CMF’s new Buds Pro 2 are a budget pair of earbuds that won’t wow you with their sound quality, but they do offer fun color options and intuitive controls. I’ve been using them for over a month now, and the review below should tell you whether or not you should buy them.
CMF is a sub-brand of Nothing, continuing its parent company’s mission to make technology fun again. The company has launched a range of earbuds, watches, and even a smartphone that stand out for their playful designs. The Buds Pro 2 I’m reviewing are no exception.
The wireless earbuds themselves aren’t anything special. The design is like any other stem earbud you’ll find on the market, but it’s the case that gets interesting. It has a swivel dial that you can use to control your music: spin it to change the volume or tap it to play/pause. The sound quality and noise cancellation are also decent for the price.
Main features
- Drivers: 11mm woofer and 6mm tweeter
- ANC: 50 db
- Battery life: up to 11 hours
- Type: In channel
- Connection type: Bluetooth
- Water/Sweat Resistance: IP55
- Price: $59
Design and controls
The CMF Buds Pro are stem-type in-ear headphones, each weighing 4.9g. The earbuds match the color of the case, which is available in dark gray, light gray, navy blue, and bright orange.
They have touch controls: a small circle on the stem lets you control music playback, adjust the volume, and answer or end calls. However, the area is quite sensitive and I often ended up pausing the music while I was adjusting the earbuds.
Jugo Mobile
The case has a square design with rounded edges. For this review, I received the light gray option, which has a soft finish on the surface. One of the corners features a dial that turns with a satisfying click.
If you like to move, the dial can also be used as a toy. By default, it doesn’t control any functionality: it simply rotates.
If you want to use the wheel, you can set it to adjust the volume by rotating it. It also functions as a push button to answer calls and play or pause music. I don’t use it that often, though, since I rarely keep the case in my pocket. It works pretty well when you don’t have your phone nearby, providing a smooth adjustment even if there’s a lot of travel on the wheel.
Jugo Mobile
The case measures 53.4 x 53.4 x 23mm and weighs 46g without the earbuds. It doesn’t have an official IP rating, but the earbuds are rated IP55 for dust resistance and protection against water jets.
Sound quality
In terms of sound quality, the CMF Buds Pro 2 don’t offer much more than what you pay for. They’ll impress you if you like bass.
I use the OnePlus Buds Pro 3 on a daily basis and the CMF Buds Pro 2 don’t measure up in terms of sound quality. But considering they’re a third of the price, that’s to be expected.
I noticed that with songs with intense bass, like Kendrick Lamar’s “HUMBLE,” the headphones produce a solid low-frequency sound.
The Buds Pro 2 also handle the deep bass of Travis Scott’s “SICKO MODE” with ease. On tracks with less pronounced bass, like Fleetwood Mac’s “Dreams,” the sound signature becomes clearer. The woofers handle the extra bass in the drum beats, while the tweeters emphasize the soft vocals with a bit of treble.
Jugo Mobile
The sound quality isn’t perfect, of course. You might find better fidelity with other options, and the mids can be a little muddy at times. If the sound signature isn’t quite to your liking, you can use the Nothing X app for additional controls. The app lets you tweak the EQ, boost the bass, enable spatial audio, and adjust the controls.
Active noise cancellation
The ANC on these earbuds isn’t great, even compared to other options in the same price range. I’ve tested many budget earbuds and they’ve performed better.
I recommend keeping it on high ANC mode if you want to get the most out of it. In testing, it struggled to block out loud chatter, the roar of traffic, and the hum of fluorescent lights.
Battery life
The CMF Buds Pro 2 offer pretty average battery life. You’ll get about six hours of listening time with ANC on and about 11 hours with it off. With the case, you can extend those numbers to 26 hours with ANC on and 43 hours with it off. The case charges the earbuds to 100% in under 70 minutes, which is good.
Should you buy it?
The CMF Buds Pro 2 are a solid choice if you’re looking for an affordable pair of earbuds with decent features.
Jugo Mobile
The sound quality is decent and the controls are pretty impressive, but ANC is lacking, which might be a turnoff for some. You might also want to consider the Nothing Ear (1) or the original Nothing Buds as alternatives.
Verdict – 4/5
I really liked the CMF Buds Pro 2, not because they sound good, but because they bring something unique to the table. Nothing should focus on polishing these features, especially the rotating dial. Additionally, the earbuds could use a boost when it comes to ANC.