Nothing Unveils Headphone (1) Pro for $399 – Triple Drivers, xMEMS and a Dedicated Studio Mode

Nothing has unveiled the Headphone (1) Pro, its new flagship over-ear headphones priced at $399. The model features an unusual triple-driver acoustic system, active noise cancellation with 10 microphones and a dedicated Flat EQ mode tuned in collaboration with London’s Metropolis Studios.

Sales in North America start on September 29. At this price, the new model lands in the same segment as Sony, Bose and Sennheiser, but Nothing is betting primarily on its unusual driver architecture and the ability to switch quickly between regular and neutral sound.

Three Emitters in Each Earcup

Instead of a single main driver, the Nothing Headphone (1) Pro uses three separate emitters, each handling a different part of the frequency range.

Bass is handled by a 40mm dynamic driver. The midrange is reproduced by a separate 13 × 8mm dynamic emitter, while the highs are assigned to a 3.2 × 6mm solid-state xMEMS driver.

Nothing claims a frequency range of 20Hz to 40kHz. Splitting the spectrum across multiple emitters should let each one operate in a narrower range instead of trying to reproduce the entire sound with a single driver.

The headphones support LDAC and Hi-Res Audio certification. Over USB-C, lossless playback is available at up to 24-bit/192kHz, while the analog input supports Hi-Res Audio up to 24-bit/96kHz.

There’s also spatial audio with head tracking and personalized sound tuning through the Nothing X app.

A Dedicated Switch Turns On Flat EQ

One of the most unusual features is a physical Flat EQ switch on the earcup.

In this mode, the user equalizer and spatial processing are disabled, and the headphones switch to a more neutral profile developed together with engineers at Metropolis Studios.

Nothing positions this mode for mixing, checking recordings and other tasks where it’s important to hear the material with minimal added coloration.

That said, Flat EQ doesn’t mean completely “unprocessed” sound in a professional measurement sense – it’s a separate setting of the headphones themselves. In The Verge’s review, it’s noted that this profile sounds more even, while the standard settings may seem more impressive to an average listener.

For everyday listening, there’s still the extended Nothing X equalizer and five presets developed together with Metropolis Studios.

Introducing Headphone (1) Pro
w/ Global Brand Ambassador V

Our most ambitious audio project brings studio-grade tools to everyday listening. Headphone (1) Pro has a triple driver architecture for deeper bass, textured vocals and richer instruments. Our strongest Active Noise… pic.twitter.com/T75LNB421c

— Nothing (@nothing) September 28, 2026

Up to 68 Hours of Battery Life and ANC at 46dB

The active noise cancellation system uses 10 microphones and automatically adapts to ambient noise and how the headphones fit. Nothing claims a maximum noise reduction depth of up to 46dB.

There’s a transparency mode, Bluetooth 6.1, simultaneous connection to two devices and Auracast.

A 1060mAh battery provides up to:

• 68 hours of playback with AAC and no ANC;
• 30 hours with AAC and ANC on;
• 53 hours with LDAC and no ANC;
• 28 hours with LDAC and ANC.

Five minutes of charging provides up to four hours of playback with noise cancellation off.

The Headphone (1) Pro weighs 327g, and the body is dust- and water-resistant to the IP52 standard. The package includes a hard protective case, a USB-C cable and a 3.5mm cable.

Ultimately, the Pro version differs noticeably from the regular Headphone (1) not just in sound tuning. Nothing has effectively moved to a three-way acoustic system with a dedicated xMEMS driver and added a mode designed not only for listening to music but also for working with sound.