CMF by Nothing Buds Pro B187

The CMF Buds Pro 2 delivers 98th percentile mic quality and 97th percentile ANC at a budget price. Battery life is excellent at 10 hours per bud and 43 hours total. Build quality is the weak point at the 34th percentile, but the performance per dollar is hard to argue with.

The ANC is the star of the show. At 50 dB of hybrid noise cancellation with an extended frequency range up to 5,000 Hz, these earbuds sit in the 97th percentile for noise control. That's the kind of filtering that makes a plane engine fade into a dull hum. The adaptive mode automatically compensates for gaps between the earbud and your ear canal, which is a smart touch for people who struggle with fit. Six HD mics with Clear Voice Technology 2.0 put call quality in the 98th percentile, and the wind noise reduction design actually works. We've tested enough earbuds where wind turns calls into a garbled mess, and these handle it better than almost anything else in our database.

Sound quality is strong too. The 11mm dynamic drivers paired with LDAC and Dirac tuning land in the 91st percentile. Ultra Bass Technology 2.0 gives you five levels of bass customization in the Nothing X app, so you can go from flat and neutral to skull-rattling depending on your mood. The spatial audio effect based on HRTF is a nice bonus for movies, though it's not going to replace a proper surround setup. The smart dial is genuinely useful, letting you twist for volume and press for ANC modes, voice assistant, or low-latency mode under 100ms. It's a clever hardware solution that more earbuds should copy.

Against the Sony WF-C700N, the CMF Buds Pro 2 wins on raw ANC power and mic quality, but Sony has better brand trust and likely better build quality. The Nothing Ear (3) is the more premium sibling with a more refined design, but you'll pay more for it. The Anker Space A40 has been a budget ANC favorite for a while, and it's still a solid pick if you want proven reliability and better social proof. The EarFun Air Pro 4+ is a closer match on features, but the CMF's mic performance in the 98th percentile is hard to beat at this price. The Soundcore P31i is the budget alternative if you just want decent sound without the fancy ANC numbers.

Pricing is all over the map depending on where you shop. In EUR, you'll find these ranging from EUR 54 to EUR 65 across DE, ES, FR, and IT, with 9 listings total. That's an EUR 11 spread, so it's worth checking a few stores before you buy. The lower end of that range is where the value really shines. In GBP, the spread is wild, from GBP 59 to GBP 177 across 3 listings. That GBP 118 gap means some UK retailers are charging nearly triple what others are asking. If you're in the UK, shop around aggressively. At the low end of either currency range, you're getting 97th percentile ANC and 98th percentile mics for a fraction of what flagship earbuds cost.

The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 (B187) lands with a mic score in the 98th percentile and ANC in the 97th, which puts it right at the top of our database for call quality and noise filtering. That's the headline here. You're getting flagship-tier voice pickup and 50 dB of adaptive noise cancellation in a pair of earbuds that costs less than a nice dinner out. The 11mm dynamic drivers with LDAC support also push sound quality into the 91st percentile, so it's not just a one-trick pony for phone calls.

But the numbers tell a more complicated story. Build quality sits at the 34th percentile, which is a weak spot for something you'll toss in a bag daily. Social proof is nearly nonexistent at the 10th percentile, so you're buying on specs and our testing rather than a mountain of user reviews. Battery life is a genuine highlight at 10 hours per bud and 43 hours total with the case, landing in the 88th percentile. For the price, this is a lot of tech crammed into a plastic shell.

If you're rough on your gear, look elsewhere. The build quality at the 34th percentile means these don't feel like they'll survive years of drops and daily abuse. Fitness users should also think twice, the fitness score of 39.7/100 is the weakest area here, and despite the IP54 rating, the fit and durability aren't ideal for intense workouts. If you want a proven track record with thousands of reviews backing up the product, the 10th percentile social proof means you're essentially an early adopter. And if you're in the UK, avoid paying anywhere near the GBP 177 end of the price range, that's a terrible deal for what you're getting.

The CMF by Nothing Buds Pro 2 is a spec monster at a budget price. The 98th percentile mic quality and 97th percentile ANC are the reasons to buy, and the 10-hour battery life sweetens the deal. The build quality at the 34th percentile is the main trade-off, and the lack of social proof means you're trusting the spec sheet over real-world longevity. If you take a lot of calls in noisy places and want strong ANC without spending flagship money, these are an easy recommendation. Just don't expect them to feel premium in your hand.