CMF unveils the Clip Pro, a lightweight open-ear wireless earbud priced at $99/£79, offering advanced features and longer battery life for a broader audience, signalling a shift into the mainstream audio market.
Nothing’s budget arm, CMF, has moved into a faster-growing corner of the audio market with the Clip Pro, its first open-ear earbuds. The launch, announced on 4 August, positions the model at $99 or £79, with a limited introductory price of $79. According to the company’s announcement, sales begin in the US, UK and Japan on 15 August, before a wider rollout on 15 September. India is not included in the launch plans.
Open-ear earbuds are designed to leave the ear canal unobstructed, allowing listeners to hear both audio and surrounding noise. That makes them attractive for commuters, home workers and exercise users who want greater situational awareness than traditional in-ear models provide. CMF is entering that segment with a product that aims to keep costs down while avoiding the stripped-back feel often associated with entry-level hardware.
The Clip Pro uses a three-point clip system and a slim C-bridge made from elastic titanium wire to spread pressure more evenly across the ear. CMF says each earbud weighs 5.9 grams, placing it among the lighter products in this category. The company also fits a 10.8mm dual-magnet driver with its Ultra Bass tuning, along with LDAC, AAC and SBC codec support for Hi-Res Audio playback. Bluetooth 5.4, dual-device connectivity, an IP54 rating and four microphones with voice-unit noise reduction are also included.
Battery life is another selling point. CMF claims up to 10 hours from the earbuds alone and 32.5 hours in total with the charging case. A 10-minute charge is said to add four hours of listening time. The case also revives the Smart Dial control, first seen on earlier CMF Buds products, letting users adjust volume, skip tracks, answer calls and pair devices without reaching for a phone. A separate anti-leakage mode is intended to limit sound escaping to people nearby, which matters in open-ear designs because they cannot offer active noise cancellation.
At $99, the Clip Pro sits below rivals such as Sony’s LinkBuds Clip and Bose’s Ultra Open Earbuds, which are both positioned at much higher prices. That makes CMF’s model one of the most affordable open-ear options with codec support and extended battery life. It also marks a shift for a brand that has often competed at the very low end of the market. Whether the higher price broadens CMF’s appeal or pushes it into a more crowded mainstream segment will become clear once the earbuds reach shelves later this month.
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