CMF Buds Neo Review: Simple, Stylish Earbuds That Get the Basics Right

At ₹1,999, the CMF Buds Neo is designed to be one of the easiest ways to enter CMF’s ecosystem without spending much. It does not try to overwhelm me with an endless list of features. Instead, it focuses on sound, noise cancellation, battery life, and a distinctive design, which is probably what most people actually want from affordable wireless earbuds.

What’s Good

The design is easily one of the most appealing aspects of the CMF Buds Neo. CMF has retained its geometric design language, but the square charging case and contrasting circular dial give it a distinctive appearance. The two-tone treatment makes the case look different from the sea of similarly shaped TWS earbuds available today. I also like the built-in lanyard hole, which makes it easier to attach the case to a bag or strap.

The earbuds themselves use 12.4mm dynamic drivers. CMF says the drivers use a titanium-coated PET dome and a flexible PEEK and PU surround to improve bass response while retaining vocals and finer details. On paper, this is a sensible configuration for people who prefer a fuller sound without spending too much.

The Buds Neo also offer six EQ presets, including Pop, Rock, Electronic, Classical, Enhance Vocals, and Immersion Boost. I can also create a custom EQ through the Nothing X app. There is a dedicated Bass Enhancement option with two levels of amplification, which is useful if I want a little more punch without changing the entire sound profile.

Spatial audio is another welcome addition. It creates a wider sound field, which should be particularly useful when watching movies or concert recordings. It is not the sort of feature I would consider essential for everyday music listening, but it makes compatible content more engaging.

Noise cancellation is rated at up to 35dB, with three levels and an Adaptive mode. That is a useful feature at this price point, particularly for commuting or working in moderately noisy environments. The four microphones, two on each earbud, are paired with Clear Voice Technology for calls.

Battery life is another strong point. The earbuds can deliver up to 11 hours of music playback with ANC turned off, while the charging case takes total playback to 52 hours. With ANC enabled, the figures drop to eight hours for the earbuds and 30 hours with the case. A 10-minute charge can provide up to 5.5 hours of playback with ANC off, which is exactly the sort of feature I appreciate when I realise I forgot to charge my earbuds before leaving home.

The Nothing X app adds useful controls rather than merely existing as a glorified setup utility. I can customise touch controls, change EQ settings, enable low-latency gaming mode, use dual-device connectivity, and switch between noise cancellation and transparency modes.

What’s Bad

There are a few compromises that become apparent once I look beyond the headline features.

The 120ms low-latency mode has to be manually activated through the Nothing X app, so gamers cannot simply expect the earbuds to automatically switch into their lowest-latency configuration.

The audio codec support is also limited to AAC and SBC. There is no mention of higher-end codecs, so audiophiles looking for advanced wireless audio formats will have to look elsewhere.

The Buds Neo are rated IP54, while the case gets only an IPX2 rating. The earbuds should therefore handle some sweat and light exposure to water, but I would not treat them as particularly rugged workout companions. The case especially deserves to be kept away from moisture.

Another small omission is the charging cable. CMF includes the earbuds, case, ear tips, and documentation in the box, but no cable. Since the case uses USB-C, most people will already have a compatible cable lying around, although including one would have made the package feel more complete.

The CMF Buds Neo ultimately does what an affordable pair of TWS earbuds should do. It gives me a distinctive design, a large dynamic driver, useful EQ controls, ANC, long battery life, dual-device connectivity, and a companion app without making the experience unnecessarily complicated.

It is not trying to be a flagship pair of earbuds, and that is precisely why the product makes sense. CMF has concentrated on the features that are likely to matter during everyday use, while keeping the more specialised stuff out of the equation. For someone entering the CMF ecosystem or simply looking for a well-equipped pair of everyday earbuds, the Buds Neo looks like a fairly sensible starting point.

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