Nothing has released a new flagship pair of over-ear headphones, the $399 Headphone 1 Pro, following the $199 Headphone A and the sub-$100 Ear 3A earbuds earlier this year. The Headphone 1 Pro bring the expected flagship features — active noise cancellation, multiple sound profiles, tactile controls — plus a few unexpected ones, including Auracast and a 'Flat EQ' switch that removes processing rather than adding it.
The trend in headphones has been to add EQ customization; even Apple added a three-band equalizer to AirPods with its recent iOS 27 update. Nothing's switch does the opposite, disabling the EQ and spatial audio options in the Nothing X app. The goal, developed in partnership with London's Metropolis Studios — where Mark Ronson produced Amy Winehouse's 'Back to Black' — is to let studio professionals hear what they are mixing without coloration from the headphones. The switch sits on an inside corner of the left ear cup, well away from the other controls.
The Verge's John Higgins found that the default Balanced EQ is forward in the mids and highs, with present vocals and extra sizzle on cymbals, and a marked difference when Flat EQ is engaged: mids and highs fall more in line with the bass, at some cost to airiness. For casual listening, he preferred trimming the high end with the app's advanced parametric EQ. He notes that research by Dr. Sean Olive and colleagues at Harman found most listeners prefer an elevated-bass, near-neutral-mid, slightly boosted-high curve — the Harman Curve — so a truly flat response will sound 'off' to most people, even if it is useful in a studio.
The Headphone 1 Pro also depart from mainstream rivals such as the Sony XM6, AirPods Max 2 and Bose Ultra Headphones Gen 2, which use a single driver per side. Nothing uses three: a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a separate midrange driver and an xMEMS solid-state driver for upper frequencies, letting each cover a narrower range. The headphones support LDAC, wired and wireless high-res audio up to 24-bit/96kHz and wired lossless over USB-C up to 24-bit/192kHz, and can act as an Auracast transmitter or receiver through the Nothing X app.
Noise cancellation impressed during a short test — strong on low-end rumble such as air conditioning or aircraft noise, good on street traffic, though not quite matching the top three competitors. Battery life is rated up to 30 hours with ANC on and up to 68 with it off, with an IP52 rating. The Verge has not yet issued a final score, saying it will update the review after further testing.
