The CMF Buds 2 Plus are budget earbuds that cost $79 and deliver features typically reserved for earbuds three times the price, forcing a hard question: why are people still buying AirPods? A week of switching from Apple’s flagship to Nothing’s aggressively priced alternative reveals a value gap that should worry anyone who paid premium prices for earbuds in the past three years.
Key Takeaways
- CMF Buds 2 Plus cost $79 USD with LDAC hi-res audio support for Android devices.
- Battery life reaches 61.5 hours total; buds alone deliver 7.5 hours with ANC enabled.
- Adaptive ANC measures above 40dB in select ranges with 83% perceived loudness reduction.
- Sound profile scored 4.8/5 on MDAQS testing with excellent timbre clarity and separation.
- AirPods struggle without LDAC codec support, losing hi-res audio advantage on Android.
Sound Quality That Punches Well Above Its Price
The CMF Buds 2 Plus sound substantially better than their price tag suggests. Testing shows an MDAQS score of 4.8 out of 5, with timbre rated 4.9 and distortion held to 3.7. The earbuds use 12mm drivers and ship with a sound profile that emphasizes bass—a 5 to 7 decibel elevation above the target curve—but the boost feels intentional rather than muddy. Mids and vocals stay clear, highs arrive crisp, and instrument separation is genuinely impressive for the price. Swap to a different EQ preset in the app and the sound transforms; the bass enhancement is adjustable, not locked in.
Where the CMF Buds 2 Plus truly shine is on Android devices that support LDAC, the hi-res audio codec. Plug these into an iPhone and you lose that advantage—the buds fall back to AAC, which narrows the gap between them and standard AirPods. But for Android users, the LDAC support is a feature that earbuds costing two or three times as much sometimes skip entirely. That codec matters. It’s the difference between hearing a recording and hearing what the artist actually intended.
Battery Life and ANC That Exceed Expectations
The CMF Buds 2 Plus deliver 61.5 hours of total battery life, with the buds themselves lasting approximately 7.5 hours when ANC is active. The case adds over 30 hours of additional playback, and a 10-minute quick charge yields hours of listening time. That’s the kind of endurance that makes you forget about charging cables for weeks—a practical advantage over AirPods that compounds daily.
The adaptive ANC is advertised at 50dB of hybrid noise cancellation, though real-world testing reveals performance closer to 40dB in select frequency ranges, delivering 83% perceived loudness reduction. The system struggles slightly in the 50 to 100 hertz range—engine rumble and low-frequency hum—compared to its predecessor, but compensates by handling high-pitched noise more effectively. For commutes and office environments, the ANC is competent and noticeably better than the absence of it, even if it doesn’t match flagship noise cancellation from Sony or Sennheiser.
Design, Comfort, and the Microphone Reality Check
The CMF Buds 2 Plus sport a glossy body paired with a matte stem, a design choice that screams fingerprint magnet. That glossy finish will annoy anyone who dislikes smudges, but the earbuds themselves are remarkably light and comfortable for extended wear. In-ear detection pauses music when you remove them, and the app includes an ear tip test to ensure a proper seal. These are thoughtful touches that suggest the design team cared about usability, not just aesthetics.
The microphone setup mirrors the AirPods Pro 3 with six mics total. Voice clarity is strong, and the system blocks environmental and traffic noise effectively. Where it falters is competing voices—if you’re on a call in a crowded space with multiple people talking, the microphone struggles to isolate your voice cleanly. It’s a limitation, but not a deal-breaker for most users.
Where the CMF Buds 2 Plus Stumble
No product is perfect, and the CMF Buds 2 Plus have real weaknesses. The lack of wireless charging is a minor inconvenience in an era where flagship earbuds ship with it standard. The sound can turn harsh or mushy at high volumes, suggesting the drivers aren’t infinite in their capability. And the fingerprint-prone design will test your patience if you prefer a cleaner aesthetic.
For iPhone users, the loss of LDAC support is significant. AirPods’ seamless integration with Apple’s ecosystem remains unmatched—the CMF Buds 2 Plus support dual and multipoint connectivity, but they lack the instant pairing magic that keeps iPhone users locked into Apple’s walled garden. If you’re deep in the Apple ecosystem, AirPods still make sense. If you’re on Android or platform-agnostic, the value proposition flips entirely in Nothing’s favor.
CMF Buds 2 Plus vs. the Budget Earbud Landscape
Comparing the CMF Buds 2 Plus to other budget options reveals how aggressively priced these earbuds are. The Anker Soundcore Liberty 5 costs nearly double—around $150—yet the CMF Buds 2 Plus outperform in sound quality, battery life, and feature set. Even the CMF Buds Pro 2, the predecessor, falls short in sound refinement and battery endurance, though it can now be found discounted to $49 in some markets. The jump from the Pro 2 to the 2 Plus is meaningful: better sound, longer battery, improved microphone performance, and ANC personalization via the app.
Should You Ditch Your AirPods for the CMF Buds 2 Plus?
If you use Android, the answer is almost certainly yes. The CMF Buds 2 Plus deliver better sound via LDAC, superior battery life, comparable ANC, and cost a fraction of what most flagship earbuds demand. You’re not sacrificing quality; you’re gaining value. If you use iPhone and rely on AirPods’ ecosystem integration, the CMF Buds 2 Plus are a harder sell—but even then, the sound quality gap is narrow enough that many users would find the savings worth the slight loss in convenience.
The real question isn’t whether the CMF Buds 2 Plus are good. They are. The question is why the audio industry convinced us that earbuds needed to cost $200 or more to sound excellent. Nothing’s $79 answer is a direct challenge to that narrative, and it’s a challenge that’s hard to ignore.
Do the CMF Buds 2 Plus work with both Android and iPhone?
Yes, the CMF Buds 2 Plus support both platforms via Bluetooth. However, Android users gain access to LDAC hi-res audio, while iPhone users receive standard AAC codec support, resulting in a different listening experience depending on your device.
How does the ANC on the CMF Buds 2 Plus compare to flagship models?
The CMF Buds 2 Plus deliver competent adaptive ANC with measured performance above 40dB in select frequencies and 83% perceived loudness reduction, making them effective for commutes and offices. They don’t match flagship models from Sony or Sennheiser, but they outperform most earbuds in their price range and many at double the cost.
What’s the real battery life difference between the CMF Buds 2 Plus and AirPods?
The CMF Buds 2 Plus offer 61.5 hours total battery life with 7.5 hours per charge when ANC is on, significantly exceeding AirPods’ 30-hour total capacity. For travelers and heavy users, that difference compounds into weeks of reduced charging frequency.
The CMF Buds 2 Plus represent a genuine inflection point in the budget earbud market. They prove that premium features—LDAC codec support, adaptive ANC, exceptional battery life, and sound quality that rivals earbuds costing three times as much—don’t require a premium price. For Android users, they’re the obvious choice. For everyone else, they’re a wake-up call that the audio industry’s pricing has drifted far from reality.
Where to Buy
This article was written with AI assistance and editorially reviewed.
Source: Tom's Guide
