If you are out in the market for a pair of TWS under ₹5,000, then you are set with the CMF Buds Pro 2. With their dual driver setup, which has a lot of potential for the folks who are willing to tinker with the EQ baked into the very well-designed Nothing X app, ANC will serve you well in day-to-day use, and a microphone that is one of the best in this price range in my opinion, fitted into a well-designed package, with a functional dial, and we have a winner. Especially when you factor in their price tag of ₹4,299. These earbuds are the ones to beat in my opinion under the ₹5,000 mark. Realme Buds Air6 Pro do make a strong case, but their case (no pun intended), has a very polarising design that might not be liked by many. If you are able to get past that, then you have a worthy competitor for the CMF Buds Pro 2.
Another thought that I had with these earbuds is that, they leave very little to be desired, even when you pit them against the pricier Nothing Ear (a). When I reviewed the Nothing Ear (a), I mentioned that those earbuds are the ones for the audiophiles on a budget. However, after spending time with the CMF Buds Pro 2, doubts clouded my mind. If you are a stickler for design, then yes, you might lean towards the Nothing Ear (a). But if you are someone who prefers function over form, then there is not much that would make the case of the Nothing Ear (a) stronger when pitted against the CMF Buds Pro 2.
Nothing has outdone itself again with the CMF Buds Pro 2. In a market that, as a simple internet search will show you, is saturated with offerings in the TWS space across budgets, and even more in the sub-₹5,000 segment, you have the problem of plenty when you are out in the market looking for a pair of TWS in-ear earphones. Manufacturers across the board make lofty promises which they often fail to fulfil. However, in this sea of confusion, once in a while, you get products like the CMF Buds Pro 2, which make the process of making a decision as clear as a well-made crystal ball.
Having read this, you might have a fair idea of how these TWS in-ear earphones fared in my testing, so without spilling a lot of beans, I will dive into my review of the CMF Buds Pro 2 –
CMF Buds Pro 2 ace the colour, material, and finish!
The CMF Buds Pro 2 retain the quintessential Nothing form factor, which we saw in the CMF Buds that were launched earlier in the year. There are subtle differences in the design, but the case size and the buds’ design remain more or less the same, showing the CMF Buds Pro 2’s Nothing lineage. The biggest noticeable difference here is – the crown finally has functionality. More on that later.
Coming back to the design of the case and the buds, the branding on the case is printed on the screen instead of being moulded into the front. Still no metallic hinge, but the metal has been repurposed into the dial, which adds a ton of functionality. When you open the case, you find regulatory information printed on the inside of the lid and the CMF by Nothing branding in the area where the earbuds fit. On the stem of the buds, you will see the CMF iconography, which is about it. The colour scheme is monochromatic, and there is not much to talk about. The fit of the buds is more or less the same as the other Nothing products, and if the Nothing Ear fits you well, or if you were one of those who bought the Nothing Ear (1), then you will not have much to complain about here.
The build quality of the buds is solid and better than most other buds at this price. The case has a nice heft to it, the buds are sturdy yet lightweight, and the magnets holding the lid and the buds in place are plenty strong. There is not much to complain about here, apart from the fact that there is no metallic hinge. Metallic hinges provide a nice sturdiness to the case and, in the long term, add durability to it.
Nothing takes the victory home with the build and design of the CMF Buds Pro 2.
Packed to the brim with innovative features
In terms of the features, the CMF Buds Pro 2 are packed to the brim. The biggest highlight here is the smart control dial, which comes from the CMF Buds and has been brought to life by the brand. You can access the following controls from the dial itself –
- Rotate to control the volume
- Switch noise cancellation modes
- Play/pause
- Skip back/forward
- Voice Assistant
- Answer/hang up calls
- Mute/unmute microphone
- Turn Low Lag Mode on/off
There are five different dial actions – rotate, single-click, double-click, triple-click, and long-press – which you can configure for any of the above-listed actions from the Nothing X app. You can also turn the Smart Dial on and off by double pressing and holding the dial. In my time of use, I did not encounter any hitches using the dial, and its responsiveness was on point.
Coming to the other features, you get the regular suite that you would expect from a pair of TWS in-ear earphones that are priced at around ₹5,000. You have ANC (more on this later), Spatial Audio effect dual connection between devices, ChatGPT integration, and the best of them all, Dirac Opteo EQ preset, which you can enable in the Nothing X app.
What Dirac Opteo does, is that it tunes the audio to match the levels of different frequencies to match that of the original mastering of the track, while compensating for the limitations of the drivers of the buds, to ensure that you are listening to the track, as the artist intended. This feature knocks it out of the park, and for the purists, will be an instant selling point.
When you are in the Nothing X app, there are tons of other customisations that you can access to make the buds truly your own, and ChatGPT integration. The app interface is also on point, and the navigation is intuitive. You will have no issues when trying to tinker with the settings of the CMF Buds Pro 2.
You will need to tinker a bit to get the most performance out of the CMF Buds Pro 2
In terms of the performance of the CMF Buds Pro 2, you get about as much as you would expect from a pair of TWS in-ear earphones around the ₹5,000 mark. Let’s get started with the sound signature of the CMF Buds Pro 2.
With these earbuds, you have a dual-driver design consisting of an 11mm bass driver and a 6mm micro-planar tweeter. When working with a dual-driver setup, the brands have to be careful about frequency roll-off, which means that the frequencies produced by one driver overwhelm the others. In this case, the tuning by Nothing, ensures that out of the box, the bass produced by the 1mm driver is heavy and might sound muddy in some tracks; it holds its own when you tune the buds to your liking and works well in tandem with the mids and the highs produced by the 6mm micro-planar tweeter. You can see that for yourself in the sound signature graph of the CMF Buds 2 Pro –
The bass frequencies, up to the 250 Hz mark, are very heavily boosted out of the box, which may be overwhelming for folks who are not big fans of bass-heavy music. The mids do drown out on paper but are fairly perceivable when you are using these in-ear earphones. The highs have a subtle boost, which helps them rise against the bass frequencies, and they register their presence with authority. The sound stage of these earbuds is very intimate until you turn on the 360 spatial audio feature, which blows it wide open. And, thanks to the dual-driver design of these in-ear earphones, you will find above-par layering and separation compared to competitors in the price range. The cherry on the cake is the support for LDAC CODEC, which means you can stream Hi-Res content to these in-ear earphones.
As I mention in every audio review of mine – Everything related to audio is subjective. This stands true for the design, features, and, most importantly, the sound signature of the product.
As for the ANC, you get ANC that is on par with what I experienced on the Nothing Ear (1). In fact, these earbuds do remind me a lot of Nothing’s first offering in the TWS space. They cancel out background noise effectively and also ensure that droning sounds like those of an AC do not bother you. However, in noisier scenarios, like when the office was buzzing with people’s chatter all around me, I had to crank up the volume to around 60 per cent before I could drown out those sounds. And, like many other mid-range offerings, sharp sounds do remain a pain point for these in-ear earphones’ ANC.
The microphone on the CMF Buds Pro 2 performed surprisingly well in my test. As you can hear in the sample embedded below, my voice was clear, and these in-ear earphones did not pick up a lot of background chatter that was going on in the office. My voice was clear, and I did not sound like a different version of myself.
Battery life leaves a little to be desired
Nothing promises 4.3 hours of batter like with ANC on and with LDAC CODEC being used on the CMF Buds Pro 2. During my time of use, with the same CODEC and ANC setting, and volume set to 50 per cent, I got around 4 hours of continuous playback, which is not the best, but should be fine for most people. With the CODEC switched to AAC, and ANC turned off, you will be able to get much more playback time with these earbuds. You will also get around four more rounds of charging with some battery left in the case, so, you should be able to make it through the day with ease.
And, when you are out of charge, as claimed by Nothing, you can get up to 3 hours of playback on the buds and up to 7 hours with the case after a 10-minute charge, of course, with ANC turned off. Not bad at all. With ANC on, this number will drop to 1.8 hours on the buds and up to 6 hours of playback with the case.
Should you buy the CMF Buds Pro 2?
If you are out in the market for a pair of TWS under ₹5,000, then you are set with the CMF Buds Pro 2. With their dual driver setup, which has a lot of potential for the folks who are willing to tinker with the EQ baked into the very well-designed Nothing X app, ANC will serve you well in day-to-day use, and a microphone that is one of the best in this price range in my opinion, fitted into a well-designed package, with a functional dial, and we have a winner. Especially when you factor in their price tag of ₹4,299.
These earbuds are the ones to beat in my opinion under the ₹5,000 mark. Realme Buds Air6 Pro do make a strong case, but their case (no pun intended), has a very polarising design that might not be liked by many. If you are able to get past that, then you have a worthy competitor for the CMF Buds Pro 2.
Another thought that I had with these earbuds is that, they leave very little to be desired, even when you pit them against the pricier Nothing Ear (a). When I reviewed the Nothing Ear (a), I mentioned that those earbuds are the ones for the audiophiles on a budget. However, after spending time with the CMF Buds Pro 2, doubts clouded my mind. If you are a stickler for design, then yes, you might lean towards the Nothing Ear (a). But if you are someone who prefers function over form, then there is not much that would make the case of the Nothing Ear (a) stronger when pitted against the CMF Buds Pro 2.
CMF Buds Pro 2 Key Specs, Price and Launch Date
| Release Date: | |
| Market Status: | Launched |
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Satvik Pandey
Satvik Pandey, is a self-professed Steve Jobs (not Apple) fanboy, a science & tech writer, and a sports addict. At Digit, he works as a Deputy Features Editor, and manages the daily functioning of the magazine. He also reviews audio-products (speakers, headphones, soundbars, etc.), smartwatches, projectors, and everything else that he can get his hands on. A media and communications graduate, Satvik is also an avid shutterbug, and when he's not working or gaming, he can be found fiddling with any camera he can get his hands on and helping produce videos – which means he spends an awful amount of time in our studio. His game of choice is Counter-Strike, and he's still attempting to turn pro. He can talk your ear off about the game, and we'd strongly advise you to steer clear of the topic unless you too are a CS junkie. View Full Profile
