If you thought physical controls on headphones were a dying art, CMF — the budget-focused sub-brand spun out of Nothing — just reminded you why tactile hardware still matters. The CMF Headphone Pro, announced today for the EU and UK with a US launch set for October 7, 2025, is an unapologetically affordable over-ear that leans hard on physical knobs, a cheeky “Energy Slider” for on-the-fly EQ tweaks, and a battery life that reads like a phone spec. Price? $99. For what it packs, that’s… delightful.

The headline trick: a physical EQ that actually makes sense

The standout bit here is a simple piece of hardware: a slider that CMF calls the Energy Slider. Push it one way, and the treble and presence step forward. Push it to the other, and the bass takes the lead. It’s the kind of tactile, immediate control that replaces a few taps in an app and that, in practice, could be everything for commuters who want to tune music to a noisy train or a quiet office without unlocking a phone.

But the slider isn’t the only physical control worth noticing. CMF stuck with tactile buttons rather than touch-sensitive panels: a round power/Bluetooth button on one cup, a customizable action button on the other (configurable via the Nothing X app), and a multi-function roller — think volume, playback, and ambient sound control wrapped into one scrollable, clickable dial. Those who didn’t vibe with the Headphone 1’s touch gestures will appreciate the shift back to mechanical, findable controls.

Design: softer where Nothing went square

You won’t mistake these for Nothing’s transparent aesthetic. Where Nothing’s Headphone 1 went boxy and angular, CMF’s Headphone Pro are soft and circular: round earcups, plush cushions, and a well-padded headband. They come in subtle dark gray, light gray, and light green out of the box, but CMF doubles down on customization — replacement ear cushions (sold separately for $25) in bright orange or neon green let you mix a little loudness into an otherwise muted look. That customizable, color-swap philosophy is very much in keeping with CMF’s remit as a more playful, budget-friendly sibling to Nothing.

Battery life and ANC: ridiculous numbers, with a catch

Here’s where the spec sheet gets attention-grabbing. CMF claims up to 100 hours of playback with the 720mAh battery when ANC is turned off, and up to 50 hours with adaptive ANC engaged. That 50-hour ANC number beats both Nothing’s Headphone 1 (by roughly 15 hours, according to comparisons) and Sony’s WH-1000XM6, which top out around 40 hours (30 with ANC in some official figures). CMF also promises a five-minute quick charge for roughly four hours of listening — the sort of hotel-room emergency fix that can actually make a difference when you’re jet-lagged and flight-adjacent.

The company says the ANC is adaptive — it will dial its aggressiveness up or down depending on ambient noise — but, fair warning, all of that noise-cancelling muscle takes a chunk out of the battery life. Real-world testing will tell whether CMF’s adaptive ANC is best-in-class or merely solid for the price; early reports note that the brand is promising up to 40dB of ANC performance on paper, which is substantial for a sub-$100 pair.

Connectivity and codecs

CMF didn’t skimp on the modern essentials: Bluetooth with low-latency and at least one high-res option appears in spec sheets (Forbes and several outlets cite support for LDAC and hi-res streaming capability), which is a sensible inclusion if you plan to use the Headphone Pro with higher-bitrate streaming or local hi-res sources. Expect standard multipoint pairing, and a USB-C port that also supports direct charging from some phones — a practical touch when you forget your power bank.

Who is this for?

These aren’t for the audiophile who wants studio-grade neutrality — they’re for the listener who wants clever design, long life, and immediate control without paying premium headphone prices. Students, commuters, and anyone who wants a single pair of cans that can be tuned for shuffled playlists, podcasts, or late-night EDM will find a lot to like. The modular earcups and replaceable cushions tilt the Headphone Pro toward people who care about personalization as much as the raw spec sheet.

The business angle: CMF’s bigger plan

The launch is also a marker in CMF’s wider evolution. Nothing has been positioning CMF as a budget arm that could become a standalone subsidiary — a move meant to scale the brand globally and expand its reach into markets where more affordable pricing matters. The Headphone Pro arrives as the first over-ear under that strategy, representing both a product and a statement about how Nothing wants to play across price tiers.

Final take

At $99, the CMF Headphone Pro is a high-value gamble: great battery claims, a uniquely useful physical EQ slider, and tactile hardware controls that feel like a welcome course correction in a market that sometimes over-optimizes for gesture gimmicks. If CMF’s adaptive ANC and sound profile match the promise, these could be the default “buy now” headphones for a lot of shoppers who don’t want to spend hundreds. If you prize absolute sonic neutrality or need flagship ANC that outperforms everything else, you’ll still lean toward pricier options. But for the money and the thoughtful design choices, CMF has delivered something that’s hard to ignore.