Nothing’s second pair of over-ear headphones is aimed at a new audience. The Headphone (1) Pro was unveiled on September 28, 2026, at an evening event in New York City. The pitch goes beyond commuters who want better sound: it also targets musicians, mix engineers and producers who need a reference-grade pair they can take out of the studio. It costs $399, $100 more than the standard Headphone (1), or £349 in the UK.
The shape will look familiar, since it follows the original Headphone (1) with a refined design and fit. The real change is inside the earcups. Most headphones rely on one 40-mm dynamic driver for bass, mids and treble at once. Nothing splits that work across three drivers in each ear:
- 40mm bass dynamic driver for the low end;
- 13×8mm precision dynamic driver for the midrange (vocals, piano, guitars), which Nothing says renders sibilant “S” and “T” sounds in more detail;
- 3.2×6.0×1.15mm xMEMS treble driver with a silicon diaphragm, intended to make transients such as cymbal hits and sharp synth stabs sound cleaner.
You can see some of this triple-driver architecture through a pair of 9H Panda glass panels on the sides of the earcups. The rest of the build is mostly aluminum with titanium accents. Nothing calls the glass “shatter- and scratch-resistant”. Industrial designer Philipp Von Lintel told WIRED that it had to survive 18 drop tests from more than 1 meter. A technician can heat the glass to remove it and reach the internal chamber, and if it does crack, a plastic film keeps the chamber working.
The studio features are the reason for the “Pro” name. A physical button switches to a flat EQ, the neutral response engineers prefer for mixing. Nothing developed its EQ features with Metropolis Studios. A “Studio B” Dynamic Spatial Audio mode simulates Metropolis’ mixing room, and there are four more Custom EQ profiles, including Concert Hall and Club. For connections there’s a 3.5-mm jack for wired listening, lossless audio over USB-C, and Hi-Res wireless playback using LDAC (AAC, SBC and LC3 are also supported over Bluetooth 6.1).
Nothing says this is the best active noise cancellation it has ever shipped. The ANC uses 10 microphones (five per side) and is rated at up to 46 dB. For comparison, Apple’s AirPods Max use eight. Other specs:
- weight: 327g, 2 grams lighter than the Headphone (1);
- battery: 1060 mAh, up to 68 hours with ANC off (versus 80 on the Headphone (1)) and 30 hours with ANC on;
- frequency response: 20 Hz – 40,000 Hz;
- IP52 dust and water resistance;
- a wider headband and thicker padding.
There’s one compromise: the headphones don’t fold. Instead, Nothing borrowed Apple’s approach and ships them in a soft, bra-like carry case.
“To us, this is a flagship product where we’re able to showcase what we can do,” said Charlie Smith, Nothing’s chief brand officer. The Headphone (1) Pro goes on sale on September 29, 2026, through Nothing’s online store, Amazon and Best Buy stores across North America.
