick with the standard setting.
Strong noise cancellation ensures peace and quiet
To enjoy the good sound of the headphones, you don't always want to hear your surroundings. And the Headphone (1) Pro does a damn good job of that too. The first barrier against disturbing noises is the ear pads. Their good coverage is probably also the reason for my sweaty ears. The second line of defense is active noise cancellation (ANC).
Five microphones per ear cup pick up the surroundings, and the software uses anti-noise to ensure the environment remains quiet. This works so well with the Headphone (1) Pro that it's not just constant noises that are blocked out. I have to take the headphones off if I want to exchange a few words with neighbors in the stairwell. Or alternatively, activate the transparency mode, which brings ambient noise to my ear via the aforementioned microphones.
According to Nothing, the Headphone (1) Pro reduces ambient noise by up to 46 decibels (dB). That is five dB more than the Headphone (1). And even with that one, I felt perfectly shielded and didn't have to increase the volume to drown out the surroundings.
The five microphones per ear cup not only ensure strong noise cancellation but also ensure that I am easy to understand for my conversation partners when I am on a busy street or in some wind.
An app with two equalizers
Via the "Nothing X" app, I can make numerous adjustments to the sound of the Headphone (1) Pro. This starts with the intensity of the noise cancellation and continues with Spatial Audio. Under "Personalized Sound," I take a test to adapt the playback to the hearing ability of my ears. The app plays different frequencies one after the other, and I have to say for each ear whether I hear them or not.
For the equalizer, I can choose between a simple and an advanced version. The simple equalizer only distinguishes between bass, mids, and highs. The advanced equalizer, on the other hand, lets me adjust frequency bands, and even individually for the main and precision drivers.
If I don't want to move the sliders myself, I can find five equalizer profiles from Metropolis Studios to download. Further profiles are available via the community, and I could also make my own available to other people there.
Battery life strongly depends on listening habits
The Headphone (1) Pro has a sufficiently long battery life. However, this varies greatly depending on usage behavior. For music playback, the 1060 mAh battery of the headphones lasts, for example, 30 hours when noise cancellation is activated. Without it, it's 68 hours.
The battery is fully charged after two hours. If you don't have that much time, five minutes are enough for two hours of music playback with ANC and four hours without.
The battery is replaceable, but Nothing recommends leaving the replacement to professionals. You would come into contact with acoustic components. The manufacturer plans to equip an over-ear model planned for 2027 with a battery that can be replaced at home.
In a nutshell
Compelling headphones that are not worth it for everyone
The Headphone (1) Pro impresses me with excellent sound and many customization options for the audio. The strong noise cancellation ensures that my surroundings do not disturb me. The battery life provides long, uninterrupted listening pleasure. The headphones are also comfortable to wear, although it quickly gets warm around my ears under the cushions. I still like the haptic controls, but I do not like the new bulky carrying case. The Flat EQ as a new feature does not help me in everyday life either. In the end, the basic version of the Headphone (1) is enough for me, even with slightly weaker ANC and fewer drivers, and I pay significantly less for it.
Pro
- excellent sound
- Noise cancellation ensures silence
- haptic controls feel wonderful
Contra
- bulky transport container
- gets too warm under the ear pads
- Flat EQ is not suitable for everyday use
Header image: Jan Johannsen
Jan Johannsen
Senior Editor
Jan.Johannsen@galaxus.deAs a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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