British startup Nothing reveals all-new Headphone (a) with 135-hour battery life and a surprising price

For starters, Nothing Headphone (a) boast the same transparent design that's helped the British brand score several design awards in the five years since it was founded. But the award-winning designers at Nothing have added a splash of colour this time around. You can choose between Pink, Yellow, White, and Black.

Breathable memory foam ear cushions and a lightweight 310g design should guarantee the Headphone (a) stay comfortable all-day. Keeping on these over-air headphones at the gym or outdoors during a downpour won't be an issue, since these over-ear headphones are certified IP52, which means the internal components are water resistant to combat sweaty workouts and bad weather.

There's also Transparency Mode, which lets in the outside world so you can listen out for tannoy announcements or have a quick conversation without taking off the headphones.

On the back of each earcup, you'll find the same selection of physical controls from the pricier Headphone (1).

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First up, the Roller functions a little like the scroll wheel inside a computer mouse, with a roll to the right increasing volume, and the opposite direction lowering the sound. It's a fun fidget-spinner-like way of controlling volume, and is accompanied with a pleasantly mechanical click inside the headphones to let you know that it's working.

A quick press on the same surface will play or pause the song, audiobook, or podcast you're listening to, while a long press to toggle between Active Noise Cancellation (ANC) and Transparency Mode.

The second tactile control on the back of the right earcup is what Nothing calls the Paddle. This thin bar can be flicked to the right to skip forward, or pushed left to go back to the previous track. Hold to scrub either forwards or backwards at speed, especially handy for skipping through a podcast, then release to resume playback.

If you prefer physical controls over the swipes and taps on touch surfaces favoured by some of the most popular over-ear headphones on the market, Nothing has you covered with a deliberately tactile approach.

The last button is called The Button. It sits on the side of the earcup and its function depends on what smartphone is in your pocket — and what you want it to do. On Nothing-designed handsets, it unlocks a feature called Channel Hop that cycles through recent audio apps or favourites that you've defined in the settings — so it can automatically cycle through the latest episode of a favourite podcast feed, a specific playlist, or radio station. On iOS and other Android devices, a press of the Button will launch the built-in smart assistant. All functions are customisable via the Nothing X app – whether you want to open Spotify, remotely trigger the camera shutter to start filming, or summon ChatGPT.

One area where the more affordable Nothing Headphone (a) far outperform their costlier cousin is battery life.

While the Headphone (1) tops out at 35-hours of listening time with Active Noise-Cancellation enabled, the dual-core chipset insnide the Headphone (a) enables AI-powered Active Noise Cancellation to work for over 75-hours on a single charge.

According to Nothing's own tests, Headphone (a) lasts 46% longer than other headphones in its £149 price range.

With noise-cancellation switched off, expect up to 135 hours of power– that’s over five days of continuous playback, or enough juice to keep listening during 7 trips from London to New York and back, with some power left.

If you do somehow manage to drain the battery, fast-charging means that 5 minutes plugged into the mains will add 5 hours of listening time back to these over-ear headphones.

For the Headphone (1), Nothing partnered with award-winning British brand KEF to assist with the sound performance. That isn't the case with the Headphone (a), which relies on a 40 mm titanium-coated diaphragm that Nothing says can deliver "expressive highs and deep bass at up to 110 dB". Expect a frequency response between 20 Hz and 40,000 Hz, according to the manufacturer.

With the Nothing X app, you can leverage an 8-band Advanced EQ to fine-tune your sound profile with complete precision. Anything you can create can be shared with the Nothing Community, where you'll also be able to download presets created by other owners until you find the perfect sound signature for you.

Preorders for the Headphone (a) in Black, White, Pink and Yellow start today. It costs £149 from nothing.tech and select partners, with open sales starting March 13 for White, Black and Pink models (that's when you'll be able to head in-store to try and buy a pair...). The Yellow colourway follows later on April 6, 2026.