CMF Headphone Pro is the latest product from Nothing’s diffusion range of entry-level tech

As Nothing’s ‘budget’ brand, CMF offers contemporary tech with bold styling and surprisingly affordable prices, enabled by the trickle down of manufacturing, tech and materials innovation developed by the parent brand. We’ve admired CMF’s Phone Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2 in the past, and now there’s a new category, the Headphone Pro.

As the name suggests, CMF Headphone Pro are over ear wireless headphones. Unlike Nothing’s techy, quasi-transparent design approach, CMF is more about colour and form. The Headphone Pro is available in Dark Grey, Light Grey and a fetching Light Green, with a modular design approach that offers interchangeable ear cushions.

The design is bulbous and friendly, oversized in an almost cartoonish way with soft-touch surfaces, a well-padded headband and glossy earpieces that contrast with the matt pads. A full array of controls is spread between each ear, including a dedicated Action Button that can be customised to provide a shortcut to the Spatial Audio settings or an AI smart assistant.

As with all such devices, Spatial Audio is very much a matter of taste. There’s a choice of Concert Mode or Cinema Mode, both of which add a layer of synthesized ‘space’ via digital reverb and directional tricks. Most of us prefer to hear music reproduced the way it was intended to be heard, so Spatial is bit of a gimmick. Helpfully, the Headphone Pro adds a slider control for bass strength – a throwback to similar controls on Walkman-type players.

Volume is controlled via a Multifunction roller on the right earpad, which can also be used to switch between different levels of noise control (ANC) and the playback controls. In addition to this, the Action Button and the Spatial Audio system are all controlled via Nothing’s straightforward Nothing X app, an effective control centre for all of the company’s audio wares. Sound quality is really pretty good, helped by the strong isolation provided by the oversized earpads.

Headphone Pro is compatible with hi-res audio streaming and the Nothing X app also allows you build a ‘Personal Sound’ profile, which uses a short test program to calibrate your hearing response and frequency reception. This profile is then stored on the headphones but can also be transferred to other audio devices. There’s also deep integration with CMF’s watch and smartphone.

Nothing is claiming a maximum of around 100 hours of playback, providing you don’t have ANC switched on. Endurance halves if you’re taking advantage of the adaptive noise cancelling, but around five minutes of charge can supply another four hours of listening. Power can be transferred from a compatible smart phone, while a full charge takes two hours.

The Headphone Pro is also well equipped for voice calls, with three HD microphones and an Environmental Noise Cancellation system that cuts through background noise to keep your own voice clear. Finally, there’s an aux socket for regular wired listening should you so desire.

If the vaguely Dr Seuss-style form factor appeals, then the amount of functionality baked into the CMF Headphone Pro is truly remarkable for the price.

CMF Headphone Pro, £79 / €99 / $99 USD / $179 AUD, available from nothing.tech, @CMF.tech