Nothing Headphone Vs. Apple AirPods Max: How Does The Budget Brand Stack Up?

Love it or hate it, Apple has a knack for releasing great products and establishing itself as the gold standard that other brands are compared to. Take the premium headphones space as an example. Apple AirPods Max has been the commercial darling since 2020, all the way until the updated version (AirPods Max 2) launched in 2026. Such is the shadow of this Apple product that the Nothing Headphone was advertised as the best AirPods Max alternative before its launch. Did it succeed, though?

Well, if you count being a cheaper over-ear headphone alternative to Apple, then yes, it certainly did. Unfortunately, the sound quality you get with Nothing Headphone (1) out of the box lags slightly behind the AirPods Max, but users note you can EQ them to sound close. A similar thing happens with active noise cancelling (ANC), which isn't as effective on the cheaper Nothing headphones. 

If you can look beyond those pitfalls (and arguably, you should for the significantly lower entry point), you'll see that Nothing takes some hefty points in other departments. Both the Nothing Headphone (a) and Headphone (1) offer a longer battery life than Apple's AirPods Max. They're also lighter, and since AirPods Max 2 aren't waterproof, Nothing's IP52 dust and water resistance makes its headphones seem like viable competition for the giant that is Apple.

Nothing headphones come in two versions: the premium model Headphone (1), priced at $299, and the affordable Headphone (a) that goes for $199. At a glance, the Headphone (1) has a better build quality than the Headphone (a) thanks to the use of heavy-duty aluminum compared to plastic, but that also means it's slightly heavier at 329 grams compared to 310. Regardless of which one you choose, they're both lighter than the AirPods Max 2, which come in at 386 grams.

In terms of sound quality, users who tested both noted the expensive model sounds better and offers superior noise cancellation. Of course, this could be subjective, but once you peek into the spec sheet, it's clear why the Headphone (1) packs a bit more punch. For starters, it has dynamic 40mm drivers, and the model was tuned by KEF. Headphone (1) also promises a better ANC performance with 2dB extra depth and more mics (six compared to the (a)'s four).

The bells and whistles are a welcome addition, but they come at a cost. The more affordable model actually has a better battery life than its premium brother, and it's quite significant. Nothing Headphone (a) promises 135 hours of playback with ANC off and 75 with noise cancellation engaged. By contrast, the extras on Headphone (1) seem to draw more juice, meaning you'll get 80 hours without ANC and just 35 hours with it. Saying "just 35 hours" is an exaggeration, as it's still nearly 15 hours more than what you'd get with Apple AirPods Max. Once you add the IP52 drip and dust rating into the mix – which Apple's headphones notoriously lack — Nothing starts to look like a superior choice for active users.

The elephant in the room is the price. Whichever way you slice it, $549 isn't a small amount to cash out for a pair of headphones. However, when it comes to sound quality, Apple's dig at headphones is a golden standard for a reason. Professional reviewers have closely examined Nothing Headphone (1) and put it head-to-head against the Apple AirPods Max, and the latter definitely delivers where it matters most. According to a test conducted by SoundGuys, though Apple doesn't offer much customizability (save for the adaptive sound signature), it sounds noticeably better out of the box than Nothing. According to the site, Nothing's natural profile is a bit darker, so you'll probably have to play with its 8-band equalizer before you're fully satisfied with the sound.

In terms of ANC, the test showed that the AirPods Max deliver a noise reduction of 88%, which is slightly better than the 85% you get with Nothing. The microphone on Nothing's headphones is also roughly on par with the one on the AirPods Max — providing a clearer sound by struggling in noisy environments. Although the fact that the former performs better on Android devices may technically tip the scales in Nothing's favor for many users. This is a very important distinction to make. If you're in the Apple ecosystem, then sticking with the AirPods Max is a logical thing to do. On other devices, especially Android, it makes more sense to go with Nothing. Sure, the sound quality may not be fully there, but the battery life and the IP52 rating are an easy sell, and so is the price. Users generally agree with this sentiment, and for most casual listeners, the slightly better sound may not be enough to justify the extra expenditure — unless you're already rocking Apple products and need those expanded capabilities.