Up until now, the clip format of earbuds hasn’t really grabbed us. A mix between the traditional in-ear, AirPod-style bud and the classic over-ear headphone cup, clips are meant to combine the best of both worlds. For a start, your ear canal isn’t blocked by a tiny silicone-swathed speaker, meaning that the world outside can still be heard, whereas the quality of the tech allows for perfect delivery of sound.
They’re also a lot more comfortable and less likely to fall out, clipping on to your ear lobe and providing an easier control surface for pausing, forwarding through tracks or taking calls. Finally, clips are barely bigger than earbuds, meaning you don’t have to haul around a hefty over-ear carry case.
Clip Pro is available in Coral, Light Grey and Dark Grey
Aside from situations where blocking out the world is the aim of the game – air travel, underground trains, etc – clips can be a lot more sociable than earbuds. CMF, Nothing’s more colourful and affordable offshoot, has now joined the ranks of audio companies offering clip-style headphones. The CMF Clip Pro takes a similar approach to Nothing’s Ear (Open), albeit with a very different form factor.
The 10.8mm dynamic driver is contained with the listening ball, shown here in exploded view
So do they work? Undeniably. Clip Pro combines easy ergonomics with a tactile interface, courtesy of the Smart Dial on the charging case. CMF’s ‘OpenFit Arc’ system sits on the ears without exerting excessing pressure, making the Clip Pro seriously comfortable for long bouts of listening.
Designed to accommodate practically every kid of ear shape, the driver itself – a 10.8mm dynamic unit – sits within a 13.8mm ‘listening ball’ that projects sound into the ear.
CMF Clip Pro sit differently - and discretely - on the ear
One criticism of clip-style headphones is that they don’t necessarily distribute the most powerful, deep bass. CMF have compensated for this with a special bass boost algorithm, as well as two modes designed to reduce sound leakage for music and voice.
Not that there was any noticeable leakage in our tests, even with the volume turned way up high. Only in a complete absence of background noise might others be able to detect a noise. Twin microphones help with call quality – one of the units has a dedicated wind-resistant design.
CMF Clip Pro in Coral
Whilst the Nothing brand has started making a splash with new colourways, CMF is keeping things relatively classic. Clip Pro is available in Light Grey, Dark Grey, and Coral, complete with matching case. The latter houses CMF’s Smart Dial, a tactile, clicky wheel atop the charge case that can be used to stop and start the music as well as change volume.
The Smart Dial sits atop the charge case and be used to control your music
The form factor also allows for a slightly larger battery, with 10 hours of playback alone from the Clip Pro themselves and another 22.5 hours added via a fully charged case. There’s also a long battery mode that can stretch the battery to 36 hours, whilst a ten-minute charge in the case should be enough to add four hours of extra listening time.
CMF products like the Phone 2 Pro and Headphone Pro strip back the Nothing design language and lightly limit the functionality to deliver excellent value. CMF Clip Pro is more of the same.
CMF Clip Pro
CMF Clip Pro, £79, Nothing.tech, @Nothing