CMF Headphone Pro Review:Budget headphones usually come in two types: loud and ugly, or quiet and boring. CMF by Nothing tried to invent a third category: fashion-forward headphones that can outlast your smartphone battery while politely whispering your music into your ears. The CMF Headphone Pro, launched in India at Rs 6,999 (limited-time introductory price before the tag ups to Rs 7,999), wants to be your aesthetic accessory, your travel companion, your Zoom-call saviour and your long-haul battery buddy, all while letting you swap colours depending on your mood and Spotify phase.
On paper, it reads like a banger. In real life, it feels more like an opening act that knows better than to outshine the headliner.
As usual, GennieGPT, ABP Live’s in-house AI review bot, has already booked front-row tickets to the spec sheet. I brought my ears. Let’s exchange notes.
CMF Headphone Pro Review: Quick Pointers
What Works:
- Excellent battery life
- Comfortable fit and solid build
- Good call quality
- Responsive physical controls
- Clean, minimal design
What Doesn’t:
- Shockingly flat sound
- Very basic ANC
- No real bass punch
- Colour choices are… divisive
The Fashion Statement
✨ GennieGPT: Modular! Interchangeable cushions! Pastel colours! This is fashion week for your ears!
Shayak:This is where CMF actually wins, and also starts a family debate.
The build quality is genuinely solid for the price. No creaks, no cheap plastic guilt. It feels dependable, travel-friendly, and long-term-relationship ready.
But the colours? Well, the Light Green variant I reviewed is extremely divisive. My wife loved it. “Pastel is so in,” she said, while probably mentally redecorating the house around it. I, a 35-odd-year-old emotionally stuck in black and white gadgets, found it aggressively… meh.
If you’re Gen Z or Pinterest-core, you might love it. If your soul lives in dark mode, you’ll have to check out the Dark Grey or Light Grey colour options.
The Controls (Finally, Some Praise)
✨ GennieGPT: Energy Slider! Roller wheel! Action Button! NASA-level control system!
Shayak:Not NASA. But very good. The physical controls are minimal, clean, and, most importantly for a wireless headphone, responsive. Volume changes instantly, ANC toggles without tantrums, and you’re not stuck tapping your earcup like a crazy person in the metro.
Simple, smart, effective. This part is genuinely well done.
The Sound (Where The Heartbreak Begins)
✨ GennieGPT: 40mm drivers! Hi-Res! Studio sound! You can feel every note!
Shayak: No. You cannot. You can politely acknowledge every note. The sound is shockingly lacklustre. Clean, yes. Loud, yes. But emotionally flat.
I tried Morrissey’s “Suedehead.” No soul. Twenty One Pilots’ “Heavydirtysoul.” No snaring drumlines. Tchaikovsky’s “Swan Lake.” No swelling string section.
Everything sounds… safe. Too safe. Like music played through a good office speaker. If your playlist thrives on bass drops, crescendos, or goosebumps, these headphones might let you down.
Of course, the Nothing X app allows you to tinker around just enough. But no matter how much I pushed the treble or nudged the bass, the overall result remained mid.
There’s also a bass slider on the left cup. Moving it around has little-to-no-effect on the bass punch in your tunes. Best not to expect a Rs 7k headphone to perform like a Rs 49k Skullcandy Crusher (review here).
It’s also worth mentioning that the Headphone Pro comes bundled with a travel pouch and an aux cable, but no USB Type-C charging cable in the box. There are enough Type-C cables strewn around your home by now, so make what you want of it.
ANC That Is Mostly For Emotional Support
✨ GennieGPT:Adaptive Hybrid ANC! The world fades away!
Shayak: The world… slightly squints. The ANC here is extremely basic. There’s no dramatic difference between modes. On congested roads, buses, or in a noisy cafe, I kept reaching for the volume instead of feeling genuinely isolated from the chaos.
It reduces some noise, yes. But “Adaptive Hybrid ANC” sounds far more powerful than what it actually delivers.
Calls & Battery: The Real Heroes
✨ GennieGPT: 100 hours battery! Infinite energy!
Shayak:This is not marketing fluff. The battery life is absurdly good. It just refuses to die. Not sure about 100 hours, but I didn’t have to recharge for a stretch of at least 4 days, and in my book, that’s a solid win.
You’ll forget where your charger is. You’ll stop caring about percentages. This thing has commitment issues with power loss.
✨ GennieGPT: Triple mic system! Crystal clear calls!
Shayak:Absolutely true. Call quality is excellent. Clear, stable, and reliable, even outdoors. This might be one of the best budget work-from-home headphones right now.
CMF Headphone Pro Review: Final Verdict
The CMF Headphone Pro feels like a beautifully dressed, extremely polite person who shows up early, stays late, and never raises their voice. It’s reliable. It’s comfortable. It lasts forever. It makes you look cool… But it doesn’t move you.
Great for calls. Great for long workdays. Great for Netflix. Not great for anyone who listens to music to feel goosebumps. At a similar price point, CMF Headphone Pro finds its rival in Marshall Major IV (Rs 8,200 in some stores right now) or the all-around-better Sony WH-CH720N (~Rs 8,500 currently). However, the CMF offering is way better than your typical Noise or Boat offerings, especially in the overall build quality and for having the courage to stand out among a crowd of increasingly similar-looking gadgets.
Should You Buy CMF Headphone Pro?
- Yes,if you want massive battery life, great call quality and a clean design.
- Maybe, if you’re a casual listener who values looks and comfort over sound punch.
- No, if you want bass, drama, and proper noise cancellation.
