I can not get sufficient of the Nothing Headphone 1’s supersonic bodily controls

After successive generations of true wi-fi earbuds (together with an open-ear-style mannequin that Pocket-lint Editor-in-Chief Patrick O’Rourke finds to be incredibly comfortable), Nothing has launched its first-ever pair of over-ear headphones within the type of the recently-released Headphone 1.

As ever with a Nothing-branded gadget, the Headphone 1 basks in aesthetic eccentricity. Its exterior chassis featured a retro-inspired design language with components of translucency, and with ear cups that commerce circularity for a clear and fashionable rounded rectangle look.

In fact, there’s extra to a pair of headphones than appears alone. Fortunately, the Headphone 1 is stacked with a good bit of tech on the within, together with 40mm drivers, real-time active noise cancellation (ANC), spatial audio, LDAC, multi-point Bluetooth 5.2 connectivity, USB-C charging, a 3.5mm auxiliary port (thanks, Nothing), IP52 water and dust resistance, and an array of six microphones.

When it comes to audio high quality, I am going to defer to Pocket-lint contributor Tshaka Armstrong, who, in his dedicated review, describes the Headphone 1’s soundscape within the following phrases: “The stereo imaging and immersion, the nuance and texture at this value level are nothing to sneeze at.”

The Nothing Headphone 3 is a looker

These are some significantly unique-looking cans

Whereas I am personally removed from an audiophile, I can actually communicate to the overarching consumer expertise of utilizing the Nothing Headphone 1 in the actual world. Look-wise, this pair of cans are a slam dunk. I like a tech product that comes with see-through home windows, even on this case, the place it is extra ornamental than consultant of the inner ongoings of the system.

The unit itself is sweet and light-weight, regardless of utilizing aluminum round its ear cup housings and its hinges. There is no creaking to talk of, the swivelable cups and headband easily articulate, and the plush lining materials seems like a pillow on my head every time I throw them on. The lack to fold the headphones up for higher portability is a bummer, nevertheless.

Talking of portability, I recognize Nothing’s in-box inclusion of a devoted charging case for the Headphone 1, along with each a USB-C charging cable and an aux twine. Sadly, the case’s zipper is reasonable, which dampens the general expertise barely.

It is all concerning the buttons

Tactile management over media playback will at all times reign supreme

Placing apart the design of the Headphone 1, I wish to take a second to understand Nothing’s choice to outfit the system with honest-to-goodness, tactile bodily controls. There’s an on/off change, which is satisfying to toggle forwards and backwards, and I a lot choose it to a drabber on/off button. The Bluetooth pairing/audio supply switching button is normal truthful, although its out-of-the-way placement throughout the left ear cup is a design win in my books (I hate having to fumble round with a number of similarly-shaped buttons in proximity to at least one one other).

Nevertheless, it is the mix of each a paddle and a curler that seals the deal for me, and that has me returning to the Headphone 1 time and time once more. The paddle is a slim strip that makes it straightforward to skip tracks or scrub by way of audio effectively, and the curler is a highly-satisfying quantity and ANC combo button that spins like a correct knob.

I’ve lengthy advocated for bodily media controls relating to audio units, as they permit for a build-up of muscle reminiscence, they’re exact, and they are often in-built a premium and satisfying method. I’ve a pair of Sony WH-1000XM4 wi-fi headphones that I exploit on the common, however I genuinely dislike the finicky touchpad-style interplay mannequin attribute of the pair of cans.

With a curler button on deck, Nothing is providing a stable and (comparatively) reasonably priced headphone answer for somebody like me who cannot be bothered with contact controls, and who closely misses the outstanding, rotating wheel of Microsoft’s seemingly deserted Floor Headphone line. It is also the closest equal on the market to Apple’s Digital Crown, which I am keen on on the AirPods Max.

As talked about, I am not an audiophile within the slightest, and so I am hardly aware of the ins and outs of sound phases, ANC competency, equalizer tunings, or every other metric of audio constancy. What I can say with confidence, nevertheless, is that after I’m out on a stroll with the Nothing Headphone 1, or after I’m sitting at my desk with the product on, swiping by way of media and dialing in my quantity ranges is nothing in need of a deal with.