Excellent Buds, but Slightly Better

The CMF Buds 2 Plus are a vaguely more premium version of what recently became my go-to pair of in-ear earbuds. This pair is technically superior, but is the difference something you’ll notice? For most people, I’d wager no.

Price and Availability

The CMF Buds 2 Plus are available in two colors, both distinct from those available for the Buds 2 and the Buds 2a: Light Gray (which looks white) and Blue.

The buds are available directly from Nothing’s website and on Amazon. Their launch price is $80, though you can regularly find them for less. At the time of writing, they’re $79 on Amazon and $55 from Nothing.

A Striking Design That Doesn’t Feel Distinct

The more time I spend with CMF Buds, the more I’m struck by how easily they can be mistaken for AirPods, even though they look nothing like modern AirPods. The classic wired iPod earbuds and the first generation AirPods were so iconic that any solid white earbud conjures up the same vibe.

But if you look up close, you notice the attention to detail CMF has paid here. These aren’t generic knock-offs. They instead feel like what you’d get if you approached a minimalist sculptor and asked them to conjure up an abstract art piece devoted to the idea of AirPods, then shrink that creation down into a plastic mold you could mass produce.

That isn’t a judgment. I love this particular style of art, and I rather appreciate both the look of these buds and the design of their case, which is square with rounded corners. When placed in a row of earbud cases, I can spot the CMF buds from across the room regardless of color. The case also has holes for stringing in a lanyard.

I’m particularly fond of the wheel on the top left, which makes for a nice fidget spinner. On the base CMF Buds 2, this wheel is clear plastic. On the CMF Buds 2 Plus, the plastic wheel has a solid metallic finish. This is the only noticeable difference, aside from the change in label on the inside.

The case is made of a soft-touch plastic that’s comfortable but scuffs rather easily. This can become an issue particularly quickly if you have the white (sorry, light gray) color that I’m reviewing. Yet of the options available, this is probably still the one I’d get.

Battery Life So Long, Charging Isn’t a Concern

All the CMF buds deliver excellent battery life, and here is an area where the Buds 2 Plus most distinguish themselves. The case can last 61.5 hours between charges, compared to 55 on the regular Buds 2. As impressive as the latter number is, the Plus provides nearly a whole extra work day.

The difference between the earbuds’ battery life is less noticeable (if noticeable at all). You get an advertised 14 hours of battery life in each bud, up from 13.5. These numbers are all long enough that, in my testing, it hasn’t mattered. I work from home and don’t need half a week of continuous audio between charges. In practice, these are buds I simply don’t think about charging. Though when the time does come, only wired charging is available. You can’t drop these on a wireless charging pad.

Whatever improvements the Buds 2 Plus apparently offer must come down to software, because the battery size is the same across both models. The buds themselves have 53mAh batteries, while the case has a 460mAh one.

Charging speeds are also more than adequate, since you can recharge several hours worth of play time in just ten minutes. CMF claims 8.5 hours for the Buds 2 Plus, an extra hour of life compared to the Buds 2.

Loud Sound but Weak ANC

One thing that stands out about both the Buds 2 and the Buds 2 Plus is how much louder they are than the other buds I have on hand. If I last used JLab buds or even SteelSeries headphones, I’m in for a shock when I switch back to the CMF Buds 2 Plus and find I need to immediately turn them down.

This audio level only poses an issue if you regularly switch between different buds or headphones. Were I to only use these buds, I would appreciate the boost. I can keep the audio at lower levels and know I have extra range left if I need it, like when mowing the lawn. That said, I’d be cautious about giving these to a kid or teen who wants to blast music as loudly as possible and doesn’t yet understand that hearing loss isn’t merely a toothless warning label.

The microphones are unchanged from the CMF Buds 2, which isn’t a problem. The six mics on the Buds 2 were loud and clear. The same can be said here.

Indoor Mic Test

Outdoor Mic Test

Sadly, the same can also be said about the ANC. While the Buds 2 Plus are technically superior, with Nothing claiming an increase to 50db of depth compared to 48, and a frequency range of 5400Hz instead of 5200—I can’t say I noticed a difference. Rather, I can barely say I noticed the presence of any ANC at all. Whether enabled or not, I can still hear the tiniest of sounds, and it’s volume alone that drowns out background noise.

A Thoughtful Approach to Touch Controls

There isn’t a difference between the CMF Buds and the CMF Buds 2 Plus when it comes to controls. While touch controls aren’t my favorite for in-ear buds, Nothing’s approach works. Single taps don’t do anything, reducing the likelihood of accidentally pausing music or skipping tracks. Though accidental pauses do occur, since the buds stop playing audio if they slip ever so slightly out of your ear.

Manual actions are performed either by double-tapping, triple-tapping, or holding down your finger. You can configure what each does by downloading the Nothing X app, which is available both on the Apple App Store and the Play Store. No complaints about the app. It has Nothing’s distinct vibe while remaining easy enough to figure out.

Should You Buy The CMF Buds 2 Plus?

I absolutely adore CMF buds and gave the Buds 2 my wholehearted recommendation. The CMF Buds 2 Plus are even better, and yet I find it more difficult to give them the same endorsement. The question I posed in the title of my CMF Buds 2 review (why buy any other earbuds?) doesn’t exclude these. The Buds 2 are good enough, and I don’t know if the improvements here warrant the extra $20. Aside from the minor visual changes to the case, I largely didn’t notice a difference. That said, the light gray (white) color I reviewed is only available for the Plus, and I kind of dig it.

If an extra $20 doesn’t matter one way or the other to you, or there’s a sale that sort of renders the prices moot, then get the Plus. It’s hard to argue that they aren’t the better of the two. But if you’re looking to save money and just want good buds, you don’t have to worry about missing out by sticking with the regular model.