CMF by Nothing has been steadily carving its space in the affordable audio market, and with the Buds 2 and Buds 2 Plus, the company shows it isn’t slowing down. Both models strike a balance between style, practicality, and performance—delivering solid everyday earbuds at prices that don’t pinch the wallet.
While the Buds 2 focus on nailing the essentials with dependable ANC, clear sound, and marathon battery life, the Buds 2 Plus turn things up slightly with LDAC support, a richer audio profile, and a more refined design. Let’s take a deeper dive.
Design & Build
CMF stays true to its clean, modern aesthetic with both the Buds 2 and Buds 2 Plus. CMF Buds 2 come in a minimalist matte square case that’s resistant to fingerprints and includes a transparent rotating loop—great for attaching a lanyard. The earbuds are lightweight, sit securely in the ear, and are IP55-rated, making them workout-ready. The pairing button is placed inside the case, making it easier. But CMF could’ve added a highlight to the button for easy spotting.
Coming to the Buds 2 Plus, they elevate the visual and tactile appeal with a smoother soft-touch case and a more premium finish on the earbuds to justify the price hike. Despite the design upgrade, they remain light and pocketable.
Both models pair easily via Bluetooth 5.4 and offer an excellent experience via the Nothing X app, with customisable touch gestures that let you control playback, ANC modes, and volume—all without pulling out your phone.
Audio
The CMF Buds 2 feature 11mm custom drivers that offer a clean, consumer-friendly sound. There’s enough bass for most users without drowning out the mids and highs. It’s a versatile profile suited for casual listeners across genres, with solid vocals.
The Buds 2 Plus take things up a notch with larger 12mm LCP drivers and support for LDAC Hi-Res Audio, for improved clarity, separation, and richness. Bass is higher here—sometimes a bit too much on the default setting—but the Personal Sound Profile feature lets you fine-tune audio to your hearing. The difference is noticeable for trained ears but not overwhelmingly better for casual users.
On the default setting, though, the CMF Buds 2 did a surprisingly better job with better clarity in vocals and balanced bass.
ANC & Call Quality
CMF Buds 2 deliver impressive adaptive ANC at their price point, cutting down background noise effectively in busy office or during commute. The Buds 2 Plus manage to slightly up the ante by blocking out more low and mid-frequency noise, but the difference is barely noticable. The transparency modes on both are quite usable for conversations without sounding robotic.
Call clarity is good on both, but Buds 2 Plus edge ahead, offering more natural voice rendering and better background noise suppression during calls.
Battery Life
Battery life is a strong suit for both. CMF Buds 2 promise 13.5 hours without ANC (7.5 hours with ANC), and we clocked in a reliable 8–9 hours in real use. The case adds up to 55 hours total, and a 10-minute quick charge gives 4 hours of playback.
Buds 2 Plus improve slightly with 14 hours (AAC) and 9–10 hours (LDAC), even outperforming CMF’s own claims in real-world usage. Quick charging here gives about 5 hours with a 10-minute top-up—a lifesaver for power users.
Verdict
CMF Buds 2 are an easy recommendation if you’re looking for affordable, well-rounded earbuds with excellent ANC, clean audio, and long battery life—all packed in a compact, stylish form. They’re no-frills in the best way, focusing on getting the fundamentals right without fluff. At Rs 2,699, they’re a great choice under Rs 3,000.
If you want more premium sound and features like LDAC support, custom sound profiles, and slightly better ANC, the CMF Buds 2 Plus are worth the Rs 600 premium. They’re not revolutionary, but offer a good variety to customers looking for more options.
