Our verdict

The CMF Buds 2a are budget earbuds from CMF, a brand owned by Nothing. They have active noise cancelling (ANC), which uses microphones to reduce outside noise, rated by Nothing at up to 42dB. Nothing claims 8 hours of playback with ANC off, or 5 hours with it on, and up to 35.5 hours including the case. They can connect to two devices at once and work with the Nothing X app on iPhone and Android. Tom’s Guide named them an Editor’s Choice, but Gizmodo found them “tinny”. They have no in-ear detection, so music keeps playing when you take one out. Their UK RRP is £29. We have not tested them ourselves.

Buy it if

You want noise cancelling for the commute on a tight budget
You need a spare or backup pair that will not hurt to lose
You switch between a phone and laptop and want both connected

Skip it if

You often take one bud out to talk to people
Sound quality matters more than price
You want earbuds for heavy rain or intense workouts

Everyday use

A budget commute

Tom’s Guide found the noise cancelling worked well on a London commute, which is the main reason to choose these over cheaper earbuds without it.

A spare pair

At £29, they suit a gym bag or a work drawer, where losing them would not be costly.

Phone and laptop together

Dual connection keeps them paired to two devices. GizmoGeek Hub found sound did not always return to the laptop after a declined call, so expect the odd manual reconnect.

The details, in plain English

Sound

Each bud has a 12.4mm driver tuned by Dirac. Tom’s Guide found the sound balanced with clear vocals and good treble, though slightly tinny, and preferred it with the Ultra Bass setting turned up. GizmoGeek Hub called it the most balanced of CMF’s three models. Gizmodo disagreed, finding them “tinny, almost hollow” in a blind test and the weakest of the three. They support AAC and SBC Bluetooth formats only.

Noise cancelling

Nothing rates the noise cancelling at up to 42dB, with a transparency mode to let outside sound in. It is not adaptive: there is no automatic adjustment and no strength setting. Tom’s Guide found it worked well on a London commute. GizmoGeek Hub found it handled fans and speech but not honking traffic. Gizmodo found it the weakest of the three CMF models it tested.

Battery and charging

Nothing claims 8 hours from the buds with noise cancelling off, or 5 hours with it on. Including the case, that rises to 35.5 hours or 23 hours. A 10-minute charge gives up to 2 hours with noise cancelling off. A full charge takes about 89 minutes over USB-C; wireless charging is not mentioned. No reviewer we found ran a timed battery test, so these are manufacturer claims.

Fit, build and water resistance

Each bud weighs 4.28g. Tom’s Guide found them light and comfortable, but the build plasticky. GizmoGeek Hub found the case lid slightly wobbly and noted there are no left and right markings on the stems. The buds are rated IP54, which covers dust and splashes, but the case is only IPX2, so Tom’s Guide left it at home in the rain.

Missing features and the app

There is no in-ear detection, which two reviews confirmed, so music keeps playing when you take a bud out. The Nothing X app offers an EQ, Ultra Bass and a find-my-earbuds feature on iPhone and Android, but it connects to only one device at a time. Tom’s Guide found the app less intuitive than some rivals. Nothing’s low-lag mode reaches 110ms only with Nothing phones.

Strengths and drawbacks

What it does well

Noise cancelling for £29, rated by Nothing at up to 42dB
Claimed 35.5 hours of playback including the case, with noise cancelling off
Connects to two devices at once, with Google Fast Pair for quick Android setup
Light at 4.28g per bud; Tom’s Guide found them as comfortable as AirPods Pro 3

What to watch out for

No in-ear detection, so music does not pause when you remove a bud
Reviewers disagree on sound: Gizmodo found them tinny and hollow
Plasticky build, and the case is only rated IPX2 for drips
The Nothing X app controls only one device at a time

Nothing’s own CMF Buds 2 Plus add Smart Adaptive Mode noise cancelling for more money. Tom’s Guide found the 2a sounded better than the CMF Buds 2, but Gizmodo, testing all three CMF models together, preferred the others. Spending more on AirPods Pro 3 or Sony’s WF-1000XM6 gets in-ear detection and stronger noise cancelling, but at many times the price. We have not tested these earbuds side by side.

Alternatives we have reviewed

Product	Our verdict	Price	Buy
CMF Buds 2a (this one)	A low-cost way to get noise-cancelling earbuds for commuting, travel or a spare pair.	£29RRP · Nothing UK, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026	Check price
JBL Tune Beam 2	A good choice if you want noise cancelling and long battery life for under £40 and can accept average call quality.	£79.99RRP, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026	Check price
JBL Reflect Aero	A very good-value pair of sports earbuds at £19.99 if you want a secure, waterproof fit for workouts, but not the right choice if strong noise cancelling or natural-sounding calls matter most.	£119RRP, RRP recorded 29 Oct 2026	Check price
Apple AirPods 4	AirPods 4 suit iPhone owners who like an open fit and simple setup, but skip them if you need noise cancellation or a choice of ear tip sizes.	£129RRP, RRP recorded 12 Oct 2026	Check price

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Where our findings come from

This review is based on Nothing’s UK product page, its EU specification table and support pages, and hands-on reviews by Tom’s Guide (Ashley Thieme, about a week with an Orange pair, 10 April 2026), Gizmodo (James Pero, a group test of three CMF models, June 2025) and GizmoGeek Hub (Abhishek Hari, over a month of use, August 2025). We could not find a review from a major UK outlet. Their findings are credited to them in the text, and where they disagree, as on sound and noise cancelling, we say so. No reviewer published a timed battery test. The price was checked on 12 October 2026.

CMF Buds 2a review