Nothing Headphone (1) Pro launches with three drivers per ear and 68-hour battery life

Just over a year after launching the Nothing Headphone (1), Nothing officially unveiled the Pro model on September 29th during a press event in New York City. Leaked information about the Nothing Headphone (1) Pro had already surfaced shortly before, details that have been confirmed, aside from battery life.

Nothing continues to use aluminum and transparent design elements for the frame, but the Pro model adds a headband made of titanium alloy and glass. At 327 grams, the new headphones are slightly lighter than the 329 gram headphones (1), although they are still quite heavy compared to the competition. For comparison, the Sony WH-1000XM6 (currently $460 at Amazon) weighs just 254 grams, though it’s also made largely of plastic.

Triple drivers and improved ANC

The biggest difference from its predecessor, which used a single 40mm dynamic driver per ear, is the triple-driver system. In each earcup, Nothing uses a 40mm dynamic driver for bass, a 13×8mm precision driver for vocals and midrange frequencies, and a separate xMEMS solid-state tweeter. The latter uses a silicon diaphragm which, according to Nothing, is 95 times stiffer than plastic, allowing it to respond more quickly to transients. This is intended to provide clearer instrument separation and more detailed reproduction. Triple-driver headphones aren’t fundamentally new, but combining them with an xMEMS tweeter is certainly unusual for over-ear headphones.

For sound tuning, Nothing is working with Metropolis Studios. In addition to different EQ profiles, the headphones include a Flat EQ for the most neutral playback possible, which can be activated directly via a switch on the headphones. The ANC has also been updated. A total of ten microphones are designed to pick up ambient and wind noise, while adaptive noise cancellation reaches up to 46 dB in laboratory conditions, according to Nothing. A transparency mode is also included.

Up to 68 hours of battery life and high-resolution audio

The final specs top the previously mentioned battery life: with AAC and ANC turned off, the (1)Pro headphones can last up to 68 hours of playback, or up to 30 hours with active noise cancellation enabled. With LDAC, Nothing takes 53 and 28 hours respectively. Five minutes of charging should provide up to four additional hours of music playback. According to the manufacturer, the 1,060 mAh battery takes about two hours to fully charge.

Other features include Bluetooth 6.1, LDAC, AAC and LC3, as well as multi-point connectivity for connecting to two devices simultaneously. Auracast, Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair are also supported. Music can also be played via a wired connection: USB-C supports up to 24-bit/192kHz, while the 3.5mm jack supports up to 24-bit/96kHz. Spatial audio with head tracking is also included, along with wear detection that automatically pauses playback when the headphones are removed.

The headphones are controlled largely via physical controls. A roller handles functions including volume, playback and ANC, while a toggle switch is used to skip tracks and manage calls. With an IP52 rating, Nothing Headphone (1) Pro offers only basic protection against dust and water drops. According to the manufacturer, the headphones should not be exposed to rain or stronger splashes. In addition to the hard case, the package includes a USB-C cable and a 3.5mm audio cable. The (1) Pro headphones are available in black or white and are priced at $399 on Nothing’s official website.