What you need to know
- The CMF Headphone Pro costs just $99 but brings features you’d usually find on much pricier headphones.
- It features a roller for volume/ANC, an “Energy Slider” for instant bass/treble tweaks, and a customizable shortcut button.
- Ear cushions can be swapped for new colors like bright orange or green, with replacements priced at about $25.
- It boasts up to 100 hours without ANC, or 50 hours with it, and a quick 5-minute charge adds 4 hours of playtime.
CMF, the sub-brand from Nothing, today revealed its first over-ear headphones, the CMF Headphone Pro, and it’s gunning straight for the budget-premium sweet spot.
Priced at just $99 (£79 / €99), these headphones come loaded with features that are typically reserved for gear that costs two or three times as much. With active noise cancellation, a wild 100-hour battery claim, modular parts, and high-resolution audio support, it feels like CMF wants to shake up the under-$100 headphone category.
The design stands out immediately. Instead of glossy touch controls, the Headphone Pro uses a multifunction roller for volume, playback, and noise cancellation. There’s also an ‘Energy Slider’ to adjust bass and treble on the fly, without needing an app. This setup is similar to what Nothing used in its Headphone 1.
Modular approach
There’s also a customizable button that you can program for specific shortcuts. The headphones are modular too, with swappable ear cushions that come in multiple colors like bright orange and light green, adding both comfort and personality. Replacement pads cost around $25, making it easy to freshen them up or change the look.
Under the hood, CMF isn’t cutting corners. The Headphone Pro uses 40mm dynamic drivers with nickel-plated diaphragms and a 16.5mm copper coil inside a dual-chamber setup, all aimed at reducing distortion and widening the soundstage. They’re Hi-Res Audio certified and support LDAC for high-bitrate wireless streaming, while also offering a 3.5mm wired option.
A “Personal Sound” feature fine-tunes the EQ based on your ear shape and hearing profile. As for noise cancellation, CMF promises hybrid adaptive ANC with up to 40dB reduction that automatically adjusts depending on your environment.
Monster battery life
Battery life might be the headline feature: with ANC off, you get up to 100 hours of playback. Even with ANC on, CMF claims an impressive 50 hours, which is more than enough to cover a week’s worth of commutes or long-haul flights.
Charging is fast as well. A 5-minute charge gives you about 4 hours of playback, and a full charge takes around two hours with USB-C. If needed, you can also charge the headphones directly from your smartphone using a USB-C to USB-C cable.
Connectivity checks most boxes you’d expect in 2025: Bluetooth 5.4, multipoint pairing, Fast Pair for Android, Swift Pair for Windows, and full iOS support. That versatility makes it easier to switch between devices. For call quality, the headphones include an AI noise reduction system to cut down on background noise during conversations.
The CMF Headphone Pro comes in dark gray, light gray, and light green, with ear cushion colors to mix things up. They’re available now in Europe and the UK, while U.S. buyers will have to wait until October 7, 2025.
