Nothing is turning up the volume — literally. The London-based tech brand has announced its entry into a brand-new product category with the global launch of its first over-ear headphones on July 1 at 10:30 pm IST. CEO Carl Pei confirmed the reveal during his closing remarks at SXSW London, where he spoke about the company’s smartphone journey, design philosophy, and community-driven product building.
The Headphone (1) will be unveiled alongside Nothing’s much-awaited Phone (3).
Titled Nothing Headphone (1) — at least as per Pei’s statement — it marks the company’s move beyond in-ear buds into the premium over-ear segment. The launch event will be hosted in Nothing’s home turf, London, bringing the global spotlight back to where the startup first took shape.
Trash Talk Before the Takeoff?
A few weeks before this announcement, Nothing dropped a behind-the-scenes video rather boldly titled, “We’re making over-ear headphones.” In it, the design team didn’t hold back on their critique of existing premium headphones in the market.
“We don’t really like a single over-ear headphone that’s on the market,” one designer bluntly states in the clip, as the team takes potshots at everything from build to branding — mocking names like Sony’s $450 WH-1000XM6 and calling out its “fatter” headband design.
If the tone was confident bordering on cocky, it seems to stem from a desire to shake up a category the company feels is cluttered with overpriced, underwhelming offerings.
Priced Lower Than AirPods Max, But Aiming Just As High
Although Nothing hasn’t officially revealed the product’s price, it’s expected to cost significantly less than Apple’s AirPods Max, while targeting the same high-end audio quality. There’s speculation that the headphones may incorporate Nothing’s signature translucent aesthetic, already popular in the company’s Ear (1) and Ear (Open) earbuds.
Adding to the buzz, Nothing recently announced a partnership with premium UK audio brand KEF. As per a company spokesperson, the collaboration will “support Nothing’s expansion into new audio categories — with several acoustically co-developed products already in the works and launching later this year.” The upcoming headphones are widely expected to be the first tangible outcome of this collaboration.
The Head(1) Or Just Hype?
Interestingly, while a 2022 Yanko Design post referred to the over-ear model as Nothing Head (1), the new teaser video doesn’t confirm the final name or pricing. But one thing’s clear: Nothing is trying to rewrite the over-ear playbook — and doing so loudly.
As the July 1 date nears, all ears will be on what Carl Pei’s team has cooked up. If the company’s track record in earphones is any indicator, we might be in for a stylish, sonic surprise.
