I’ll admit it — I haven’t paid close attention to Nothing’s audio ecosystem since I tried the original Nothing Ear (stick) years ago. All I have known is that their earbuds look attractive, sound good and no longer cater to the budget segments. It’s the CMF sub-brand that’s catering to the entry-level space, trying to appeal to the youth, the professionals and everyone who seeks something different. The latest CMF Buds Neo stick to that philosophy, and with a price tag of Rs 2,199, they appeal to the wallet too.
You see, not everybody can afford something exorbitant like Apple’s AirPods Pro, or Samsung’s Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. For people like me who use something premium like the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro daily, it always seems smart to reserve its superior audio performance for special occasions and not expose it to the harsh outdoors and risk damaging it. I prefer an alternate pair of earbuds that’s durable, easy to use, and, most importantly, cheap.
My go-to pair for my aural side-hustles has been Realme’s Buds T200 – something that gives me the luxury of decent ANC, great battery and nice overall audio output, all for just Rs 2,000. Nothing has designed the CMF Buds Neo for the exact purpose, pricing it at Rs 2,199.
My previous experiences with Nothing earbuds have been good. Hence, I wondered whether the CMF Buds Neo delivers or disappoints.
CMF Buds Neo is designed to be both chic and durable
Cheap TWS earbuds don’t bother with trivial aspects like design – they either look like a plastic pebble or an AirPods clone. I am glad to see Nothing stressing a unique design for its cheapest wireless earbuds. The case still looks like a compact powder box, but the colour contrast is striking – my unit has the cream white-orange colour combo, which, while being a dirt magnet, looks attractive. The matte finish resists micro-scratches, and the orange dial thingy, which doubles up as a fun plaything, hides a lanyard cable port. The USB-C port and the LED indicator don’t break into the visual theme either. The case looks like a toy.
As for the earbuds, they look ordinary and sit discreetly within the ear. I admire how the playful orange accent is only restricted to the eartips.
CMF says the earbuds score high on durability too. An IP54 rating for the buds and IPX2 for the case allow them to be resistant to the harsh outdoors we expose our gadgets to. I miss a pairing button, though, and the gesture-based mechanism is not as intuitive.
How does it sound?
I wasn’t expecting the CMF Buds Neo to dethrone my Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, and they don’t. But compared to my everyday Realme T200, the Buds Neo put up a surprisingly good show.
Most budget-centric earbuds tend to focus their tuning towards a strong bass and enhanced bottom-end. The Buds Neo doesn’t differ, keeping its audio signature skewed towards the lower frequencies, which leads to a heavy, bassy note for most songs. What I admire is that the low-end has a satisfying rumble without muddying vocals. You can tweak the audio signature using six EQ presets to tailor it to your liking, but that pre-defined alignment with bass is present.
I also admire how CMF provides a dedicated bass boost option in the Nothing X app, which adds that thumpy bass to almost anything to your listen. Hence, be it the neo-retro remixes from Dhurandhar, or Michael Jackson’s mellow numbers like ‘Human Nature’, you get those thumpy bass notes that most bass lovers ask for.
The Buds Neo also offer adaptive ANC, which works decently indoors. For drowning out the office hum and keyboard clatter, it’s capable enough. However, the adaptive mode lets some voices filter in, and it’s only in the “high” setting that most of the voices are suppressed. Outdoors, the shrill of vehicle horns, annoying grinding of tiles, and crows tend to seep in occasionally, but it does enough to put the focus on what’s playing. The eartips do their bit in making the noise cancellation effective. The transparency mode is decent too, proving useful in times when you need to be chatty to your co-worker while needing your daily dose.
I didn’t face any connectivity concerns or issues during my time with the CMF Buds Neo. They pair quickly and retain the connection despite many interference sources nearby.
Battery life and endurance
The battery performance is satisfactory for a product in its category. I mostly use my earbuds up to 3 hours at a stretch, and so far, the earbuds have never given up on me, with the ANC system either in active mode or in transparency mode.
The charging case holds enough juice for four additional recharges. On average, I had to recharge the case once in 10 days, despite the earbuds having around 20 per cent charge. The charging speeds are fast enough – CMF says A quick 10-minute charge delivers up to 5.5 hours of music playback. I left it on the charger for an hour, and I was good to go for another 10 days.
Our verdict
After carrying the CMF Buds Neo around for two weeks, I can safely say they make for an attractive buy at this price. There is little to complain about here: the Buds Neo deliver a bass-forward sound, offer reliable battery life, and feel durable enough for daily abuse. While several TWS earbuds in this segment promise similar basics, the CMF Buds Neo stand out with their chic design and the polished Nothing X companion app, making them well worth considering.