Twenty dollars. That’s what CMF is asking for its new Buds Neo earbuds, and the spec sheet attached to that price tag is going to make a lot of people do a double-take. This isn’t a stripped-down budget option with one selling point and a bunch of asterisks. It’s a genuinely loaded pair of wireless earbuds that punches well above its weight class.
CMF by Nothing only just stepped into open-ear territory a couple of weeks ago, and it’s already back with something completely different. The Buds Neo are a more traditional in-ear design, and according to SoundGuys, they’re going on sale exclusively in India on August 26 for just ?1,999, which works out to around $20. For context, that’s cheaper than most phone cases.
Before you even get to what these things can do, the design is worth talking about. The charging case has a square, two-tone look with a large circular dial on one side. It also has a built-in lanyard hole, so you can clip it to a bag instead of watching it disappear into the void of your everyday carry. The Buds Neo come in Black, White, and Dark Blue. It’s a small thing, but it shows CMF actually thought about how people use these, not just how they look on a product page.
Inside the earbuds is a 12.4mm dynamic driver with a titanium-coated PET dome and a PEEK + PU surround. The idea is to get solid bass without letting it swallow everything else. Whether that holds up in practice is the real test, but the combination at least suggests CMF is thinking about sound balance, not just marketing specs.
The Nothing X app adds real flexibility on top of that. You get six EQ presets covering Pop, Rock, Electronic, Classical, and Enhanced Vocals, plus a custom EQ if you want to tune things yourself. There’s also a separate Bass Enhancement setting with two levels if you want more low end. That level of control is something a lot of earbuds at two or three times the price don’t offer.
The Buds Neo also include static spatial audio, which widens the soundstage so content feels less like it’s crammed directly into your head. It’s not head-tracked, so it won’t react as you move around, but it’s still a genuinely useful feature for movies or live recordings on a budget pair.
The active noise cancellation claims up to 35dB of reduction, which should handle commuting noise, office chatter, and most everyday background rumble. That’s a bold number for a $20 product, and it’s the kind of claim that needs real-world testing to back it up. But if it even gets close, that’s impressive.
Battery life is where the Buds Neo really stand out on paper. Here’s what CMF is promising:
- Up to 11 hours per earbud with ANC off
- 52 hours total with the case and ANC off
- 30 hours total with ANC on
- 5.5 hours of playback from just 10 minutes of charging
- Full charge in around 70 minutes via USB-C
Those numbers are competitive with earbuds that cost significantly more. The 10-minute fast charge is particularly practical for anyone who regularly forgets to plug in overnight.
So why does this matter beyond the obvious? CMF is part of Nothing, a brand that has built real momentum by offering polished, feature-rich products at prices that undercut established players. The Buds Neo continue that approach. Budget earbuds have traditionally meant compromises across the board, but CMF keeps narrowing the gap between affordable and actually good. That puts pressure on the whole market.
The India-exclusive launch at ?1,999 is the one catch for now. Availability in other markets hasn’t been confirmed. And it’s worth being clear: a spec sheet is not a review. How these actually sound, how well the mic performs on calls, and whether the ANC holds up in a real subway car will matter far more than any number CMF printed on a box. But for $20, the Buds Neo have enough going on to make them worth watching closely.