Even with a few compromises, CMF may have found the sweet spot for budget audio. Here’s our review.
The price of the CMF Buds Neo in India is set at Rs. 1,999
Over the years, Nothing's sub-brand CMF has built its reputation on products that are affordable but don't look or feel the same. The new CMF Buds Neo are the latest example of this approach. Priced at Rs. 1,999 in India, these are claimed to be the company's most accessible true wireless stereo (TWS) earbuds to date. The question is whether CMF has stripped things down to hit the price point, or whether the Buds Neo becomes a compelling option for anyone shopping on a tight budget.
If you've seen CMF's previous earbuds, then the Buds Neo will not feel too different. There are no major surprises in terms of design, as the brand has retained the familiar look while adding a few new colour combinations. I actually like this, since the slightly industrial design language has become CMF's calling card.
You get the typical CMF charging case with the distinctive circular design element, where you can attach the lanyard. But while the company's slightly more expensive offerings let you control the volume with the circular dial, it is just a visual element on the Buds Neo.
It is available in three colourways. I tested the Dark Blue variant, which pairs a stealthy black shell with blue accents. The matte texture looks slick and resists greasy smudges with ease. More importantly, though, the Buds Neo are extremely lightweight. I felt no weight once the earbuds were in my ears, and no discomfort even after a few hours of podcast listening.
The earbuds have an IP54 rating, which means they should handle sweat and light splashes. The charging case, however, is only IPX2 rated. I would be more careful with it around water.
The Buds Neo support Bluetooth 6.0, Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair, so getting them connected for the first time must be quick, right? Well… not entirely.
However, even before pairing the buds, I noticed the lack of a physical pairing button. Instead, you have to keep the charging case open for a couple of seconds, after which the pairing light begins blinking. While it works, a physical button would have made things simpler.
It took me a couple of tries to connect the CMF Buds Neo to my Pixel 11, while connecting them to my iPhone was slightly easier. Connectivity, meanwhile, has been reliable. I did not face random disconnections.
Connectivity, meanwhile, has been quite reliable during my testing. The brand has also equipped the earbuds with dual-device connectivity, which is appreciable at this price and also a lifesaver, since I frequently switch between my phone and laptop. The earbuds also support Spatial Sound, but I feel it is there to tick off a feature checklist rather than have an actual effect on the listening experience.
One feature that I genuinely missed is wear detection. This means you will have to manually pause/play audio if you remove the earbuds and put them back on. However, I can live with this trade-off since the audio experience hits the nail on the head (more about this later).
Like other earbuds from Nothing and its former sub-brand, the CMF Buds Neo are compatible with the Nothing X app. We've already praised it multiple times, so that I won't repeat it here. You can customise the touch controls, switch between noise-control modes, and enable 120ms low-latency mode.
CMF offers multiple EQ presets, including Immersion Boost, Pop, Rock, Electronic, Enhance Vocals and Classical. Using these, you can make the CMF Buds Neo sound noticeably different depending on how you tune them.
Out of the box, the tuning of the CMF Buds Neo is slightly on the bass-heavy side. I noticed that they were set on the Immersion Boost EQ setting, which makes the audio sound boomy. Diving into the Nothing X app to tweak the sound profile changes things dramatically, though.
The 12.4mm dynamic drivers deliver a lot more low-end than you would expect. CMF has tuned it to deliver pleasing, not neutral, audio. In my opinion, the buds have plenty of bass, vocals remain reasonably clear, and the overall tuning works well for streaming music, podcasts, and almost any everyday content. I could hear the different instruments in Eagles' Hotel California and Unholy (Orchestral Version) by Sam Smith.
The ANC was one of the pleasantly surprising aspects for me. While there are TWS earbuds in the sub-Rs. 2,000 price bracket that proudly carry the ANC tagline, only a few deliver what they promise. I'm happy to write that the CMF Buds Neo are among the few. CMF claims up to 35dB of Adaptive ANC, and the earbuds offer multiple noise-cancellation levels alongside Transparency mode.
I know these won't compete with premium earbuds. However, they do a good job of cutting down on the background noise. I found it most adept at suppressing predictable sounds like a fan and an AC. Constant honking in traffic or the hum of Delhi Metro, meanwhile, may still creep in a little.
Transparency mode is reasonably natural, too. It lets in enough sound that you remain aware of your surroundings without completely ruining whatever you are listening to. Call quality is another strong point, with the microphones clearly picking up my voice while attempting to suppress the ambient sounds.
The volume, meanwhile, is on another level completely. The CMF Buds Neo can get really, really loud. I found the 45–50 percent mark to be perfect on most occasions. You can take it a notch above, but distortion creeps in above 75–80 percent.
Battery life was never really a concern during my time with the buds. CMF claims up to 11 hours of playback with ANC switched off, and I got around 10 hours from the earbuds before putting them back in the case. With ANC enabled, that figure comes down, as you would expect. Using dual-device connectivity also has an impact, but I still did not find myself reaching for the charging case particularly often.
But even when you run out of juice, a 10-minute top-up can result in more than five hours of playback. Its quick charging feature can come in handy when you're about to leave home and find your earbuds dying on you, since just minutes of charging can give you hours of runtime.
At Rs. 1,999, the CMF Buds Neo get a lot of important things right. They are lightweight and comfortable, sound enjoyable, offer effective ANC, and have battery life that you rarely need to worry about. The Nothing X app is another plus, giving you plenty of control over the listening experience.
I do think there are a few misses, though. The lack of wear detection is disappointing, and pairing could have been made simpler with just an added button. Spatial Sound also does not add much to the experience.
The CMF Buds Neo are best suited for budget-conscious buyers who want an everyday pair for music, podcasts and calls, with good sound, useful ANC, and long endurance. The OnePlus Nord Buds 3r (review), also priced at Rs. 1,999, is a competing alternative.
Get your daily dose of tech news, reviews, and insights, in under 80 characters on Gadgets 360 Turbo. Connect with fellow tech lovers on our Forum. Follow us on X, Facebook, WhatsApp, Threads and Google News for instant updates. Catch all the action on our YouTube channel.