‘Nothing’ and its sub-brand CMF often feature a distinctive design whenever they release a new gadget, and the CMF Headphone Pro is no exception. Priced at Rs 6,999 for the launch offer and Rs 7,999 otherwise, the headphones come in distinct colours with changeable cushions that require no tools. Let’s try and see how well they perform and fit.
The headphones are made of mostly plastic with a metallic band running in the middle. These are quite a bit heavier than the usual pair in this price range, at a little over 280g. I found these comfortable to wear and had no issues with their fit while moving around. CMF opted for physical buttons and dials instead of touch buttons or gestures – the left earcup carries the 3.5mm audio jack, Power and Bluetooth button, and Energy Slider for bass or treble, while the right one has the volume slider, Smart Assistant button, and USB Type-C port. It comes in Light Green, Light Grey, and Dark Grey colour options, and you can mix and match with an extra pair of cushions that you have to buy separately. Other than the 3.5mm aux cable, you get a carrying pouch but no charging cable in the box.
You can use the Nothing X app on your smartphone to adjust settings, change EQ, or adjust ANC. These support Bluetooth 5.4 (with dual connections) along with SBC, AAC, and LDAC audio codecs. In terms of audio quality, the CMF Headphone Pro doesn’t disappoint – the vocals are quite clear with little to no sacrifice of background instrumentation for genres like Bollywood and Punjabi tracks. Bass is decent, but I am not sure increasing it from the Energy Slider really makes a huge difference. Treble is handled well in genres like Rock, Metal, some Hip-hop, and so on; on most occasions, it doesn’t go awry whether you change the bass or not. The pair has hybrid ANC, and it works reasonably well for most noise, say, while commuting, or some chatter indoors while you’re working. If you have used noise-cancelling headphones from Sony, you might not be impressed with their noise cancellation, but otherwise, the noise cancellation here is decent enough in most situations for the price tag.
Call quality on the Headphone Pro is quite good for indoor use but strictly okay when using it outdoors, especially under windy conditions. Though CMF says there are five microphones in total with three of them for calls, call quality is strictly okay under tricky conditions such as wind, but otherwise it’s generally good. There’s Google Fast Pair for Android, and Swift Pair for Windows, too. I didn’t have any trouble with connectivity; its connection is certainly reliable even for two devices – whether with an Android device, an iOS device, or a Windows machine.
Powered by a 720mAh battery, battery life on these headphones is solid. With noise cancellation switched off, these lasted for 5-6 days without needing to be charged. You can charge it from 1 per cent to full in around 2 hours, and, of course, you can also use these wired, though you would need a USB Type-C to 3.5mm converter to use them with most smartphones these days.
Wrapping it up, the CMF Headphone Pro is a unique-looking pair of headphones that is comfortable to wear and offers great battery life. There’s good audio quality for the most part, with adequate performance for calls. Coupled with CMF’s interchangeable ear cushions, these aren’t hard to recommend for those that prioritise comfort and aesthetics alongside battery life for their audio headsets.
