The CMF Buds Pro 2 pair dual drivers and LDAC with adaptive ANC that published tests rate above the budget baseline. The tuning runs bass-forward, LDAC plus ANC cuts battery to 4–6 hours, and outdoor calls suffer in wind. For Android commuters buying at the $39 sale prices seen through 2026, the value is hard to beat.
— THE VERDICT · JUDGEANY EDITORSCMF by Nothing launched the Buds Pro 2 in July 2024 (FoneArena), and the pitch hasn't changed since: dual drivers — an 11 mm bass driver and a 6 mm micro-planar tweeter — LDAC wireless audio, adaptive hybrid ANC rated at up to 50 dB, and a working Smart Dial on the charging case. Amazon owners rate the buds 4.3 out of 5 across more than 3,200 reviews (TunedRoom, October 2026), and the street price has spent much of 2026 well under the $59 launch price — TheStreet reported a $39 Amazon deal in August 2026, and pricehistory.app tracked the launch drop from $69 to $59 back in July 2024. RTINGS slots the Buds Pro 2 in as its budget pick among earbuds with a mic. The question is whether the tuning lives up to the spec sheet.
Sound: big drivers, bass-first tuning
The hardware story is strong for the money. FoneArena's rundown notes the 11 mm dynamic driver carries a titanium coating, the 6 mm tweeter uses a 25 μm planar diaphragm, and the pair covers a claimed 20 Hz–40 kHz range, with Dirac Opteo tuning and an Ultra Bass 2.0 mode in the Nothing X app. FoneArena's listening notes call the sound crisp with clear vocals and punchy bass, but rate the mid-range as average.
Beebom's review is the counterweight, and it is blunt: the Buds Pro 2 are tuned for heavy bass lovers, low frequencies sometimes take center stage and draw out vocals and treble, and enabling LDAC improves the vocals while the treble stays somewhat lacking. Dirac Opteo, Beebom adds, only applies with LDAC switched off — so buyers have to pick which compromise they prefer. Expert Reviews lands in the same place, calling the buds "overly keen on bass" but still good value. If neutral tuning is the priority, this is not the pair; if bass-heavy pop and hip-hop are, the tuning is a feature.
Noise cancelling: strong for the class, coarse at the edges
CMF claims up to 50 dB of hybrid ANC across a 5,000 Hz range, with Low, Mid, High and Adaptive modes (per CMF's spec sheet, via Day Technology). FoneArena, testing on a OnePlus Nord CE4 Lite and a Pixel 8, calls it an excellent job for the price and found the transparency mode genuinely useful. TrendyTechReviews measured the real-world effect: office HVAC dropped to near silence and subway noise fell to a background hiss, though wind at walking pace disrupts the ANC. Beebom adds a caveat the spec sheet won't: engaging ANC creates a noticeable vacuum feeling in the ears, and traffic or loud voices still leak through faintly at 50% volume. Adaptive mode also stumbles when the soundscape changes quickly — FoneArena notes it is not perfect when switching between traffic and crowded areas.
Battery: the headline number needs asterisks
The official ratings are 11 hours per charge and 43 hours total with ANC off, falling to 6.5 hours and 26 hours with ANC on (CMF spec sheet). Reviewers who timed it found the gap between AAC and LDAC matters more than the ANC toggle. FoneArena measured slightly over 4 hours with LDAC and ANC enabled at 60% volume, and only about 4 hours of call time. TrendyTechReviews' timed runs came out closer to the claims on AAC — 9.4 hours with ANC off and 6.8 hours with it on — but enabling LDAC alongside ANC pulled that down to roughly 5.8 hours. A 10-minute charge returns about 3 hours of bud playback without ANC — which softens the blow — but commuters who want LDAC all day should plan on a midday top-up.
Calls, comfort and the Smart Dial
Six microphones — three per bud — handle calls with CMF's Clear Voice processing and a wind-noise reduction mode. Indoors, reviewers are positive: FoneArena found wind noise cut out completely for the person on the other end, and TrendyTechReviews ranked the buds highest of eight budget pairs in a café-noise call test. Outdoors the story flips. Beebom reports voices sounding muffled or distorted in traffic, and TrendyTechReviews notes callers heard a thin, slightly robotic voice in moderate wind. The earbuds weigh 4.9 g each and carry an IP55 rating; the case has no IP rating (FoneArena). The Smart Dial — a real rotating dial on the case for volume, ANC and playback — is off by default and needs enabling in the Nothing X app, but FoneArena calls it the case's standout trick once switched on. Dual-device connection works, though toggling it reboots the headset (FoneArena), and PhoneCompass flags the Nothing X app as buggy.
The complaints, and why the verdict stands
The file against the Buds Pro 2 is specific and worth taking seriously. Beebom and Expert Reviews agree the tuning leans too hard into bass for balanced listeners. Battery life with LDAC and ANC on lands near 4–6 hours in published measurements, a long way from the 11-hour headline. Outdoor call quality is the weakest link — muffled in traffic, thin in wind. And PhoneCompass adds two practical gripes: the shape doesn't suit small ears and the companion app is buggy.
The main conclusion survives. The bass-forward tuning is a stated tuning choice, not a defect, and the Nothing X app's EQ gives owners a way out. The LDAC battery penalty is real, but TrendyTechReviews showed 6.8 hours with ANC on over AAC, which covers a workday for most buyers. Against that, more than 3,200 Amazon owners hold the rating at 4.3/5, and the feature list — dual drivers, LDAC, 50 dB adaptive ANC, Smart Dial, IP55 — still has no direct rival near the sale prices seen through 2026. What every published test agrees on is the thing budget buyers actually pay for: noise cancelling and sound that embarrass single-driver rivals at twice the price.
Who should buy it
Buy the CMF Buds Pro 2 if you listen on Android, want LDAC and strong ANC for commuting or office work, and like a bass-forward sound — or don't mind spending ten minutes with the EQ. The Smart Dial is a genuine convenience once enabled. Skip it if you take a lot of calls outdoors in wind, if you need neutral reference tuning, or if you're on iPhone, where LDAC is unavailable and AAC is the ceiling (NZ Current). Small ears should try before buying, per PhoneCompass. Pricing moves around — TheStreet logged $39 at Amazon in August 2026 and TunedRoom tracked the same low in October — so check the current price on Amazon before deciding.