CMF Buds Review: A Strong Contender for Best Affordable TWS Earbuds in India

Nothing recently dropped its most affordable smartphone in India in the form Phone 2a. However, the Nothing Phone 2a wasn't the only product unveiled, the brand also unveiled a new pair of true wireless and neckband earbuds in its more affordable 'CMF series.

But our focus today is on the CMF Buds by Nothing, which is a more affordable version of the Nothing CMF Buds Pro. The Nothing CMF Buds carry a price tag of Rs 2,499, putting them in India's budget true wireless earbuds segment. Let's find out how they fare for a pair of entry-level TWS earbuds.

PROS

• Solid Build Quality
• Good Audio for the Price
• Feature-Packed
• Reliable Battery Life
• Decent Active Noise Cancellation

CONS

• Charging Cable Not Included
• Call Quality Could Be Better

Design & Build

First off, the design is quite simple. The earbuds come in Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Orange color options. The case features a smooth matte finish and is resistant to smudges, while a rotary dial on the top can be used to attach a lanyard to it. The magnets on the case ensure that the buds are properly positioned in the case and the lid is shut tight.

The case also has a USB Type-C port, a pairing button, an LED indicator, and the 'CMF' logo. The earbuds feature a combination of matte and gloss plastic. They opt for an in-ear design and in my brief time with them, they sat securely into my ears, evening while cycling on bumpy roads.

Additionally, the CMF Buds are IP54 rating for resistance to mild splashes of water and sweat. While the earbuds and case are made of plastic, their matte finish gives them an edgy look. While the CMF Buds fall under Rs 2,500, they certainly don't look. You can also buy a lanyard separately, although Nothing's custom one doesn't look all that good.

Touch Controls

The top of the stem of each earbud houses touch controls. You can control playback, adjust volume, answer or reject calls, bring up the voice assistant, and switch between noise cancellation and transparency mode using the touch controls. Moreover, these controls are fully customizable in the Nothing X app.

Software and Features

The Nothing CMF Buds can be paired to your phone using the Nothing X app. The app gives you access to several features. And for a pair of budget earbuds, the CMF Buds pack a ton of features. Apart from customizing touch controls, you can also access the Equalizer in the app, which has six preset options.

The Equalizer feature also comes with a custom mode to tailor the sound to your liking. Additionally, the Ultra Bass feature does exactly what it says, pumping up the bass. The Ultra Bass feature has five different levels and can be turned off depending on your preference. Lastly, Nothing also lets you to switch between the Noise Cancellation and Transparency modes in the app.

Nothing's latest budget true wireless earbuds also support Microsoft Swift Pair and Google Fast Pair. The earbuds also feature a Low Lag mode for gaming and Dual-Device connection, allowing you to effortlessly switch between devices. The Nothing CMF Buds also support Bluetooth 5.3 and in-ear detection, which works flawlessly. For a pair of affordable true wireless earbuds, the CMF Buds pack a ton of features.

Performance

Our audio quality experience on the Nothing CMF Buds were surprisingly good, especially considering the price of these earbuds. The sound is handled by a 12.4mm bio-fibre driver that delivers thumping bass and crisp highs, which can overshadow the mids at times.

The audio on the Nothing CMF Buds are tuned by Dirac and offer decent instrument separation and clear vocals. You can tone the bass down through the app using the Ultra Bass option, while the EQ has a Dirac Opteo option to offer a more balanced sound stage.

Another major highlight of the Nothing CMF Buds is that they support active noise cancellation (ANC) up to 42dB. This is just about enough to cut out ambient sounds coming from a fan or people yelling in the background. It also drowns out most noise coming from vehicles, so far as they don't get too close, while the annoyance of horns is significantly minimized.

If you aren't a fan of active noise cancellation, you can turn it off or switch to transparency mode, which allows you to clearly hear ambient sound in your vicinity. The noise cancellation on the CMF Buds were impressive to say the least, definitely punching above their price.

The Nothing CMF Buds also pack 4 HD mics with Clear Voice technology for calling. The call quality on the earbuds are good indoors but below-par in outdoor or noisier environments. Background noise leaks in quite a bit, so we'd recommend only using these earbuds for calling in quiet spaces.

Battery

The Nothing CMF Buds pack a 45mAh battery in each bud and a 460 mAh battery in the case. Nothing claims that the earbuds can offer a total of 24 hours of battery life with the case and 5.6 hours on a single charge with ANC turned on.

They also claim that battery life is bumped up to 35.5 hours in total and 8 hours with the buds with ANC and Transparency modes turned off. These numbers were strictly for playback and are reduced when talking. We couldn't test Nothing's claims, but we can say that earbuds do get close to this figure.

After cycling for two hours, excluding any breaks, I was left with a 50% charge with active noise cancellation turned on and the volume set to 60%. Moreover, the earbuds also support fast charging, delivering a full charge in an hour and 6.5 hours of battery life with the case with a 10-minute charge. Although this drops to 4.3 hours with ANC/Transparency turned on.

Verdict

With a price tag of Rs 2,499, it is hard not to recommend the Noting CMF Buds. These are the best true wireless earbuds we've tested for under Rs 2,500. Not only do the CMF Buds offer a ton of features, but they also deliver an excellent audio experience, giving you plenty of options to tailor the sound to your liking.

Furthermore, the active noise cancellation on these buds is surprisingly effective, while the transparency mode also works well in most scenarios. Then there's the smudge-resistant matte finish, secure fit, and fully customizable touch controls to make the overall experience a tad bit more convenient.

Adding to the myriad of features and respectable performance is a stylish design and solid build. Nothing has certainly upped the ante in the budget true wireless segment with the CMF Buds, earning them an easy recommendation in our book for anyone with a budget of less than Rs 3,000.