CMF has always been about bringing a little more personality to everyday tech, and the new CMF Buds Neo are a perfect example of that philosophy. These are positioned as CMF’s most accessible entry-level earbuds, focusing on the essentials—good sound, practical features, comfortable fit and dependable battery life—while keeping that distinctive CMF design language
And honestly, after spending time with them, I think CMF has got the formula right.
I have the White & Orange version, and this is easily my favourite colour of the lineup. The combination of the clean white case with the bright orange circular dial gives the earbuds a playful, instantly recognizable look. CMF also offers other dual-tone colour combinations, but the White & Orange version has the kind of visual personality that makes these earbuds stand out in a sea of similar-looking TWS products
Design: CMF Doesn’t Play It Safe
Let’s start with the design, because this is probably the first thing you’ll notice about the CMF Buds Neo
The charging case uses a bold, almost square form with rounded corners and CMF’s signature circular dial. The dial and case use contrasting colours to create the distinctive dual-tone appearance. There’s also a tactile finish around the dial, which makes it satisfying to interact with
The design isn’t trying to look premium in the conventional sense. Instead, it feels youthful, playful and very CMF
I particularly like the White & Orange version because the orange dial creates a strong contrast against the white case. It looks fun without becoming overly flashy
There’s also a built-in lanyard hole, which is a small but genuinely useful addition. You can attach a strap and carry the case around without necessarily having to keep it inside your pocket or bag
The earbuds themselves are quite lightweight at around 5g per earbud, so they don’t feel heavy in the ears. For long listening sessions, that lightweight design makes a noticeable difference.
Fit & Comfort: Easy to Wear for Hours
Coming to the fit, the CMF Buds Neo use an in-ear design with interchangeable silicone ear tips
When I’m wearing both earbuds, they sit nicely inside the ears and create a good passive seal. That passive isolation itself helps block a fair amount of surrounding sound before even turning ANC on
They’re also comfortable enough for extended listening sessions. I’ve been able to wear them for long periods without feeling that familiar pressure or heaviness you sometimes get with larger TWS earbuds.
But there’s one thing I would strongly recommend: try the different ear-tip sizes.
The box includes S, M and L ear tips, with M pre-installed. The right ear-tip size can make a surprisingly big difference—not only to comfort and stability but also to bass response and the effectiveness of ANC
Sound Quality: This Is Where the Fun Begins
The CMF Buds Neo feature a 12.4mm dynamic driver, and that larger driver immediately makes its presence felt
CMF says the driver is designed to deliver deeper and fuller bass, while the titanium-coated PET dome helps maintain clarity in vocals and details. The driver also uses a flexible PEEK + PU surround to allow greater movement.
And in my experience, the overall tuning is definitely on the energetic side.
The earbuds get quite loud while maintaining good clarity, and even at high volume I didn’t notice obvious distortion. The standard sound profile already has a healthy amount of bass, so tracks feel lively and punchy rather than flat.
Vocals remain reasonably clear, while instruments have enough separation to make everyday listening enjoyable.
If you mostly listen to pop, Bollywood, hip-hop, electronic music or anything that benefits from a strong low end, you’ll probably enjoy the default tuning.
Bass Enhancement: For the Bassheads
But CMF doesn’t stop there.
Inside the Nothing X app, you get Bass Enhancement, with three levels:
Off
Level 1 — 50%
Level 2 — 100%
And Level 2 is honestly wild.
The bass becomes significantly deeper and punchier, and if you’re a serious bass lover, this is probably the setting you’ll keep coming back to.
Personally, I prefer Level 1 because it adds noticeable weight to the low end without overwhelming the vocals and other frequencies. Level 2 is fun when you specifically want that extra thump, while Off is the better choice if you prefer a more balanced presentation.
The official guide also confirms that Bass Enhancement is designed to add more weight to the low end while keeping the rest of the music clear.
EQ: You Can Tune It Your Way
Another major advantage is the amount of control you get through the Nothing X app.
There are six professionally tuned EQ presets:
Immersion Boost
Pop
Rock
Electronic
Enhance Vocals
Classical
And if none of those work for you, you can create your own custom EQ.
That means the CMF Buds Neo aren’t locked into one particular sound signature. You can make them more bass-heavy, bring out vocals or create a more balanced profile depending on what you listen to.
The official guide confirms both the six presets and custom EQ functionality.
Spatial Sound: A Wider Soundstage
CMF Buds Neo also support static spatial audio.
Instead of making the sound feel like it’s coming directly from two tiny speakers inside your ears, spatial sound creates a broader sound field around you
I particularly found this more interesting while watching movies and concert recordings. It gives the audio a wider presentation and makes the experience feel more immersive.
It’s not a feature you’ll necessarily keep enabled for every song, but it’s a nice option to have when you want a wider presentation.
ANC: 35dB and Surprisingly Useful
Now let’s talk about Active Noise Cancellation.
The CMF Buds Neo offer up to 35dB Adaptive ANC. You can choose between three ANC levels manually, or simply leave it on Adaptive mode so the earbuds can adjust according to your surroundings
Of course, 35dB isn’t competing with the very best flagship TWS earbuds on the market, but that’s not really the point here.
For everyday situations, the ANC does a good job.
It works particularly well against constant background noise such as an air conditioner, office ambience and general environmental noise. When you’re listening to music, podcasts or watching videos, it helps create a quieter environment without needing to crank up the volume.
If you travel regularly using buses, trains or other public transport, I think ANC can genuinely make these earbuds more useful.
Personally, I would stick with Adaptive ANC most of the time because it provides the most convenient balance.
And when you need to hear what’s happening around you, you can switch to Transparency Mode.
That’s particularly useful while walking outdoors, talking to someone or when you simply want to remain aware of your surroundings without taking the earbuds out.
Calling: Four Microphones
For calls, the CMF Buds Neo have four microphones—two on each earbud.
These work with CMF’s Clear Voice Technology to improve voice clarity during calls, including when you’re outdoors or moving around.
I also tested the microphone quality during calls, and the overall voice pickup was quite good for an everyday TWS pair.
Of course, microphone performance can vary depending on your environment—especially in very noisy outdoor situations—but for regular phone calls, meetings and voice conversations, the Buds Neo do a solid job.
Connectivity: Bluetooth 6.0 + Dual Device
Connectivity is another area where these earbuds punch above their entry-level positioning.
You get Bluetooth 6.0, with a rated range of up to 10 metres, along with Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. Dual-device connection is also supported.
Google Fast Pair is particularly convenient. Open the case near a compatible Android device and you can quickly start the pairing process through the pop-up.
Dual-device connectivity is something I genuinely appreciate in everyday use.
For example, you can connect the earbuds to your smartphone and laptop at the same time. That means you don’t have to constantly disconnect and reconnect when switching between devices
If you use a phone and tablet, phone and laptop, or multiple devices throughout the day, this is a very useful feature.
Low-Lag Mode: Great for Gaming and Movies
The CMF Buds Neo also have a dedicated Low Latency Mode, which CMF specifies at 120ms, and it can be manually activated through the Nothing X app
I’m not a hardcore gamer, but during my testing, the latency felt impressively low.
For casual gaming, the delay was barely noticeable, and even while watching movies and videos, lip-sync was spot-on in my experience.
So while I wouldn’t call these dedicated gaming earbuds, the Low-Lag Mode definitely makes them more versatile.
Touch Controls: Simple and Customisable
The touch controls cover all the usual functions.
By default, you can use gestures for things such as:
Double tap — Next track / reject call
Triple tap — Previous track
Hold — Noise cancellation / Transparency
Press and hold — Volume control
And the best part is that these controls are customisable through the Nothing X app.
So you can configure the controls according to your own preferences instead of being forced to use a fixed layout.
One thing that is missing, however, is in-ear detection.
That means the earbuds don’t automatically pause playback when you remove them. Considering the overall positioning of the Buds Neo, I don’t think this is a deal-breaker, but it is something worth mentioning.
Nothing X App: Simple but Feature-Rich
The Nothing X app is one of the strongest parts of the overall experience.
Once the CMF Buds Neo are connected, the app gives you a clean overview of the earbuds and charging case, including battery information.
From there, you can control almost everything:
ANC
Transparency Mode
Spatial Sound
Bass Enhancement
EQ presets
Custom EQ
Touch controls
Low-Lag Mode
Dual-device connection
Device settings
Find My Earbuds
The app doesn’t feel unnecessarily complicated. Everything is laid out in a relatively simple way, while still giving you enough control to customize the earbuds.
The official guide specifically highlights ultra-low-latency gaming mode, personalized controls, dual-device connection and sound presets as key parts of the Nothing X experience.
Battery Life: One of the Biggest Strengths
Battery life is another major highlight.
Each earbud has a 45mAh battery, while the charging case packs a 460mAh battery. CMF rates the earbuds for up to 11 hours of music playback with ANC off, or up to 8 hours with ANC on. With the charging case, the total is rated at 52 hours with ANC off and 30 hours with ANC on.
CMF also claims that just 10 minutes of charging can give up to 5.5 hours of playback with ANC off. A full charge takes around 70 minutes through USB-C.
On paper, 52 hours is excellent for this category.
In real-world use, however, actual battery life will naturally depend on volume, ANC, codec and other settings. In my usage, I would expect the practical figure to be lower than the maximum advertised figure—but there’s still plenty of endurance here for everyday use.
The important thing is that battery anxiety isn’t really something you need to worry about with these.
Durability: Keep the Case Away From Water
The earbuds themselves come with an IP54 rating, which provides protection against dust and water splashes. The charging case, however, is rated only IPX2
So yes, the earbuds should be fine with sweat and mild splashes, making them suitable for everyday use and light workouts.
But don’t treat the charging case the same way.
The case has a much lower water-resistance rating, so keep it dry and away from rain or accidental spills.
A Few Things I Would Have Liked to See
The CMF Buds Neo aren’t perfect, and there are a few compromises.
First, there’s no in-ear detection, so playback doesn’t automatically pause when you remove an earbud.
Second, while the 35dB ANC is useful, it’s not going to compete with the noise cancellation performance of significantly more expensive flagship earbuds.
And finally, there’s no charging cable included in the box. The official box contents include the earbuds, charging case, S/M/L ear tips and documentation, but no cable.
None of these are deal-breakers for me, especially considering the overall feature set.
Final Verdict
The CMF Buds Neo are exactly the kind of earbuds that make sense for everyday users
They are lightweight and comfortable, have an eye-catching dual-tone design, deliver energetic sound through their 12.4mm dynamic drivers, offer custom EQ and Bass Enhancement, include useful spatial audio, provide up to 35dB Adaptive ANC, support dual-device connectivity and have excellent battery endurance on paper.
And then there’s the Nothing X app, which brings all these features together in a clean and easy-to-use interface.
What I particularly like is that CMF hasn’t tried to turn the Buds Neo into an unnecessarily complicated product. Instead, it focuses on the features most people actually use while adding a few extras that genuinely improve the experience.
For me, the White & Orange colourway is the star of the show. It looks distinctive, feels very CMF and adds some personality to what is otherwise a very crowded TWS market.
If you’re looking for an everyday pair of earbuds that offer good sound, strong bass, useful ANC, long battery life, low-latency mode, dual-device connectivity and a fun design without getting overly complicated, the CMF Buds Neo make a very compelling case
They’re not trying to be the most expensive or most technically ambitious earbuds around.
They’re simply trying to be pretty perfect for everyday listening—and that’s exactly where they work best.
