Nothing is putting a solid-state silicon speaker inside its next over-ear headphones. That’s not something you hear every day, and it’s the detail that makes the Headphone (1) Pro worth paying attention to, even before it’s officially confirmed.
According to Gizmochina, citing Dealabs, the Headphone (1) Pro is expected to drop on September 29, priced at €349 in Europe and $399 in the US. Nothing hasn’t officially confirmed any of this yet, so treat the specs as a strong tip rather than a done deal. But the details are specific enough to take seriously.
The headphones will reportedly come in black and white, keeping Nothing’s semi-transparent aesthetic. But this time the build steps up with an aluminum shell and scratch-resistant glass, plus an IP52 rating for dust and light water resistance. That’s a meaningful upgrade for something you’re going to toss in a bag every day.
The audio hardware is where it gets genuinely interesting. The Headphone (1) Pro uses a three-driver setup, where different drivers handle different parts of the frequency range. The high-frequency driver is reportedly an xMEMS unit, which is a micro-speaker made entirely from silicon rather than traditional moving coil components. xMEMS has been showing up in premium earbuds for a couple of years now, but seeing it in an over-ear at this price point is a step forward for the tech. The pitch is faster transient response and more precise high-end detail. Whether that translates to something you can actually hear is the real test.
Nothing is also working with Metropolis Studios in London on the tuning side. Metropolis is a well-regarded studio that handles serious recording and mastering work, so this isn’t a random celebrity tie-in. The headphones will carry Hi-Res Audio certification and support LDAC for high-quality wireless streaming. There’s also a Flat EQ mode and what’s described as more detailed “recording-grade” sound tools for people who like to adjust their listening profile.
On the noise-cancelling side, ten microphones power the adaptive ANC system. Transparency mode is in there too. Connectivity is Bluetooth 6.1, and there’s a 3.5mm jack included, which still matters if you want to use these on a plane or with gear that doesn’t do wireless. Battery life is claimed at up to 60 hours with fast charging support.
So what does all this mean in context? Nothing has been building its audio lineup steadily, but the original Headphone (1) was a respectable first attempt rather than a standout. The Pro version looks like a real push into more premium territory. Multi-driver setups, studio partnerships, and 60 hours of battery are the kind of specs that get compared against Sony’s XM6 and the Bose QuietComfort series. At $399, Nothing is pricing itself right into that fight.
The xMEMS angle is the wildcard. It’s a technology that’s still proving itself in consumer products, and Nothing leaning into it early is either a smart differentiator or a risk that doesn’t pay off in real-world listening. We’ll find out September 29.