It’s only been five months and already CMF, which is the affordable sub-brand of Nothing, has officially revealed its second lineup of products – a new even cheaper pair of Buds alongside a completely new device, the Neckband Pro.
Neckband-style earbuds haven’t been a popular headphone design for quite some time so we were surprised to say the least when we first heard about the Neckband Pro. But if there’s any company that could bring neckband earbuds back into vogue, CMF by Nothing is definitely it.
CMF isn’t alone in wanting to revive the design. Last year, we saw Beyerdynamic launch the Blue Byrd, which we fell in love with, especially for their super affordable price tag. But the new CMF Neckband Pro and Buds both massively undercut it. The Buds cost $39 in the US and £39 in the UK (about AU$60 in Australia), while the Neckband Pro is even cheaper still at $35 / £35.
CMF by Nothing Buds and Neckband Pro: Key specs
Let’s start with the Neckband Pro. When CMF by Nothing first teased this new headphone style, it said that it was the “first 50dB Hybrid ANC device in its category”, which we suspect refers to the best running headphones – a lot of which don’t support active noise cancellation (ANC).
This alone already makes the Neckband Pro a standout from the best workout headphones we’ve reviewed that do offer ANC like the Beats PowerBeats Pro, JBL Reflect Aero and Amazfit Powerbuds Pro – after all, hybrid ANC that intuitively adjusts the level of ANC is a feature that is increasingly being found in the best headphones.
On top of this premium ANC feature, you’re getting an IP55 rating for water and dust resistance, multi-device pairing, support for Bluetooth 5.3, Spatial Audio Effect and a fantastic 37 hours of battery life. Five mics are also built-in with a dual-channel design to help with wind noise reduction and make the call quality exceptionally clear.
Finally, there’s also the new Buds, which are a more affordable alternative to the Buds Pro that were released in September last year. The new model also comes in the same three colors, dark and light grey and the strikingly bold orange. It also uses a dynamic driver, although CMF indicates that it’s 12.4mm (it does not offer details about the size of the driver in the Pro).
Unlike the Buds Pro, the more stripped-back Buds model uses four mics instead of six and offers support voice assistant support. Aside from this, the buds are very similar on the spec front. Both have an IP54 rating, support for Bluetooth 5.3, touch controls as well as access to the Nothing X app and ANC of up to 45db.
Both products will see a staggered international rollout. The CMF by Nothing Buds will be launched in the US on March 28 but will be available sooner at the Nothing store in Soho, London, on March 9. Otherwise, those based in the UK can pre-order a pair from March 12 with shipping expected by March 18.
Meanwhile, the CMF Neckband Pro is set to become available in April in the US. The earbuds will also initially be available from the Soho store in London on the same day in March with online sales starting from March 18 in the UK.
