CMF launched its new series of affordable wireless earbuds alongside the Phone 2 Pro (our review here) last month. The Buds 2 TWS series consists of 3 offerings – Buds 2a, Buds 2, and Buds 2 Plus. The top-spec Plus variant fetches Rs 3,299. Its aggressive pricing places it below last year’s Buds Pro 2 in CMF’s catalogue. Whether there will be a Buds Pro 3 model this year, we’re not sure yet. In the meantime, we used the Plus variant of the Buds 2 TWS for a week and put it through a series of tests. Here is our in-depth review of the CMF Buds 2 Plus.
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In This Article
CMF Buds 2 Plus Review: Design
Here is what you get inside the CMF Buds 2 Plus’ retail box:
- Charging case with earbuds inside
- Extra eartips (S and L sizes)
- Safety information booklet
The design of the Buds 2 Plus (and the other two variants in the series) remains unchanged from the outgoing model. The compact charging case retains its square shape and rounded edges. The matte finish on the plastic body lends the case a nice in-hand feel. The round dial on the upper right corner has a couple of holes to attach a lanyard. The CMF logo on the lid has been replaced by the ‘CMF by Nothing’ branding. Right under the lid lies a small LED notification light. The right edge houses the USB Type-C port.
Despite its plastic build and budget pricetag, the CMF Buds 2 Plus does not feel like a cheap product. The quality of the material used on this device is very good. The charging case does not flex upon pressing, and its hinge feels pretty robust. We kept it in pockets with keys and loose change throughout the review period and were pleased to see that it did not garner any scratches. The Buds 2 Plus can withstand rough use.
The earbuds have the standard in-ear design. There are 2 extra eartips (Small and Large) in the box to cover all ear sizes. The stem has a matte finish while the inner panel is glossy. There is a small glossy circle on the upper end of the stem to mark the touch-sensitive area. The touch controls are tuned nicely, and accidental touches are very rare. The earbuds require a couple of twists to fit perfectly, but they do not require any further adjustment once they are secured. You can wear them for multiple hours without feeling any ear fatigue.
The earbuds are rated IP55 for dust and water resistance. We wore them while working out and were pleased to see they remained unfazed by excessive sweat. However, once things got sweaty, we had to stop working out on a couple of occasions to secure the fit. A matte finish on the inner panel would have resolved this issue.
CMF Buds 2 Plus Review: Performance
The CMF Buds 3 Plus channels its audio output through custom 12mm LCP drivers. There are 3 audio codecs on offer – AAC, SBC, and LDAC. The earbuds support Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair for quick and seamless pairing. With Bluetooth 5.4 onboard, the TWS has a 10m functional range.
The clear and open soundstage of the CMF Buds 2 Plus is its biggest asset. The low, mid, and high frequencies get a lot of room to breathe in the soundstage and express themselves distinctly. This results in a lot of clarity, where you can listen to the mix in great detail. Even the fine hits of the clapper are relayed with brilliant clarity.
The soundstage isn’t balanced by any means – CMF has curated a signature sound for itself in its short time in the market. However, it is impressive how its soundstage gets better with every product. The Buds 2 Plus have a very enjoyable ‘pop’ to them. The bass is slightly boosted, but it does not overpower the mix. The intensity of the mids and highs brings the mix to life. We listened to artists across genres like classic rock, heavy metal, grunge, and pop, and were very impressed with the versatility of these earbuds.
Typically, a good soundstage means that you have to compromise on some high-end features, but we’re glad to report that’s not the case here. The ANC chops of the CMF Buds 2 Plus are remarkable. These earbuds can cancel up to 50dB of surrounding sounds across a 5,400Hz frequency range. We put its ANC to the test while travelling on busy roads and were pleased to see how effortlessly it muted the sound of the traffic. While the loud honks managed to pass the filter, most of the annoying mechanical sounds were nullified with ease. In airplanes, the noise of the engine was about 80% nullified, which is very impressive for a TWS in this price bracket.
The call quality offered by the CMF Buds 2 Plus is satisfactory. While there’s still room for improvement, this price segment doesn’t necessarily spawn high-end TWS products with a spectacular calling experience. The Buds 2 Plus does a good job of extracting the speaker’s voice from the background noise and relaying it to the listener. The speaker’s voice sounds a little boxy, but it is passable for quick calls.
Premium features like in-ear detection, dual connection, spatial audio, low lag mode, earbuds finder, and customisable equaliser add a lot of value to the already affordable price tag of the Buds 2 Plus. The low lag mode drops the latency down to 105ms, which is suitable for average mobile gaming, but not close to the ideal 60/50ms mark. The spatial audio feature adds a new layer of immersiveness while gaming and watching movies. These features can be accessed from the Nothing X app. It remains one of the best TWS companion apps around.
Each earbud is equipped with a 53mAh battery pack while the charging case packs another 460mAh unit. With ANC turned off, the earbuds can last up to 14 hours on a full charge, with an additional 61.5 hours in the case. With ANC/transparency turned on, the battery life of the earbuds drops to 7.5 hours and the case to 33 hours. With a USB Type-C cable, the TWS takes 1.5 hours to charge.
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Verdict
The CMF Buds 2 Plus handles the essentials with the utmost expertise. It flaunts one of the best soundstages in its price bracket, punching way above its weight. The Active Noise Cancellation on offer here is versatile and well-tuned. You can put these earbuds on when you’re outside and not worry about the annoying traffic noises. Features like dual connection, in-ear detection, and spatial audio are the icing on the cake. At Rs 3,299, the CMF Buds 2 Plus is a very easy recommendation from us.
CMF Buds 2 Plus: Pros
- Great build
- Excellent soundstage
- In-ear detection
- LDAC support
CMF Buds 2 Plus: Cons
- Average call quality
