There’s a new sub-brand of Nothing called CMF by Nothing. There’s a bit of explanation that needs to be done. Carl Pei started the company Nothing to come up with accessible tech that goes big on experience and design. It has resulted in two iterations of Nothing Phone, a couple of Nothing Ear wireless buds and Ear (Stick), which too are sound cans. All of them have quirky, out-of-the-box designs and the software has a good flow to it. All of these products are of high quality and, at the same time, affordable.

Next, Nothing decided to make a product line that’s even more affordable, bringing CMF into the picture. In design lingo, CMF means colour, material and finish. There are three products from the sub-brand — CMF Watch Pro, CMF Buds Pro and CMF Power 65W GaN charger. Here’s where it gets complicated.

By introducing CMF, Nothing products, which enjoy a transparent design philosophy, appear like the more premium products from the company, perhaps giving Pei more room to work with the pricing of future Nothing products.

Today, we will be looking at Nothing Buds Pro only. So why is Pei making something cheaper than Nothing Ear wireless earbuds? Many people like to wear inexpensive earbuds during workouts or jogging because we tend to lose them, especially one bud. The next thing you know is you are on Amazon looking for another cheap pair.

To have better control over the wireless sound cans, use the Nothing X app

Unique design

Having the word ‘pro’ may mean there could be another CMF product that’s, well, not ‘pro’. I appreciate the round design of the charging case, which sort of reminds one of a cosmetic compact box and it also reminds me that there is a product called Nothing Ear Stick that’s shaped like a lipstick case. If you get the orange colour buds, it will go with one’s sports wardrobe.

The fit of the buds is excellent and it’s light. It sits just about inside the ear canal and that’s perfect. Helping the design is IP54 rating on the buds (not the case). It’s enough to take you running even when it drizzles.

Getting this to pair is easy and it features Bluetooth 5.3. You can use the Nothing X app that works with other Nothing accessories. The functionality through the app is the first area where CMF Buds Pro takes the lead over its rivals. There are plenty of options to play around with, like the equalizer and noise control (active noise cancellation (ANC) and transparency). You even get various levels of ANC. Also present is in-ear detection and ‘Find My Earbuds’.

Well-balanced sound

Working the earbuds is simple. The controls are on the stem and the bud didn’t miss a single tap during the time we had with it.

All this brings us to ANC performance. We are not sure how Pei’s team managed good ANC performance at the given price point. The depth of noise cancellation is 45dB and frequency range is 5,000Hz. Most of the irritating noises around us get cut off.

As far as sound goes, once again it does well. I didn’t have to push the earbuds beyond 70 per cent volume and there is no perceptible sound leakage at this level. The tuning is partial towards bass but that was meant to be. It’s just the earbuds I would listen to Drake or the Weeknd. If you go beyond bass, it does fairly well with the spacey sound Kacey Musgraves or the Corrs. The sound is well balanced where the treble hasn’t been messed up.

Microphone? There are six mics in total with clear voice technology. I like it but Oppo Enco Air 2 Pro does a better job in this department.

Should you buy it?

You get good battery life — 22 hours of playback with case and ANC turned on while switching off ANC will give 39 hours. That’s substantial. Personally, it’s a good product to have but if you log on to Amazon, there are a lot of similar products. Nothing has done a good job with the CMF Buds Pro. But there are two questions. First, is the brand name catchy enough to rock the Boats of the world? Second, will Nothing products get more expensive after the launch of the sub-brand? Anyway, forget all of that and focus on the Buds Pro, which has a clean soundstage.

At a glance

Device: CMF by Nothing Buds Pro

Price: Rs 3,499

High notes

Excellent soundstage for the pricing

Good app support

Enough battery life

Muffled note

The brand name doesn’t roll off the tongue. Is it CMF or CMS or CNN?!