The CMF Buds Pro 2 are the latest addition to the Nothing sub-brand’s growing audio lineup. They follow on from the first-generation CMF Buds Pro and offer improvements in almost every aspect.
You get dual drivers, updated active noise cancellation (ANC), surround sound support, and longer battery life. The charging case also has a new trick with a programmable Smart Dial. You can use it to control volume, play media, and manage incoming calls. Add LDAC support, multi-point pairing, and a sleek design with fun color options, and you have earbuds that can compete with some of the premium earbuds from Apple, Sony, and Samsung.
But the CMF Buds Pro 2 retail for just $59/€59/£59/₹4,299 – a fraction of the price of the buds from its rivals, so there had to be some saving, right? The short answer is yes, but not in areas that make a big difference.
Design
CMF stands for Color, Materials, and Finish, and we can start this part of the review by stating the obvious. Our CMF Buds Pro 2 review unit has a blue color, which is a darker shade and really saturated. The color just pops, just like the orange hue on the first-generation CMF Buds.
The Buds Pro 2 and their case are made mostly of plastic, aside from the Smart Dial, which has a solid metal ring with tactile clicks. The case and buds have a matte finish that resists fingerprints well and is always preferable to glossy plastic.
Coming back to the case and the Smart Dial, this is something new in the TWS market and sets the CMF Buds Pro 2 apart from almost every other pair of earbuds. Think of it as a remote that lets you adjust the volume with satisfying feedback. It also supports the ability to remap single, double, triple, and tap-to-hold.
The case dimensions and weight are exactly the same as the CMF Buds, with each earbud weighing just 4.5 grams. The M-size earbuds fit perfectly in our case, and we had no problems wearing these earbuds for hours every day.
The top halves of the buds also have remapping touch sensors for media, noise cancellation, and volume control. The retail package includes a short USB-C charging cable and a set of silicone ear tips in sizes S and XL.
Features and Companion App
The CMF Buds Pro 2 are a logical evolution of the first-generation CMF Buds Pro, with the main change being an updated dual-driver system. You now get 11mm bass drivers and separate 6mm flat tweeters in each earbud. Connection continues to be via Bluetooth 5.3 with support for Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, and dual-device pairing.
The added LDAC support is useful if you stream music through supported platforms like Tidal HiFi, Amazon Music Unlimited, and Deezer Premium. Active noise cancellation is now rated for up to 50 dB of noise cancellation, up from 45 dB on the first-generation CMF Buds Pro. Spatial audio is another new feature.
Total battery life has also been updated, now clocking in at up to 43 hours from the earbuds and their case, another slight improvement over its predecessor. You also get wear detection that automatically pauses media playback when you take the earbuds out of your ears.
While the Buds Pro 2 work great on their own, the Nothing X app for iOS and Android is a pretty handy way to get extra features, including remapping the earphone buttons and Smart Dial, as well as customizable equalizer profiles.
The Smart Dial is probably the most intriguing feature. We found it generally useful when connected to a laptop. The satisfying feedback from the dial is amazing, and we wish more companies would implement something similar in their earphones.
Using the Buds Pro 2 with a Nothing smartphone also allows you to call ChatGPT directly from the buds. The buds (but not their case) are also IP55-rated against dust and water splashes.
Performance and sound quality
We’ve come to expect a V-shaped sound with punchy bass from Nothing audio products, and that’s certainly the case with the Buds Pro 2. They lean heavily on bass right out of the box and are loud enough to appeal to a wide range of users. Comparing the CMF Buds Pro 2 to the CMF Buds shows improvements like a richer overall sound and better instrument separation.
Things improved when we switched to the Dirac Opteo EQ profile, which is the best of the built-in EQ options. You can tweak the EQ to your liking with a custom profile, but for some reason Nothing decided to limit the EQ to three bands compared to what’s on the Nothing Ear (2) and most competing in-ear headphones.
The surround sound feature is quite noticeable and provides a more vibrant sound, so it’s a good idea to leave it on. To sum up the sound quality, the Buds Pro 2 sound decent, but we missed the extra clarity present in the recently reviewed Realme Buds Air6 Pro.
The ANC does a decent job of muting lower-frequency sounds like AC and fan noise, but it doesn’t quite match the capabilities of more expensive earbuds. Transparency mode was lackluster and accompanied by the usual hissing sound we’ve come to expect from most earbuds in this price range.
The connection remained strong throughout my review period, which included constantly switching between a MacBook Pro 14, iPhone 15 Pro, and CMF Phone 1. Pairing the two devices, touch controls, and wear detection all worked without a hitch. It’s nice that you get volume controls on the buds, but your only option is to double-tap and hold, which isn’t the most intuitive.
Call quality on the Buds Pro 2 wasn’t impressive, with people on the other end reporting muffled sound coming from my end even in quieter rooms with minimal background noise. Still, if these are your only options for taking calls, they’ll do the job, but don’t expect AirPod Pro-style results here.
Battery life
No other model can boast such an impressive battery life as the CMF Buds Pro 2: 43 hours of total music playback time using the earphones with the case, 11 hours using the earphones with ANC off, and 6.5 hours with ANC on.
The results we got during our review period were similar, with the CMF Buds Pro 2 lasting just over 6 hours and 15 minutes with ANC on at 50% volume and all optional features. This dropped to 4 hours and 15 minutes in LDAC mode with ANC on, which is still impressive.
Charging is limited to the USB-C port on the case, and it takes 70 minutes to fully charge the buds and case. The case can charge the buds from zero to full in 60 minutes.
Verdict
Nothing offers the best wireless earbuds in the budget segment, and the Buds Pro 2 are an easy recommendation. You just can’t match their feature-to-price ratio with dual drivers, LDAC support, adaptive ANC, dual-device pairing, and surround sound.
Looks are subjective, but we like the bold colors and minimalist design, and you also get an exclusive feature that no other pair of earbuds (even flagships) have with the Smart Dial. Combined with the strong battery life and great companion app, the CMF Buds Pro 2 leave nothing to be desired.
There are a few things we’d like to see in future versions, namely full parametric EQ customization options on the Nothine Ear headphones, as well as stronger noise cancellation, a less muffled Transparency mode, and better call quality.
Given the $59/€59/£59/R4,299 price tag, we don’t mind making such compromises and can’t wait to see what Nothing brings with the next iterations of the CMF Buds.
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