CMF Clip Pro: First impressions, price, where to buy

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I have tested many, many open earbuds new releases this year, but none have impressed me out of the gate as much as CMF’s first-ever open earbuds.

Meet the CMF Clip Pro: a cuff-style open earbud that’s available for just $99. That makes them a good deal cheaper than more premium options like the Bose Ultra Open earbuds ($299) and the Sony LinkBuds Clip ($229.99). As of Aug. 4, the CMF buds are available to purchase on Nothing’s website.

I’ve been able to spend a couple of days with the latest CMF earbuds ahead of their launch, and so far, I have very few notes and quite a lot of praise. While that’s subject to change as I put them through more testing scenarios, let’s take a look at what the earbuds deliver out of the box and in the early days of wear.

CMF Clip Pro at a glance

The three available colorways of the CMF Clip Pro.
Credit: Nothing

Price

As mentioned above, these earbuds are just $99. While it’s not unheard of for open earbuds to be sub-$100, it is also pretty common for many of the highest performing models to be above $100. It’s not surprising that CMF’s earbuds are priced for the more affordably-minded, though: CMF is the budget-focused line of Nothing, and their entire current product range sits below $100.

Specs

• Battery: 10 hours playback per charge, with 32.5 hours total playback with charging case

• Quick charge: 10 minutes for four hours of listening

• Driver: 10.8mm dual-magnet magnetic driver

• Listening modes: Spatial audio, bass enhancement, anti-leakage mode

• Bluetooth: Bluetooth 5.4

• Multipoint: Yes, dual connection available

• Controls: Smart Dial case, physical on-ear controls, with options for customization

• IP rating: IP54, dust- and water-resistant

• Colors: Dark gray, light gray, coral

• Weight: 6.5 grams per earbud

CMF Clip Pro first impressions

The earbuds themselves are lightweight, with a titanium wire core that helps you find the best fit possible.
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

The Smart Dial is a strong design feature of the charging case (even if the case itself attracts fingerprints).
Credit: Bethany Allard / Mashable

Thoughtful design

CMF’s parent company, Nothing, created my favorite on-ear controls in the Headphone (a), so I shouldn’t be surprised they knocked it out of the park with these open earbuds. The earbuds themselves sit on the ear in a way that feels secure without pinching the front or back of my ear, and the physical button control on the back side of the earbud mimics that of the Bose Open Ultra — my favorite on-ear control I’ve experienced on any open earbuds. With the Nothing X app, you can customize how many presses designate commands like pausing, switching songs, or even listening modes.

The Smart Dial case may seem gimmicky on the surface, but I found myself using it to adjust the volume of my music a lot. Many on-ear controls, but especially those on open earbuds, can be awkward for adjusting volume (long pressing your earbuds for a small boost of volume simply isn’t the move). The dial made it so I could quickly and easily change the volume, which came in handy for listening to music while I worked or stopped to chat with someone.

Sound quality

My audio testing has been limited to my personal playlists so far (featuring a lot of pop/rock and K-pop), so I can’t speak to the sound quality comprehensively. That said, I appreciate the sheer amount of features packed into these buds: there’s spatial audio, a two-level bass boost option, five equalizer presets, and a custom equalizer slot.

I’ve been impressed with the volume levels so far (open earbuds can skew lower) and don’t notice any obvious muddying. Some equalizer settings aren’t great for the music I listen to, dampening the overall sound, but from what I’ve experienced so far, the sound quality is promising.

Great battery life

The CMF Clip Pro sit on the higher end of battery life for open earbuds at 10 hours per charge, and 32.5 hours overall. For comparison, on our list of open earbuds recs, they’re only second to the 12-hour battery life of Shokz OpenFit Pro (though these earbuds cost $249.95), and have the same battery life per charge as our overall pick, the Shokz OpenDots One (which cost $199.99).

Ultimately, for being a budget option, the CMF Clip Pro earbuds are impressively well-rounded. As I write this, the only real competitor that comes to mind is the EarFun Clip, which, though incredibly affordable, aren’t as stylish or detail-oriented in their design as the CMF Clip Pro.

Early areas for improvement

While my early experience with the earbuds has been pretty stellar, I’ve noticed some minor issues off the bat, including:

• Only three-band custom equalizer: The equalizer only features three bands, but it is worth considering that open earbuds are rarely designed to maximize sound quality.

• Matte case problems: The dark gray case does attract fingerprints, which isn’t the biggest deal, but is especially noticeable when the product encourages you to use the case for audio playback.

• Interior of the case: The case is condensed well, which can be a challenge with larger open buds, but the vertical placement of the earbuds takes some getting used to — so much so that the app gives clear instructions on how to properly load the earbuds in. Still, I don’t see this being a lasting issue after regular use.

• No wear detection: These earbuds don’t offer any wear detection, so music will continue to play when you take them out. Again, not the biggest flaw, but it can be a source of an accidentally run-down battery life.

Overall, these cons are minor. That said, I still have testing to do, including listening to more genres, running out the battery life, trying out the Clear Voice tech that CMF claims helps call quality, and using the earbuds during movement to make sure they make good on staying in place.

Where to buy the CMF Clip Pro

The CMF Clip Pro earbuds will be available for $99 at Nothing’s website and select retailers. We’ll keep this section updated as links go live.