TL;DR: The CMF Headphone Pro delivers 100 hours of battery, modular customization, Hi-Res audio, and adaptive ANC at a price that makes Sony and Bose sweat. It doesn’t quite match the most elite ANC headphones for silence, but for design-lovers and audiophiles who want endurance, it’s a must-try.

When Nothing announced the CMF sub-brand, I thought it was just going to be a design playground for affordable accessories. You know, chargers in funky colors, straps that make your smartwatch feel more like streetwear than tech. Cute, but not earth-shattering. What I didn’t expect was for CMF to roll up its sleeves and drop a pair of over-ear headphones designed to go toe-to-toe with the best in the industry. And yet, here we are with the CMF Headphone Pro: a bold, modular, Hi-Res certified, 100-hour battery beast that has me grinning like I just unboxed my first iPod back in 2001.

This review isn’t just going to skim the surface. We’re diving all the way in — through the design quirks, the sound signature, the adaptive ANC sorcery, the ridiculously over-engineered battery life, and the real-world experience of living with these headphones as both a geek and a music addict. Buckle up.

Design: Lego Meets Bauhaus Meets Streetwear

The CMF Headphone Pro doesn’t just sit on your head — it announces itself. We’re talking interchangeable ear cushions that click into place with the kind of satisfying thunk usually reserved for Lego Technic bricks. One day you’re rocking Dark Grey for subtle vibes, the next you’re swapping in Light Green for an “I’m the main character” flex. It’s modular fashion, and while some may dismiss it as gimmicky, I see it as the beginning of a sneaker-culture approach to personal audio. If you’ve ever swapped out Joy-Con shells on a Nintendo Switch or owned more than three pairs of sneakers that all serve the same purpose but make you feel different depending on the color, you’ll get it.

At 283 grams, the Headphone Pro strikes a balance between durability and comfort. They’re lighter than they look, and that matters because most 100-hour battery headphones feel like someone glued a car battery to the headband. I marathon-tested them during a Lord of the Rings Extended Edition binge, and I didn’t feel the usual crown-of-pain that kicks in around Helm’s Deep with heavier cans. The cushions are plush without being pillowy — think memory foam mattress top rather than beanbag chair. Over long listening sessions, the balance of weight and clamp pressure made them disappear in a way I didn’t expect from headphones this ambitious.

But the real geek candy? The controls. CMF ditches the mushy buttons and goes for three tactile innovations:

• Energy Slider: Adjusts the tonal balance in real time. Slide up for crisp treble, slide down for face-melting bass. It’s like having a live EQ dial without opening an app, and it works without delay or distortion.
• Multi-function Roller: Volume scrolls, playback clicks, ANC toggles. It’s the headphone equivalent of a mechanical keyboard switch — precise, addictive, and way too fun to fidget with during Zoom calls. The roller feels mechanical in a satisfying way that reminds me of scrolling the volume wheel on an old iPod Classic.
• Customisable Action Button: Map it to Spatial Audio, your AI assistant, or a quick toggle of your favorite feature. Mine? I bound it to instantly switch from standard ANC to Transparency Mode. Geek joy. This is the kind of flexibility you usually only see on gaming peripherals.

This is where CMF shows its DNA. Nothing has always been about tactile interaction — transparent phones with dot-matrix LEDs, earbuds with case lights. The CMF Headphone Pro takes that philosophy and makes it physical, in a way that makes you want to reach for them even when you’re not listening to music.

Adaptive ANC: The Jedi Mind Trick for Noise

Noise cancellation has become table stakes for premium headphones, but CMF isn’t just phoning it in. Their Hybrid Adaptive ANC claims up to 40 dB reduction, and in real-world testing it held its ground surprisingly well. It doesn’t just “turn on” ANC like a binary switch; it adapts. That means different environments trigger different intensities of suppression, and it happens so smoothly you barely notice the transition.

Walking down a busy street, the headphones let through just enough audio cues (car honks, bike bells) to keep me alive. Step into a café, and background chatter fades to a gentle murmur, like someone turned the world’s volume knob from 10 down to 3. On a long-haul flight, they locked into maximum suppression mode, chopping down engine roar to a faint hum while keeping movie dialogue razor sharp. The adjustment feels almost invisible — one minute you’re outside, the next minute you’re cocooned in silence.

Compared to industry-leading ANC cans like Sony’s WH-1000XM6, the CMF Headphone Pro isn’t quite at “silence chamber” levels, but it gets remarkably close for a first-generation product. What it does differently is prioritize comfort — the ANC feels less pressurizing on the ears, which makes long sessions more enjoyable. I didn’t get that “ear vacuum” sensation that can cause fatigue on other headphones.

Spatial Audio is CMF’s ace in the hole. Cinema Mode widens the stage, making Netflix binges feel cinematic without requiring a soundbar. Concert Mode, meanwhile, amps up live recordings with energy and depth that trick your brain into thinking you’re front row at Wembley. It’s not Apple’s head-tracking Spatial magic, but it’s immersive enough to make your commute feel less like purgatory and more like a private screening.

Sound: Precision Meets Personality

Specs matter. CMF packs in 40mm custom drivers with nickel-plated diaphragms, a 16.5 mm copper voice coil, and dual-chamber acoustic design. Translation: you get punchy bass, sharp mids, and treble that refuses to hiss or pierce even at high volumes. The sound signature is balanced with a little extra fun on the low end, but nothing that overshadows vocals or instrumental detail.

On wireless, LDAC (up to 990 kbps) means Android users get almost lossless audio, provided their streaming service can keep up. For iPhone users stuck in AAC land, the sound still impresses, though you won’t squeeze every ounce of detail like you do on Android. That being said, these cans sound better out of the box than most competitors at this price point, regardless of source.

But the star feature? Audiodo Personal Sound. The Nothing X app runs a 3-minute hearing test that analyzes how your ears perceive different frequencies, then builds a personal EQ baked into the headphones themselves. My profile brought out warmth in vocals and tightened bass response. After calibration, Billie Eilish’s whispery vocals cut through with intimacy, and the bassline on Travis Scott’s Goosebumps thumped without smothering everything else. Rock, classical, EDM — the test reshaped each genre in a way that made sense for my ears, not someone else’s idea of flat tuning.

This isn’t just marketing fluff; it’s a genuine improvement. Everyone hears differently, and CMF acknowledges that instead of pretending one tuning fits all. It’s like wearing prescription glasses for the first time and realizing trees actually have individual leaves.

Battery: 100 Hours is Not a Typo

Let’s get this straight: 100 hours of playback with ANC off. 50 hours with ANC on. No, that’s not a typo. That’s not marketing math. That’s reality. This battery life isn’t just good — it’s absurd. It changes how you think about charging headphones altogether.

In practical terms, that means you could wear these for an entire workweek without charging, and still have juice left for the weekend. On ANC, I blasted through three days of travel — airport lounges, flights, streaming — before they finally needed a top-up. I started joking with friends that I was more likely to forget my phone charger than run these headphones dry.

And if you do somehow manage to drain them, a 5-minute charge nets 4 hours of playback (8 if ANC is off). A full recharge takes under 2 hours via USB-C. You can even reverse-charge from your phone in a pinch, which I actually tested on my Nothing Phone and it worked without fuss. This is the kind of endurance that makes me forget battery anxiety is even a thing. If headphones are supposed to be about removing friction from your listening experience, CMF just set the bar.

Convenience and Durability: The Everyday Test

A great headphone isn’t just about sound and ANC. It’s about how it fits into your life. Here’s where CMF shows surprising maturity for a first-gen product:

• Nothing X App: Clean, intuitive, and consistent across iOS and Android. You can tweak EQ, remap controls, adjust ANC levels, and update firmware without digging through confusing menus. It’s polished in a way that doesn’t scream “v1.”
• Microphone Quality: 3 HD mics with Environmental Noise Cancellation (ENC). My voice came through sharp on calls even in wind and traffic. Not quite AirPods Pro sorcery, but impressive enough to handle work calls without apologies.
• Durability: Tested across 66+ checkpoints — drop, twist, and environmental resistance. I tossed them in my bag without a case, and they came out unscathed. They’re not premium metal like AirPods Max, but they’re sturdy enough to survive daily abuse, gym bags, and even the occasional accidental sit-down-on-headphones moment.

CMF also added thoughtful touches like wind-resistant mesh around the mics, fast pairing on both Android and Windows, and wired playback via 3.5mm cable for those rare “Bluetooth dead zone” scenarios. Everything about them screams, “We thought about how you’ll actually use this.”

Weak Spots: Because Nothing is Perfect

Look, no headphone is perfect, and the Headphone Pro isn’t immune:

• Design loudness: The modular, colorful aesthetic isn’t for minimalists. If you prefer sleek, understated black, these might feel too playful.
• ANC tier: While strong, it still trails the very best in total silence. If you live on planes, you’ll notice the gap compared to elite ANC sets.
• Plastic build: Durable, yes. Premium? Not quite. You won’t mistake these for magnesium or aluminum cans.

Final Verdict

The CMF Headphone Pro is the rare first-gen product that doesn’t just compete — it disrupts. By combining modular design, Hi-Res sound, adaptive ANC, and a battery life that borders on absurd, CMF has created something bold, functional, and genuinely exciting.

They’re not here to dethrone Sony, Bose, or Apple outright. They don’t have to. They carve out their own lane: playful, endlessly customizable, built to last, and engineered to play longer than anything else on your desk. If you want headphones that feel less like gear and more like a gadget you want to live with, CMF just made a statement piece.