CMF Buds by Nothing – first impressions review

CMF by Nothing brings the brand’s distinct design language to a more affordable price point. The new CMF Buds by Nothing are a case in point. These TWS Bluetooth earbuds land under Rs 2,500. Are these the best buds you can buy at this price?

Here’s our take after a week with these buds:

CMF buds by Nothing.

Orange is the new black: The CMF buds come in three colours. There’s black and white but you’re likely to gravitate to the cool shade of orange that sets these apart in a crowd. It’s more than just the appeal of the funky orange. The squarish plastic case looks quite premium with its matte finish. The rotatable grey wheel adds a cool contrast and allows you to tag the braided lanyard. The wheel doesn’t too much else other than provide a cure for fidgety fingers.

Punches above its weight: These buds are kitted with 12.4 mm drivers; mighty impressive for their asking price. Sound quality is impressive – we threw everything at it from lounge to hard rock. The companion app allows you to tweak bass settings and the equaliser allows to choose your preferred sound stage.

ANC is a nice touch: One of the biggest wins for these buds (given its price tag) is the active noise cancellation solution. CMF by Nothing pegs it at up to 42 dB of ANC and these buds do a great job at isolating you, even in noisy environments making it one of the best under Rs 3,000.

Dependable battery: The case is packed with a 460 mAh battery. There’s no charging cable in the box though. Nothing claims 35.5 hours of playback and fast charging should give you 6.5 hours with 10 minutes of charging. We think you should comfortably manage 30 hours.

The CMF Buds by Nothing tick most key boxes and are easily one of the best buys at this price band.

CMF Buds by Nothing cost Rs 2,499 and come in orange, black and white.