Nothing Headphone (1) vs Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones

Tom's Guide

3 days ago

The Nothing Headphone (1) is an interesting pair of headphones that are built well and feature some top-notch specs. Unfortunately, they fall down in a couple of key aspects which keep them from scoring top marks — but how do they fare against Bose's flagship?
Bose's ANC cans have long been at the top of the list when it comes to noise-canceling headphones. They have a slick style, a comfortable fit, and decent sound, but how do they match up against the newest headphones on the block?
The Nothing Headphone (1) are the upstart in the headphone world. They want to upset the balance between the established competition, like the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones and the Sony WH-1000XM5, and undercut them both on price. That means loads of features, a cool-looking design, and some impressive battery life.
But, for the money, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are still the best noise-canceling headphones that you can buy today. They feature mind-blowing ANC, impressive sound, and a very comfortable fit to go with their decent feature set.
They might be more expensive, but Nothing's going to have to do a lot to make a better set of cans.
Nothing Headphone (1)
Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones
Price
$299/£299/AU$549
$429 / £449 / AU$645
Colors
Black; Silver
Lunar Blue; Deep Plum; White Smoke; Black
Size
Not specified
Not specified
Weight
11 ounces
8.8 ounces
Battery life (rated)
Up to 80 hours
Up to 24 hours
Connectivity
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC support
Bluetooth 5.3 with SBC, AAC and LDAC, aptX HD support support
Special features
Adaptive ANC, Ambient Sound Mode, Bluetooth multipoint, customizable sound, quick charge, passive mode, Spatial Audio
ANC, Immersive Audio, Bluetooth multipoint, customizable EQ, quick charge
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are one of the more expensive flagship offerings that you can currently pick up. They cost $449, a whole $150 more than the new Nothing Headphone (1). That's also more than the Sony WH-1000XM5, and the same as the also new WH-1000XM6.
The Bose worth the higher price, sure, but we have to give credit where credit's due: Nothing Headphone (1) just cost less. They're $299, making them one of the cheaper options when compared to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have been out long enough now that we see discounts, so you might not have to pay full price. Even then, their lowest price still doesn't match the MSRP of the Nothing Headphone (1). That's first blood for the Nothing Headphone (1).
The Nothing Headphone (1) bring something new to the table. While the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones have a nice, if standard, look, the Headphone (1) look unlike just about anything else out there. They've got Nothing's signature design style, and I think that's pretty cool — just like the Nothing ear and the Nothing phones, they have transparent panels that hide some retro future design touches.
These Nothing's design isn't for everyone and the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones look more traditional. That's no bad thing, however. They're quite stylish thanks to the use of multiple finishes, along with their subtle branding.
The Nothing Headphone (1) is built slightly better though thanks to some improved materials. There's metal in the earcups, and there's more substantial heft to them
But the QuietComfort Ultra Headphones are more comfortable. Their cushioning is more plush, and you won't suffer from the slight squeezing effect that you'll find in the Headphone (1).
Despite a better build and more interesting design, I'm going to give this to the less divisive and far more comfortable Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
Physical controls are my preferred way of controlling headphones, and the Nothing Headphone (1) deliver just what I'm looking for. They've got very intuitive controls, including a volume roller, a paddle for skipping tracks, a power switch, and a customizable button.
Each one is easy to find without looking, and feel wonderful under the finger. I think they might be some of my favorite controls on a pair of headphones ever, bringing innovation to the table with their tactile clickers.
The Nothing app is also good, letting you control ANC level, change the EQ, and adjust other settings on the fly. It's good that the EQ is so good given that the sound needs adjustment out of the box, but we'll get to that later.
The controls on the Bose QuietComfort are more annoying. There's a multi-control button that controls the ANC, playback, and other features, alongside a touch stripe for volume. The touch stripe is annoying to use and fairly inaccurate, while the button pulling triple duty has to do too much.
The Bose app pulls everything back, however. It's easy to use and very well laid out, letting you easily access the 3-band EQ, noise-canceling settings, and more.
Overall, though, the control section has to go to the Nothing Headphone (1).
Despite the influence of KEF on the sound of the Nothing Headphone (1), they don't sound as good as I'd hoped. They're much too dark, with an overreliance on upper-bass and lower-mids that take over the soundscape. This tuning leaves music feeling like it's being played in the next room, blocked by a wall.
You can dial in the sound quality with the Nothing X app, but I'd have preferred the core sound be good enough out of the box. Not many users are going to dive into a complicated looking EQ adjuster when they realize their brand-new headphones don't sound very good.
The Bose, on the other hand, sound good out of the box. It's a fairly bassy sound signature, with bass that can take some of the edge off the detail, but it's otherwise spacious and pleasant to listen to.
It can be adjusted with a slightly weaker EQ, but the core sound is good enough that it's not entirely necessary.
Headphones should sound good out of the box, so this round is going to go to the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones.
The Nothing Headphone (1) bring a great feature set to the table, including the EQ, USB-C mode, and spatial audio. The former two features work very well, and the USB-C mode is something I wish I saw on more headphones coming out in 2025.
Unfortunately, however, the spatial audio feature doesn't work very well. It serves only to thin out the music and make it sound less dynamic, as it stretches out what's there to make it sound much bigger. I'm generally not a fan of spatial audio modes, and this one is the perfect example as to why.
The Bose have similar features, although they lack the USB-C mode. Immersive Sound (Bose's version of spatial audio) is much better, however, and it's the reason that they're going to win this round.
The two headphones are fairly well matched for features, although the Bose just manage to eke out the victory. You can expect solid feature sets from both, however.
This is going to be a blowout for the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones. They're the best noise-canceling headphones for a reason, with some of the best ANC that I've ever experienced out of a pair of headphones.
They block out even the loudest and most disturbing noises, whether you're on the go or stuck inside the office. Fans are silenced, busy cafes subdued and bus journeys made a whole lot more tolerable. They're my choice if I want to block out everything happening in the world, and they've never let me down.
That's not to say that the Nothing Headphone (1)'s noise canceling is bad, but it's not as good as Bose's. It does a fine job of keeping out the noise, but it does struggle a bit with the wind.
Transparency mode is good for both pairs, and you'll have no problem hearing the bus driver when you go to buy your ticket. Thanks to their impressive ANC overall, though, the Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones take the win at the end.
I don't need to say much here. The Bose QuietComfort Ultra Headphones last for 24 hours after a full charge. Meanwhile, the Nothing Headphone (1) will last you for 35 hours with ANC turned on, and then 80 hours when the ANC is turned off.
The win here goes to the Nothing Headphone (1).
The Nothing Headphone (1) get very close to being a very good pair of headphones. They've laid down the ground work, with a lovely design, solid build quality, and some impressive features for the price.
But they're let down by some very disappointing sound quality. They don't sound as good as the Bose, that's for sure, which also beat them in noise canceling and comfort. The price differential is massive, but there's no denying that the more well-rounded product package from Bose is a better way to spend your money.
I'd hoped to see Nothing arrive on the scene and bring some disruption to the table. While they got pretty close to the competition, there still needs to be some work done on Nothing's part to make sure they sound their best. As it stands, they're let down by the sound profile — and what are headphones all about if not their sound?
Nothing Headphone 1
Bose QuietComfort Ultra
Price and value (5)
4
3
Design (15)
14
14
Controls (10)
8
5
Sound quality (25)
15
22
Active noise cancelation (20)
17
20
Call quality (10)
6
9
Connectivity (5)
5
5
Battery life (10)
9
5
Total Score (100)
78
82