Lately, Nothing has been on a hot streak with the release of two phones within four months and their Ear (a) buds earning a spot on our Best Gadgets of the Month list. Founded by Carl Pei, CMF is the sub-brand of Nothing that focuses on ultra-low-cost earbuds and smartwatches. In June, CMF launched the Flagship buds and the Buds Pro 2, the successor to the Buds Pro. The striking orange shade of the charging case, customizable smart dial, and $60 price tag immediately caught my attention. The retro look of the earbuds gives off a Teenage Engineering studio vibe, especially with the analog dial on the charging case. However, compared to offerings from Samsung and OnePlus at the same price point, the CMF Buds Pro 2 fall short in terms of quality and functionality.
The design of the Buds Pro 2 is sleek, with the bright orange color standing out. The charging case is lightweight and made of plastic, but doesn’t feel cheap. The customizable smart dial on the case is a unique addition, allowing for various actions to be assigned through the companion app. However, the controls on the buds themselves are not intuitive and lack a single tap gesture for pause/play. The ChatGPT integration, while impressive for a $60 pair of buds, is glitchy and not entirely hands-free.
In terms of sound quality and ANC, the Buds Pro 2 provide a painfully average audio experience. The bass-heavy sound profile lacks brightness and vocal clarity, requiring manual tweaking through the EQ settings. The ANC feature is mediocre, only slightly reducing ambient noise.
On the bright side, the battery life of the Buds Pro 2 is impressive, with a claimed 43-hour battery life that should last more than a week with moderate usage. Overall, while the CMF Buds Pro 2 offer some unique features and a stylish design, they fall short in terms of sound quality, controls, and ANC performance compared to other options in the same price range.