CMF Clip Pro review: comfort, controls and sound

THE SCORECARD

CMF Clip Pro

• Comfort

  9.5/10

  Balanced clamp and thoughtful wire shape let me wear them all day; side sleeping is usable but you feel the connector against a pillow.

• Security of the fit

  9.5/10

  They stayed put even when wet and jumping around despite no silicone where they touch the ear.

• IP rating

  9.5/10

  Buds are IP54; the case is IPX2, so avoid getting the case wet.

• Case and battery life

  8.5/10

  About 10 hours on the buds and 32.5 hours total; 10 minutes gives ~4 hours, no wireless charging, thin matte case feels premium.

• Controls

  9.75/10

  Clicky physical button plus a case dial for volume and actions; low-latency toggle and mic mute on the case; no wearing detection.

• Connectivity

  10/10

  Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC, LDAC, Fast Pair and Swift Pair; reliable multipoint; no mono mode.

• Call quality

  7.5/10

  Usable in quiet, crowd and wind tests but not class-leading.

• Customization and extra features

  8/10

  Clean Nothing X app with spatial audio, anti-leak, Bass Enhance, 3‑band EQ, low latency, long battery mode and Find My Buds.

• Sound quality below 60% volume

  8.5/10

  Best with Bass Enhance at 2 and the Pop preset; bass is strong, treble is a bit soft and overall clarity trails the very best.

• Sound quality above 60% volume

  8.75/10

  Treble and mids open up; bass keeps up but can distort on kick-heavy tracks at ~70–90% with Bass Enhance 2.

The Pros and Cons

How comfortable and secure are the CMF Clip Pro?

I scored comfort 9.5/10. The ergonomics, wire angle and clamp feel sorted, so I could just throw them on and forget them. Side sleeping is fine, though the small connector can press lightly against a pillow. You get three colours, including this orangey pink plus black and white.

Will they stay on during workouts?

Security of fit is 9.5/10. They don’t slide around easily, and they stayed on through sweat and jump tests even without silicone touch points.

How rugged and how loud are they?

Buds are IP54. The case is IPX2, which is almost nothing—keep it dry. I measured max volume at 114.8 dB. Leakage is typical for clip-ons, and the Anti‑Leak mode helps by dialing treble down a touch.

Is the case pocketable and how’s the battery?

Battery and case scored 8.5/10: about 10 hours in the buds and 32.5 total with the case. A 10‑minute top-up nets roughly four hours. No wireless charging at this price, which I’m fine with. The matte case feels premium and is thin and pocketable, though it’s wider than average and you must dock left/right on the correct side.

Are the controls and dial actually useful?

Controls are a highlight at 9.75/10. The clicky physical button supports single/double/triple/hold and press‑and‑hold. Single press is locked to play/pause; the rest are remappable for tracks, volume or assistant. On Nothing phones you can set ChatGPT as your assistant. The case dial rotates for volume and clicks for actions, and it can toggle low latency so you don’t have to open the app. You can double‑press the dial to mute calls (not available on the buds). The only missing piece is wearing detection.

How’s connectivity and gaming latency?

Connectivity is a clean 10/10: Bluetooth 5.4 with SBC, AAC and LDAC, plus Google Fast Pair and Microsoft Swift Pair. Multipoint works reliably—pause one device, play on the other to switch. There’s no mono mode: use only the right bud and you’ll hear only the right channel. I also tested low-latency mode in COD Mobile on an iPhone 15 Pro and a Nothing Phone 3 A Pro.

Do they handle calls well?

Call quality scored 7.5/10 across my quiet room, simulated crowd and windy city tests, recorded on real phone calls. It’s not the best I’ve heard, but it stays usable in rough conditions. In the samples I compared it to Huawei’s top scorer and a strong Baseus competitor.

What’s in the app and extras?

Nothing X is straightforward. Spatial Audio adds a mild open effect with a hint of reverb—there if you want it. Anti‑Leak mainly rolls treble down to reduce leakage; I wish I could map it to the dial. Bass Enhance has three levels; I strongly prefer 2 for low-volume listening. The 3‑band EQ isn’t very effective and drops overall level. You also get a low latency toggle, connected devices, a long battery life mode (disables Spatial, LDAC and Bass Enhance), and Find My Buds.

How do they sound at low volume?

Below 60% I scored them 8.5/10. With Bass Enhance at 2 and the stock Pop preset, you get some genuine sub-bass for open-ear standards and satisfying kick impact—great for electronic. Treble is the weak link here: it’s smooth but a little shy, so clarity lags behind the very best open sets. The mids land fine; vocals aren’t shouty, just slightly set back by the elevated low end.

How do they sound loud, and what about distortion?

Above 60% I scored them 8.75/10. Treble and mids step forward nicely and stay smooth, and the bass keeps up impressively until you push loud, kick-heavy tracks. At roughly 70–90% volume with Bass Enhance at 2, I hear noticeable kick-drum fuzz on genres like EDM, trap and some hard rock. Dropping Bass Enhance to 1 reduces it a lot; 0 removes it but also thins the bass. That’s the trade: big low-end versus absolute cleanliness.

How does CMF Clip Pro compare to other open earbuds?

Ranking context: the Clip Pro landed 4th at 89.5/100, then 8th at 87.4/100 after I multiplied sound by 10 in my spreadsheet (linked below). A few quick head-to-head notes:

• EarFun Clip 2 (84.6): cheaper, but CMF wins on build and sound both low and high volume; even at 1 on Bass Enhance, CMF has more bass at high volume.

• SoundPEATS Clip Pro (82.8): looser fit and average battery bring it down; high-volume sound is competitive and, on the Pocket/Pockit Pro, I heard no distortion.

• Shokz top set: scored 91.4 in my ranking and has better overall clarity low and high; slight distortion exists but it’s less noticeable. CMF is more comfortable and compact; features are otherwise close.

• Baseus MC2 (88.8): features are close; MC2 has unique grippy arms and cleaner sound with no distortion at my test volumes. CMF feels better built for the long term.

Questions I keep getting