CMF Buds
Pros:
- Value for money
- Great Sound
- Punchy bass
- Awesome battery life
- Best in class ANC
Cons:
- Touch controls needs getting used to
- No charging cable
Rating: 4/5
Price: Rs 2,499
CMF Neckbands
Pros:
- Solid Price
- Great audio performance
- 50dB Active Noise Cancellation
- Solid call quality
- Great Battery life with fast charging
Cons:
- No charging cable
- Rotatroy dial can be a little hard to reach initially
Rating: 4.25/5
Price: Rs 1,799
Nothing has made a name for itself when it comes to audio products, namely the Nothing Ear 1, Nothing Ear 2 and Nothing Ear Stick. Despite looking extremely cool and sounding marvellous, they have been perceived as too expensive. Enter CMF, Nothing’s wearables brand that is focused on offering more affordable products.
While the Buds Pro from CMF by Nothing were pretty solid TWS earbuds, their latest offerings, the Buds and the Neckband Pro take things up a notch. CMF has a very interesting way to present their products — by focusing on colour, material and finish. Naturally then, the new Buds and Neckband Pro have the aesthetic chops to grab your attention. However, what’s really compelling about them, are the features and audio quality they provide, at the price Nothing is asking for them.
We take a look at Nothing’s latest audio products, the CMF Buds, and the CMF Neckband Pro to see how do they stack up.
CMF Buds and CMF Neckband Pro Review: Design, Build & Fit
The CMF Buds offer a choice of three distinct colours: Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Orange. For this review, we are trying out the vibrant Orange variant which truly looks fascinating and fun.
The orange-coloured square case that the CMF buds come in is pretty lightweight yet premium-feeling and oozes a premium feel, despite its plastic build.
You also get a grey-coloured wheel on the case which is where the included lanyard is connected. But, in case you don’t want to use the lanyard, the wheel doubles up as a pretty nifty fidget spinner.
You also get a pretty sturdy hinge that ensures durability, while the punchy orange shade adds vibrancy. Additionally, the case incorporates design elements to enhance its appeal.
The CMF logo, boasting a shiny finish, is elegantly engraved on the lid, creating a striking contrast with the matte texture of the rest of the case.
As for the CMF Neckband, it looks rather ordinary, just like the plethora of other neckbands on the market. It features the familiar flexible neckband crafted from soft silicone, with short cables linking to the earpieces. What sets it apart though are the control buttons, or rather the lack thereof. Instead, you get, again, a tiny grey-coloured wheel that is used to increase the volume, answer incoming calls, move in between various tracks of a playlist.
We also loved how in both, the earbuds and neckband we see a pretty neat mix of matte-finished and glossy plastic. The subtle difference in finishes really do make both of them look very appealing. With the CMF Neckband you get an IP 55 protection, whereas with the Buds, you are looking at a rating of IP54.
While the Buds’ inclusion of touch controls at their affordable price point is commendable, the functionality of these controls is only satisfactory. Like many other earbuds, they feature standard touch control functionalities such as tap to pause and double tap to play next track. However, some of these touch commands can be confusing and cumbersome to use. In particular, adjusting the volume using the touch controls posed challenges and was not as intuitive as desired.
CMF Buds and CMF Neckband Pro Review: Sound Quality & Performance
Setting up the CMF Neckband Pro and the CMF Buds with an Android device was incredibly simple. With just a few taps after opening the lid, the phone recognised them instantly. Plus, the Nothing X app helped with the rest of the setup process.
The app also offers an extensive array of features and customisation options. For both, the neckband Pro and Buds, you get tons of equalizer options, control remapping, noise cancellation configuration, and an “Ultra Bass” boosting mode. You also get to set the ANC feature from the app.
Soundwise, both devices deliver similar overall audio quality, although there are some very slight differences if listen very closely.
The Neckband Pro are a bit more bass-heavy and sound more powerful than the CMF Buds, which offer a more balanced sound profile. This is mainly due to the driver sizes. While the CMF Neckband Pro is using 13.6 mm driver with their custom Ultra Bass Technology 2.0, the CMF Buds uses 12.4 mm drivers that come with Bio-fibre + custom TPU diaphragm.
As a result, the Neckband Pros offer a lot of thump and really shake you up when you are listening to a song with great bass, but will muddy up the vocals slightly on the low end. The CMF Buds, although they don’t have that punch and thump, still sound great, especially when it comes to other, non-bassy instruments and the vocals. Simply put, even though the Buds sound bass-heavy compared to other TWS earbuds, they are relatively more balanced than the Neckband Pros.
Moreover, the CMF Buds also come with Ultra Bass Technology 2.0 and Dirac Opteo tuning for a larger sound stage. That, combined with the ANC capabilities of the Buds, really makes this a compelling choice.
Speaking of ANC, both the Neckpand Pro and Buds offer great sound isolation, as well as solid active noise cancellation. However, the Neckband Pro takes it a step further with customizable ANC levels ranging from high to low and adaptive settings, along with a spatial audio mode to experiment with. You also get 50dB of hybrid ANC with the neckband, whereas with the buds, you are limited 42dB.
What makes both the Neckband Pro and Buds special is the fact that they are giving users a proper ANC experience, at the pricepoint they offer. I have tried earbuds and neckbands much more expensive than what CMF is offering that don’t hold a candle to these two. There were some issues initially, but Nothing fixed that with an update.
CMF Buds and CMF Neckband Pro Review: Call quality
The CMF Buds also deliver impressive audio quality during calls. I found that I could hear the other party clearly, and my voice came through clearly on their end as well. This clarity is likely attributable to the 4-microphone array utilized by the buds, effectively clearing background noise and isolating primary voices during calls.
Similarly, the Neckband’s call quality is exceptional, benefiting from a 5-microphone array, surpassing the Buds in this aspect.
CMF Buds and CMF Neckband Pro Review: Battery Life
The Buds are equipped with a 45 mAh battery for each earbud and a 460 mAh battery in the case. In my typical daily routine involving music listening, content viewing, gaming, and numerous calls, totalling around 5-6 hours of usage per day, I found that I could comfortably use the earbuds for 3-4 days without needing to recharge them. Even when I did need to recharge, it was a quick process – just a 10-minute charge could provide an additional 6-7 hours of usage easily.
Nothing claims that the CMF Buds will give you 35.5 hours of playback with ANC off and about 24 hours of playback with ANC on. I completely believe these figures, based on my experience.
As for the neckband, it too has a great battery life, even better than the Buds. When using the CMF Neckband Pro with ANC on, it usually lasts me about two days before I need to look for a charger. With ANC off, I was able to drive this thing for over 4 days, with my regular usage pattern.
Thanks to its 220mAh battery capacity, Nothing claims that the Neckband Pro, gives 37 hours of playback time with ANC off and 23 hours of playback time with ANC on.
Plus, the neckband also officially supports quick charge — just juice it up for 10 minutes, and you’re good to go for 18 hours.
My only complaint would be that to cut costs, Nothing did not provide a charging cable with either of their new audio products. This is becoming a habit among manufacturers that I don’t like — removing certain essentials from the box to hit a certain price point.
CMF Buds and CMF Neckband Pro Review: Verdict
If you are looking for a good pair of earbuds or neckbands that sound great, offer long battery life, good enough ANC, are lightweight, and are easy to carry, both the CMF Buds and the CMF Neckband Pros are great options.
If you’re comfortable with either form factor and are simply going to be making a choice based on bass, here’s what you need to keep in mind. Even though both of these audio devices are heavy with the bass, the Neckband Pro is heavier, whereas the Buds have a comparatively flatter profile.
Choosing between them ultimately depends on your preferences and usage scenarios. The neckband design of the Neckband Pro offers more freedom and convenience, particularly for quick hands-free calls or music playback, as they’re always conveniently around your neck. With no need to search for a case in your pockets or worry about losing an earbud immediately, they provide added ease of use. Additionally, the robust 23-hour battery life, even with ANC on, ensures extended usage without frequent recharging.
On the other hand, if you prefer the true wireless earbud experience without any dangling wires, the CMF Buds offer a modern solution. While their 5.6-hour battery life (24 hours with the case) is decent for true wireless earbuds, the Neckband Pro still excels in continuous playback.
At their respective prices of Rs 2,499 and Rs 1,999, both the CMF Buds and Neckband Pro offer exceptional value with their sleek designs, sturdy builds, rich features, and reliable sound quality.
