Nothing Headphone (a): problems, parts and running costs

Checked: 2026-10-06

Summary

Nothing Headphone (a) is a $199 over-ear ANC headphone whose main documented problems are missing features rather than failures: no wear detection, no automatic power off, a 5 W charging cap, and Low Latency Mode locked to Nothing phones. No replaceable parts or consumables are documented, so running cost beyond electricity is effectively zero. It is a good buy at $199 or below if you can live without wear detection and do not need low-latency gaming on a non-Nothing phone.

Common problems and fixes

No wear detection or automatic play/pause — playback continues when you lift the headphones off; there is no setting to enable it. You must pause manually. [11]
No automatic power off — the design uses a physical sliding switch; the only automatic behavior is Sleep mode after 30 minutes idle and unworn. Get in the habit of sliding the switch off. [14]
Charging capped at 5 W — fast-charge claims are bounded by the cable and charger; a low-wattage charger will charge slowly. Use a cable and adapter that can supply at least 5 W. [13]
IPX2 splash rating only — liquid immersion damage is not covered under warranty. Wipe sweat, light rain or splashes with a soft dry lint-free cloth; do not use heat sources or compressed air. [12]
Low Latency Mode requires a Nothing Phone in Game Mode — the under-120 ms figure does not apply to other phones. Non-Nothing buyers should ignore this feature. [16]
Dual connection ships disabled — you must enable it manually in the Nothing X app. [15]

Parts and consumables

No replaceable parts or consumables reported.

Yearly running cost

Not enough data. No subscription is required and no replaceable parts are documented. The only ongoing cost is electricity for charging, which is not quantified in the available sources.

When it is a good buy

At $199 from Nothing’s US store (October 2026) [1], Headphone (a) sits below Headphone (1) Pro in Nothing’s own lineup [2]. It is a good buy at that price or lower if you prioritize battery life (up to 135 h ANC off over AAC [9]) and LDAC support, and can accept the missing wear detection and conditional low-latency mode. If you need wear detection or cross-platform low latency, look at alternatives in the same price range.