Verdict
The CMF Headphones Pro continue to showcase why Nothing's sub-brand is worth keeping an eye. Great build quality and premium tier features set it apart from rivals at an affordable price, while offering ample levels of customization to truly make this listen experience your own. I wish the Spatial Audio features were just as good as everything else, but it's relatively small blemish for an otherwise solid debut in over-ear headphones for CMF.
- Great build quality
- Customization options
- LDAC support
- Superb battery life
- Spatial Audio could be better
- Not all colorways have a matte finish
If there's one piece of tech I'm always messing around with, it's headphones and earbuds. I'm on board with what Nothing is offering customers recently, as I continue to use the Nothing Ear set daily. But I'm swayed by rivals too, with a keen adoration for pricier options such as the AirPods Max or Nothing's Headphone (1). So can the CMF Headphones Pro carve out a place among them? If you're already aware of the Nothing spin-off brand, then it won't surprise you when I confidently say yes.
CMF, if you didn't know, is Nothing's more affordable sub-brand. Think of them like Squier for Fender guitars, or Sony Essentials for Sony products. It's the same ethos and approach to making great products, but focused on a more budget-friendly market. To me, it's quite funny in a way that this brand exists, as Nothing's own offerings aren't exactly bank-breaking either. Rather than releasing something to rival its own Nothing Headphone (1), the CMF Headphones Pro share more in common with Apple's AirPods Max.
Price and availability
On build quality alone for the Dark Grey pair, I find it genuinely impressive that CMF is managing to sell them at just $99/£79. Out of the gate, there are three colorways too: Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Light Green. They're currently available on the official Nothing website, as well as Amazon UK and Amazon US.
Design and comfort
The Headphones Pro opt for a similarly sleek design with matte colors and simple controls. However, like other CMF products, the Headphones Pro strike a more distinct profile. With a more rounded area to house its nickel-plated 40mm drivers, I think these headphones ride the line well between fashionable and functional. I'm not usually too bothered about how my tech factors into my outfits, but in this case, it's an added benefit that the Headphones Pro look great.
If you don't like a block of color as the primary design, though, the good thing is that they're modular to an extent. Want different cup cushions on your pair? CMF is already providing them as optional paid extras on its website. There's a rather snazzy orange pair, which is ideal for matching their wearables, such as the CMF Watch Pro or CMF Watch Pro 2, or even to combine with the lovely orange iPhone 17 Pro Max. I can't speak to the quality of the Light Green pair in particular, as it appears these are finished with a plastic chassis.
To get them on, the Headphones Pro include something I'll always favor over touch-based options. I love tactile buttons, especially if they're done right, and the Headphones Pro don't let me down in this area. The array of onboard toggles isn't intrusive or awkward to manage. CMF even lets me change the purpose of them within the Nothing X app, a dedicated experience for all Nothing and CMF devices.
I've changed the main button, which is literally called Button, on the right cup to flip between ANC modes if I'm holding it down. Directly pressing it switches between play and pause. I've also replaced the AI assistant button to manage my Spatial Audio options.
Sound quality
For Spatial Audio, there's a big weakness for the Headphones Pro here. Spatial Audio on competitor products like the AirPods Max is incredible. I don't necessarily like all of the Dolby Atmos mixes on Apple Music, but general listening is a whole other experience.
CMF doesn't quite nail that feeling of immersion. Concert Mode is fine, giving off a slightly more lively bolt of energy to whatever audio is playing. Cinema Mode, funnily enough, drives that intention home better, with a slightly reverberated sheen coating my Spotify streams. Like the AirPods Max, you can swivel your head left to right to get a sense of instruments popping up within the space around you. Again, it isn't quite as impressive as Apple's hardware, but seeing this kind of feature in a $99 set of headphones is unheard of.
There's one feature I want to highlight from my unboxing experience: the inclusion of a 3.5mm cable. Despite an insistence on relying on Bluetooth these days, some of the best Android phones and portable gaming consoles still respect that not everyone has a wireless headset. I like to plug into my desktop speakers, especially if I'm fiddling with recording guitar riffs into Logic Pro or playing on the Asus ROG Ally.
A personalized audio setup can be found in the Nothing X app. In partnership with Audiodo, you can take a quick test to fine-tune the Headphones Pro's output to your hearing. This is perhaps the most subjective aspect, as it is with any audio hardware, but you may find yourself getting a lot out of this. What is noticeable is the Energy Slider. No, it doesn't spawn a cup of coffee and force it down your gullet.
Instead of a caffeine treat, the Energy Slider increases the amount of bass present. With it pulled down, the response is flatter. Listening to alt-metal from Thornhill and Spiritbox, or well-produced pop from Dua Lipa and Doja Cat, showcases this inclusion well. At first, I wasn't too fussed about it, but I find myself using it frequently. Of course, the real proof of the pudding is in their overall sound quality.
On the whole, the CMF Headphones Pro don't fumble the bag here. While I think audio separation isn't quite as clear as I'd like it to be, there's a lot to like here. Because of how customizable they are, I don't find the Headphones Pro leaning too much on one sound to color my listening experience. They're not going for bass-heavy thumps like Beats, for example. They almost reach the excellence of the Nothing Ear, a pair of earbuds that I bring with me wherever I go.
Battery
As long as there's some juice left in these cans, you can turn them on to listen with a cable. I'd prefer it if relying on power wasn't an option, but that brings me to the battery. The packaging claims that you can get 100 hours of playback without Active Noise Cancellation engaged, and presumably, if you're using standard AAC audio.
In my experience, I favor LDAC, although it's more taxing on battery life. Since getting the Headphones Pro just over a week ago and using them for at least an hour a day with ANC and LDAC on, I'm currently sitting at 65% battery. Out of the box, they required some charging, as they were quite low at 26%.
Luckily, topping them up isn't an arduous wait. That's because just five to ten minutes of plugging them in can equip the Headphones Pro with around four hours of battery life. Leave them for around two hours, and you'll have a fully charged pair ready to go. Pairing them to my devices at this point is easy, too. For Android users, you have the benefit of Fast Pair functionality, as well as Swift Pair for Windows handheld PCs and desktops, and complete iOS support.
Should you buy the CMF Headphones Pro?
At a price point this wallet-friendly, I'm happy to recommend the CMF Headphones Pro. Enhanced by CMF's usual pedigree of build quality and premium-level features, there aren't many other brands doing it quite the same right now.
Alternatives
Bose Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen
The Bose Ultra Earbuds (2nd Gen) deliver impressive sound and comfort in equal measure. Whether you're commuting, working, or relaxing, these earbuds feel built for everyday use. Read our Bose Ultra Earbuds 2nd Gen review for more.
Nothing Ear
The Nothing Ear, from CMF's parent brand Nothing, offers a standout combination of sound quality and comfort. In my own Nothing Ear review, I say that "the Nothing Ear's play a small but important role in showing that everyday utilities can still inspire wonder."