I tested Nothing’s $39 earbuds — and I’ll never spend big bucks on a pair of buds again

After testing them out for a week, I’m sure that the CMF Buds 2A are some of the best cheap wireless earbuds you can get. For less than $40, you get impressive audio performance and effective ANC. The dual connection makes them great for working between your laptop and phone, too. The EQ settings add a lot to these buds.

There are only a few features that let me down. I found the lack of in-ear detection to be frustrating, especially when it’s on CMF’s other cheap earbuds, and the plasticky feel could be hard for some to overlook.

But I’d still recommend them to anyone who needs a reliable pair of earbuds for everyday listening. And who doesn’t love killer audio quality on one heck of a budget? If you’re still not convinced, keep reading this full CMF Buds 2A review to find out more.

CMF Buds 2A review: Cheat sheet

• What are they? Cheap but reliable wireless earbuds
• How much do they cost? $39 / £29
• What do we like? It’s super cheap but still gives an impressive audio performance. The amazing adaptive ANC and EQ customization also give great personalization opportunity
• What don’t we like? The lack of in-ear detection and the plasticky feel of the buds

CMF Buds 2A review: Specs

CMF Buds 2A review: Price & availability

The CMF Buds 2A are available at Amazon U.S. for $39, or at Nothing’s online U.K. store for £29. These are some of the cheapest buds offered by CMF, but frankly, you wouldn’t think so judging by the sound. I actually think they sound better than the CMF Buds 2, which cost $49, as the latter handle treble better, but the Buds 2A come with fewer features.

For a similar price of $36, you could purchase the JLab Go Pods ANC, which have better ANC and punchier treble, but the CMF Buds 2A have a much better soundstage and a much longer battery life.

The CMF Buds 2 Pro, also by Nothing, cost a little more at $69 and perform much better in the bass department. In my opinion, this is worth the extra cash because I love bass, and you get hi-res codec compatibility.

CMF Buds 2A review: Design

I’ve reviewed a few of CMF by Nothing’s earbud offerings now, and one thing stands out to me — they all look identical. Sure, there is some color variation, but if I didn’t have the device name, it would be hard to tell the different buds apart by looks alone.

I tested the CMF Buds 2A in the Orange color, but they’re also available in Dark or Light Gray. The buds come in a small box that measures 2.2 x 2.2 x 0.9 inches and weighs 1.5 ounces, an ideal size for throwing in your pocket or bag to take with you everywhere.

The earbuds measure 1.3 x 1.0 x 0.8 inches and feel extremely light when wearing, since they weigh just 0.2 ounces, but they feel quite plasticky. I can’t complain too much, though, since that plasticky feeling keeps the price tag below $40. The buds feel just as comfortable as the AirPods Pro 3 ($249).

These buds have a durability rating of IP55, meaning they can withstand light rain. However, the case only has a rating of IPX2, so it’s only protected from moisture exposure, like condensation. When I go out for a walk with the earbuds, I just leave the charging case at home to avoid the risk of the case getting damaged if it rains. Since the buds have 8 hours of playtime per charge, I have plenty of juice to get me through an outing without the case.

Controls

I controlled the CMF Buds 2A using the touch controls on the stem. These are very responsive, and I had no issues with them missing commands.

The earbuds are controlled in the same way as the Apple AirPods 4 and the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4: hold down the stem for ANC, press once for play/pause, and double-tap to skip. The commands are customizable in the Nothing X app, and this was a very easy process.

Features

Unfortunately, there’s no in-ear detection on the Buds 2A. Sure, the price is a lot cheaper than other models with in-ear detection, but it’s a feature that I don’t realize I love so much until it’s taken away from me — we always want what we can’t have. If in-ear detection is a non-negotiable for you, fear not, because the CMF Buds 2 and CMF Buds 2 Plus both come with this feature, for not much extra money.

Connectivity

The CMF Buds 2A use Bluetooth 5.4 and have a connection range of 32 feet. When indoors, I was able to move away from my phone to the other side of the house and had no issues with connection, but the range wasn’t as secure outdoors.

With the dual connection settings in the Nothing X app, I was able to connect the earbuds to my laptop and phone simultaneously. This made it very easy to toggle between listening to music and hopping on video calls.

CMF Buds 2A review: App

The CMF Buds 2A can be customized to your heart’s content using the Nothing X app. The app is very easy to navigate and gives quick access to ANC settings and connectivity options.

But I think the app is most useful for the EQ settings. That said, I much prefer using the apps from Soundcore and Earfun. They’re a little easier to use as the Nothing X app, which tries very hard to be futuristic and becomes a little unwieldy as a result — it could be overwhelming for some users.

CMF Buds 2A review: Sound quality

Despite their small price tag, the CMF Buds 2A can do an awful lot. The buds have EQ tuning from Dirac to help balance the soundstage, making them sound a lot more expensive than they are. This is different to the Dirac Opteo tuning found in the CMF Buds Pro 2.

I customized the EQ settings for the buds in the Nothing X app — you can select presets or create your own. This made fine-tuning my listening incredibly simple.

I really enjoyed listening to my music with the CMF Buds 2A earbuds. The sound is very balanced, with only a little tinniness. Listening with the Ultra Bass setting on 4 gave me the best performance, but obviously, different people have different preferences.

Firstly, I listened to I CARE by Turnstile using the Rock preset EQ. This softened the track to make all of the instruments sound more blended, but it didn’t feel like they were battling with each other. The EQ increases the treble, so it was easier to hear the hi-hats, giving a good balance across all of the instruments.

Next, I listened to Gypsy by Fleetwood Mac. The vocals were brought to the front of the track and the bass was rich; despite a touch of tinniness in the rhythm guitar, this song sounded excellent.

Finally, I listened to Fame is a Gun by Addison Rae. This track showed off the wide soundstage of the buds. However, in the more electronic parts of the song the track became muffled, even though the vocals were still standing out.

Overall, these buds perform extremely well, and well beyond their price point. I thoroughly enjoyed listening with them, and am reaching to use them far more than my Apple AirPods because of the superior sound.

CMF Buds 2A review: Call quality

The CMF Buds 2A have excellent call quality. With six microphones, the buds carried my voice incredibly well. My voice was clear, and most environmental noise was eliminated. But outside, the buds struggle slightly with wind buffeting.

Even with that minor flaw, I think these buds are a great choice if you need something cheap for taking work calls with better clarity than your phone or computer’s built-in microphone.

CMF Buds 2A review: ANC

I tested the CMF Buds 2A on my commute in London, and I found the buds perfect for this journey since they have adaptive ANC. This can be adjusted in the app or by using the touch controls. This meant I could easily block out the hustle and bustle of the wildly busy city or let ambient sound in to listen out for announcements. But since these are a cheaper model in the CMF line, they lack the customization you get with the CMF Buds 2, for example.

With the 2A buds, I wasn’t able to toggle the ANC mode. You only have the option of ANC on, Transparency, or off. But with more expensive options, you can adjust how strong the ANC is too. While other CMF buds have it, the Buds 2A don’t, but this is expected for the price.

CMF Buds 2A review: Battery life

The CMF Buds 2A have some pretty impressive battery life, with 35.5 hours when ANC is turned off, which is more than you get with the JLab Go Pods ANC (26 hours). As I mentioned earlier, without ANC, the buds themselves have 8 hours of battery. When ANC is turned on, the battery life is reduced to a total of 23 hours, and five hours in the buds. If you want more bud-only battery life with ANC, the JLab Go Pods ANC have seven and a half hours of battery life.

If battery life is one of your biggest concerns when investing in a new set of buds, but you still don’t want to break the bank, I’d recommend the CMF Buds 2 Plus, which can get up to 61.5 hours of playtime.

CMF Buds 2A review: Verdict

The CMF Buds 2A are, in my opinion, the best choice for anyone who needs a reliable set of earbuds on a budget. For just $39, the audio performance is incredibly impressive, and the Buds 2A can handle treble better than the more expensive CMF Buds 2. The ability to switch ANC from transparency mode to noise cancellation with a single tap also makes these buds a total winner.

Admittedly, I found the lack of in-ear detection frustrating, and the plasticky feel of the buds may also be off-putting for some. Even so, these are literally $39, so you win some, you lose some (but mainly win here).