Nothing Headphone (1) Pro Adds Triple Drivers, $399 Price

Nothing's $399 flagship over-ear adds triple drivers, 10-mic ANC and a Flat EQ switch — but cuts ANC battery life.

Nothing has officially unveiled the Headphone (1) Pro, its new flagship over-ear headphone, priced at $399 USD and launching September 29, 2026 through Nothing's website and select retailers. The design keeps the brand's signature transparent look, now with scratch- and shatter-resistant 9H Panda Glass over the earcup windows, an aluminum frame, titanium alloy arms and softer, wider headband padding. Weight comes in at 327 grams, and the headphones carry an IP52 rating plus a hardshell case with a strap-carry option. [source-2][source-4][source-6]

The biggest change sits under the glass: a triple-driver architecture that splits the frequency range across dedicated hardware. A 40mm dynamic driver handles bass from 20Hz to 10kHz, a rear-mounted 13 × 8mm precision dynamic driver covers the mids, and a front-mounted xMEMS silicon-diaphragm driver delivers treble up to 40kHz. According to Popular Science, this makes the Headphone (1) Pro the first consumer headphone to break the dual-driver threshold, a setup previously seen only in niche audiophile gear like Noble Audio's $899 FoKus Artemis. Nothing says the split reduces distortion and improves detail at volume. [source-1][source-4][source-6]

Nothing partnered with London's Metropolis Studios on the audio features, including a physical Flat EQ switch on the left earcup that instantly restores a neutral profile and disables spatial audio and EQ settings — aimed at creators making mix decisions. SoundGuys reports Dynamic Spatial Audio now offers five profiles (Standard, Studio B, Live House, Club and Concert Hall) with head tracking. The Nothing X app adds parametric EQ and independent tuning of the main and precision drivers, plus Audiodo Personal Sound, which tailors audio per ear through a short in-app hearing assessment. [source-1][source-3][source-4]

Here's the strange part: Nothing claims 30 hours of playback with ANC enabled — lower than the original Headphone (1)'s official 35-hour claim, which SoundGuys notes actually lasted around 43 hours in its testing. With ANC off, the Pro's 1,060mAh battery reaches 68 hours, and fast charging delivers four hours of playback in five minutes. The adaptive ANC system uses 10 microphones and a redesigned 8mm silicone baffle wall in the cushions, with Nothing claiming 5dB stronger average noise reduction and 40% broader frequency coverage than the Headphone (1). [source-1][source-3][source-6]

T3's Max Freeman-Mills reviewed the headphones and found the sound more precise and detailed, but concluded the gap over the cheaper Headphone (1) is not massive and that the £100/$ price jump is hard to justify. He called the hardshell case — 384 grams, with the headband exposed as a handle — 'the most frustrating of its type' he has tested, and said ANC still falls short of Sony's WH-1000XM6. Popular Science, by contrast, framed the package as a feature-rich showcase, praising the tactile controls and rare parametric EQ support. [source-4][source-5]

At $399 in the US and £349 in the UK, the Headphone (1) Pro enters the premium ANC bracket against Sony's WH-1000X M6, Sennheiser's Momentum 5 Wireless and Bose's flagship over-ears. Popular Science has a pair on head and plans to share comfort and listening impressions in a future review, while SoundGuys says it will watch the ANC battery figure closely when it tests the Pro. Buyers can choose Black or White, with availability at us.nothing.tech, Amazon and Best Buy in North America. [source-1][source-4][source-5]