CMF Buds 2 Plus Review: A Stylish Budget Performer That Falls Just Short of Greatness

Price: ₹3,299 | Rating: ★★★☆☆

The CMF Buds 2 Plus, the most premium of Nothing’s entry-level audio lineup, bring a lot to the table for their asking price. At just ₹3,299 in India ($39 globally), these true wireless earbuds promise LDAC high-res audio, up to 50dB active noise cancellation, and a clean, Nothing-branded app experience—a spec sheet that sounds impressive for budget buyers. But does the execution live up to the ambition?

Here’s a full breakdown of how they perform across design, audio, features, and battery life.

🔶 Design & Comfort: Premium Looks, Budget Feel

On first glance, the CMF Buds 2 Plus look more expensive than they are. The case features a soft-touch finish, tight panel gaps, and an aluminum dial that doubles as a lanyard loop (and a fidget toy). It’s a slick presentation, though the dial remains ornamental—adding no real function unlike the rotating dial on Nothing’s Buds Pro 2.

The earbuds mirror the design language of previous CMF models. They’re lightweight and comfy for short periods, but the ear tips let them down. The tacky, stiff silicone doesn’t mold well to the ear canal, often requiring constant adjustment for a proper seal—especially if you move your jaw or walk around. Competing products, like the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, ship with noticeably better tips at a similar price.

🔧 Software & Features: Clean UI, But Half-Baked EQ

The CMF Buds 2 Plus are powered by the Nothing X app, one of the better-designed TWS companion apps in the budget category. It gives you access to:

• ANC controls (three levels + adaptive)

• Transparency mode

• Personal sound profile

• Ultra Bass tuning (0–5 levels)

• Equalizer with presets

• Firmware updates & touch controls

While the app is simple and effective, the 3-band circular EQ is limiting, unintuitive, and drastically affects volume. There’s also no access to the 8-band EQ found on pricier Nothing models—an unfortunate omission that seems artificial.

Features like spatial audio and personal tuning sound good on paper but lack polish. Spatial audio is generic without Dolby Atmos-level finesse or head tracking. The personal sound test struggles in noisy environments and relies too heavily on the hardware’s accuracy.

🎧 Audio Quality: Bass-Heavy Crowd Pleaser

Under the hood, the Buds 2 Plus pack 12mm LCP drivers, and support SBC, AAC, and LDAC (990kbps) codecs.

• Bass: Strong—sometimes overbearing, especially with the default “Pop” tuning. Even with Ultra Bass turned off, the low end can swamp mids in busy tracks.

• Mids: Present but slightly compressed. Vocals have a slight nasal tone but aren’t buried.

• Highs: Smooth but uninspiring, lacking crispness or sparkle.

For casual users, the tuning is enjoyable for mainstream genres like pop, EDM, and Bollywood. However, for listeners who want balanced sound or detail, the CMF Buds 2 Plus come off as muddy and unrefined.

Switching to the Classical preset with Ultra Bass at level 2 gives a more balanced profile—recommended for those seeking clarity.

🎤 Microphone: Surprisingly Clear

Call quality is above average. The six-mic setup captures voices cleanly with minimal distortion. While volume fluctuates slightly, the overall output is more natural than what you’d get on many similarly priced earbuds, including the Nord Buds 3 Pro.

🔇 ANC & Transparency: Decent for the Price

Claiming up to 50dB ANC, the Buds 2 Plus deliver respectable noise suppression, particularly in low to mid frequencies. High frequencies still seep in—partly due to the poor ear tip seal—but overall, ANC performance is acceptable at this price point.

Transparency mode is functional, though not quite as natural as what premium earbuds offer.

🔌 Connectivity, Latency & Battery: Solid Showing

• Connection: Stable with AAC and LDAC, especially when paired with Nothing phones. LDAC at 990kbps worked best on Nothing Phone (2).

• Latency: Hit or miss. Some games and apps showed no delay; others did, even with low-latency mode enabled.

• Battery: Excellent.

  • AAC: 14 hrs 23 mins

  • LDAC: 8 hrs 34 mins

  • Quick Charge (10 min): ~4.5 hrs (AAC)

These numbers match Nothing’s official claims—a rarity in this segment.

✅ Pros

• Excellent build quality for the price

• LDAC support for high-res audio

• Strong battery life

• Clean, minimalist app experience

• Decent ANC and mic performance

• Functional feature set (spatial audio, personal tuning)

❌ Cons

• Overwhelming bass and poor tonal balance

• Cheap, uncomfortable ear tips affect fit and ANC performance

• 3-band EQ is clunky and limiting

• Spatial audio and personal sound are underwhelming

• No functional use for the rotating dial

🟨 Verdict: Good, But Not the Budget King

The CMF Buds 2 Plus are a solid option for casual listeners who value style, good build quality, and long battery life. While audio purists and seasoned users may find the tuning too bass-heavy and the EQ too simplistic, first-time buyers or those upgrading from wired headphones will appreciate the value.

Still, Nothing misses an opportunity to truly elevate this ‘Plus’ model with better ear tips, a functional dial, and a usable EQ. For now, it remains a competent all-rounder that doesn’t quite outclass rivals like the OnePlus Nord Buds 3 Pro, but can easily win over fans of the CMF design aesthetic.