CMF Buds Pro 2 - A truly different successor
In October 2023, CMF By Nothing launched its first wave of products which included the CMF Buds Pro, with a circular housing, the sound was good but lacked bass like most Nothing products at the time.
I’ve had the opportunity to test the new iteration of the Buds Pro, the Buds Pro 2, since May with a prototype. Throughout this process, we received numerous updates based on our feedback to improve the user experience at launch.
My first impression was the design, the case was really inspired by the design of the CMF Buds with this time a functional dial that is not a Lanyard holder as on the Buds but a “Smart Dial” that can be used as a new control element to pause/play, change volume, control ANC or low-lag mode with more precise control than the tactile control on the Buds earphones.
Let’s find out more about this new product!
Sound quality:
Having spent the last few months with Nothing Ear (2024), there was a distinct difference, not bad but more unique. This is noticeable in the very heavy presence of bass, which is good but can be too much at times.
Fortunately, there are several EQ options to find the best way to use these headphones, including Dirac Opteo, and other presets such as Pop, Classical, Rock, Electronic, Enhance Vocals and Custom options that let you set certain Bass/Mid/Treble bands with a scale from -6 to +6 to create your own EQ preset.
A welcome addition is LDAC for Hi-Res content when using premium streaming services such as Tial or Amazon Music.
ANC:
When it comes to noise cancellation, it’s much improved, on a par with the Ear and even a little better in certain scenarios, the transparency mode when audio is paused is also really perfect and allows you to have discussions without even removing your earphones, as always your experience will depend on the fit of the eartip, make sure you choose the right one!
Battery life:
On this part, nothing to say, I never had to stop my music listening because the battery was flat, in a test scenario of continuous music streaming via Spotify, with ANC on “High” / Dual connection / a volume around 75-100% on the Pop Equalizer preset and Ultra-Bass set on level 3, the first bud stopped after 5h58! That’s really good, especially as charging is fast in the case, so with a few breaks in your listening session, you can almost have a full day’s battery with these headphones, which certainly wasn’t a problem for me during this test.
Controls and Smart Dial:
One of the things that remains on CMF products is Ear (1) touch control, while Nothing has switched on its main line to a pinch control system, CMF continues to push touch control on its products, first of all the basic configuration for the controls is clearly not the best but fortunately you’ll be able to change it in depth in the Nothing X app for different situations: Double Tap / Triple Tap / Tap & Hold / Double Tap & Hold, but if touch control is still not your cup of tea, there’s a new addition in this product, the case is now a controller too!
Although this seems like a gimmick at first glance, you’ll probably use it a lot, so if your case is on a desk or you need to take quick action on the buds while out for a walk and don’t want to bother with touch control or going through the app, this is the most convenient solution for controlling your buds.
Following our feedback, an option has been added to temporarily lock the dial in the final product, without having to set and unset the controls in the Nothing X app when you put it in a pocket and want to avoid any problems.
It’s an interesting addition that I’d like to see on future products!
Features:
While not present on the original CMF Buds Pro, dual connection is present in this product, which is an appreciable plus if you need to switch between audio content on your PC and music on your smartphone.
LDAC codec is also present, which has only been the case on Nothing Ear and Ear (a) headphones until now.
Conclusion:
If you’re looking for a cheap pair of TWS, at just 59€/59$ this product is perfect!
Although there’s a lot of bass at times, CMF is looking to improve sound quality with surveys sent out to users recently, with improvements for some presets in a recent update (0.0.7.3).
Long battery life won’t be a problem for most users who want to use them at work with ANC.
The Smart Dial is the perfect new feature for those who hate touch control, and I hope to see Pinch Control in future CMF products to complete the combo.
A very different product from the first generation and the perfect option for a complete experience at an affordable price.
