Fancy putting a pair of bright orange headphones in your canals or a bright orange neckband? CMF by Nothing, the more affordable and eye-catching offshoot of the Nothing phone and headphone brand, is certainly hoping for it: it's teasing the launch of new Buds and a new Neckband Pro, which will be revealed in full on March 5, 2024.
The Neckband Pro, as the name suggests, fits around the neck and promises to be the company's first “50 dB ANC hybrid neckband.” That figure is a reference to the neckband's claimed noise-canceling capabilities, which uses five microphones to deliver a promised noise cancellation of up to 50 dB.
The Nothing Buds CMF also offer ANC and appear to have a pretty funky orange casing. Like the best noise-cancelling headphones, CMF says they'll offer “best-in-class ANC,” though it's saying nothing more than that so far.
What is CMF and why is everything orange?
In this context, CMF is an acronym used in industrial design to identify three characteristics that can make products more desirable than their rivals: color, material and finish. But of course there is a fourth characteristic: the price. And the CMF still doesn't talk about that.
However, don't expect them to be expensive. CMF's existing Buds Pro, which offer impressive battery life and effective noise cancellation, were priced at $49 / £49 at launch and the brand's AMOLED smartwatch, the Watch Pro, was $69 / £69 . And that means these particular new headphones could be among the best budget wireless headphones you can buy if you don't want to spend a lot of money.
It may be worth looking at the current CMF Buds Pro to get an indication of the new Buds specification. They surpass the Nothing Ear (2) with 45 dB hybrid active noise cancellation through six microphones, 11 hours of battery life (39 hours including the case), Bluetooth 5.3 with quick pairing, and IP54 water and dust resistance. The new Buds are expected to have 12.4mm drivers and both they and the Neckband promise to have multiple levels of bass enhancement via the Nothing X app.
Both devices will be unveiled on March 5, 2024 alongside the Nothing Phone (2a) and will likely be available first at Nothing Store Soho in London before rolling out to more mainstream retail destinations.
