Last month, Nothing’s budget sub-brand, CMF, launched its new series of wireless earbuds alongside the Phone 2 Pro (our review here). The series comprises three variants – Buds 2a, Buds 2, and Buds 2 Plus. We reviewed the top-spec Buds 2 Plus earlier this month and found it to be one of the best TWS offerings in its segment. Now, we turn our attention to the Buds 2, which undercuts the Plus variant by Rs 600 while matching most of its specs. Here is our in-depth review of the CMF Buds 2 TWS.
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In This Article
CMF Buds 2 Review: Design
Here’s what you get inside the CMF Buds 2’s retail box:
- Charging case with earbuds inside
- Extra eartips (S and L sizes)
- Safety information booklet
The Buds 2 follow CMF’s signature design language. It looks identical to the Plus variant. The only difference is that its dial has a glossy finish instead of a matte texture. The plastic body retains the matte finish and has a premium in-hand feel. The hinge is strong and durable. The bottom-right corner of the lid is branded with the ‘CMF by Nothing’ lettering. The USB Type-C port is placed on the right edge of the case, and the LED notification light is positioned below the lid.
The Buds 2 earbuds are fractionally smaller than their Buds 2 Plus counterparts. The difference is unnoticeable unless you take a look at the spec sheet or try both pairs of earbuds at the same time. The Buds 2 fit us better than the Buds 2 Plus. The in-ear design provides a comfortable and secure fit. We did not feel any ear fatigue even after wearing the earbuds for multiple hours on end.
The stems of the earbuds have a matte finish. There is a small glossy circle at the top to mark the touch-sensitive area. The touch controls are tuned very nicely. Accidental triggers are rare, if there are any at all. Each earbud has 3 HD microphones.
The IP55 dust and water resistance of these earbuds comes in handy when you wear them while working out. They remain unbothered by excessive sweat. There is no drop in performance to be seen. However, the inner ear sweat causes the fit to loosen up a bit.
CMF Buds 2 Review: Performance
The CMF Buds 2 are equipped with 11mm PMI drivers with Dirac Opteo. Meanwhile, the Plus variant of the TWS channels its output through 12mm LCP drivers. The base variant offers 2 audio codecs: SBC and AAC. The LDAC codec is exclusive to the Plus model. Both offerings support Bluetooth 5.4, Google Fast Pair, and Microsoft Swift Pair.
The CMF Buds 2’s soundstage is very similar to the Plus variant. We like the open and expansive nature of this soundstage. While it is far from neutral, we like Nothing’s signature on the output. The low frequencies are slightly boosted, but the mids and highs get enough room to express themselves. If you’re a hardcore basshead, the Nothing X app offers an ‘Ultra Bass’ option that goes up to 5 levels of intensity.
You can use the Nothing X app to customise the equaliser as well. By default, it is set to the Dirac Opteo profile. There are 5 other presets on offer – Pop, Rock, Classical, Electronic, and Enhance Vocals. If none of these options rock your boat, you can set up your own custom profile.
On top of an exceptional soundstage, the CMF Buds 2 offer an exquisite ANC experience. These earbuds can nullify up to 48dB of surrounding sounds within a 5,200Hz frequency range. We used this feature in public transportation and were pleased to see how easily the earbuds nullified the sounds emanating from the engine. The sound of traffic still managed to filter through, but its intensity was greatly reduced. The Nothing X app offers 4 ANC modes – Low, Mid, High, and Adaptive. The Transparency mode is also accessible from the app. You can toggle between the two modes by long-pressing either earbud.
The Nothing X app can also be used to remap the touch controls on the earbuds. Interestingly, there is no option to program a single tap on the earbuds. We like this because it eliminates accidental touches for the most part. You can answer calls by double-tapping an earbud. The calling experience is pretty standard for the segment. The earbuds do a good job of extracting the caller’s voice from the surrounding sounds, but the audio quality is a little boxy.
The CMF Buds 2 offer multi-device connectivity. You can pair these earbuds with 2 devices at once. They are able to switch between the 2 devices very seamlessly. In-ear detection is another feature offered by this TWS that we like a lot. As soon as you pull an earbud out of your ear, your device pauses the media that it is playing. Lastly, there’s a nifty ‘Low lag’ mode that drops the latency of the earbuds down to 110ms while gaming. This is a nice feature to have, but most earbuds in this segment are able to drop their latency down to 50/60ms.
Each earbud is equipped with a 53mAh battery pack, and there’s an additional 460mAh in the case. With ANC off, you can push the battery life of the earbuds to 13.5 hours. The case offers 55 hours worth of backup. With ANC turned on, the earbuds can go up to 7.5 hours on a full charge, while the case lasts up to 32 hours. Using a USB Type-C cable, it takes 90 minutes to fully charge the TWS.
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Verdict
The CMF Buds 2 are a massive disruptor in the budget TWS segment. Its expansive soundstage, incredible ANC skills, and versatile battery life are unmatched in this price bracket. On top of that, the minimal design and premium finish of the product elevate its appeal massively. We aren’t entirely satisfied with the low latency mode of these earbuds, but if you’re not a serious gamer, it won’t be an issue for you.
CMF Buds 2: Pros
- Minimal design
- Good soundstage
- Great ANC
CMF Buds 2: Cons
- Not designed for heavy gaming
