Yet another big-name company wants in on the clip-style earbud trend. CMF, an offshoot of Nothing, officially unveiled the Clip Pro, its first-ever open-ear audio product in a clip form factor.
CMF says the Clip Pro—which wrap around your ear like an earring—comes with a “3-point clip design” that balances the wireless earbuds across different parts of your ear. The goal is to evenly distribute pressure on your ear, making the wireless earbuds more comfortable and secure. To be honest, I’ve not had a lot of issues with comfort when it comes to clip-style wireless earbuds, but I guess that doesn’t mean they can’t be more comfortable.
Sound-wise, the Clip Pro come with a 10.8 mm dual-magnet dynamic driver and also a bass-enhancing feature called Ultra Bass Technology. This feature “intelligently enhances low frequencies” while also mitigating treble distortion, according to CMF. It’s hard to say what the effects of that feature are on audio quality, but it’s of particular note in a pair of clip-style open wireless earbuds, which can often lack low-end. Here’s to hoping it doesn’t make bass sound too synthetic.
Both Nothing and CMF are known for their quirky hardware, and the Clip Pro fulfill that brand promise with the inclusion of a Smart Dial, which is a wheel on the Clip Pro’s charging case that can adjust volume, control playback, and answer calls. It’s not the first time a Smart Dial has made its way onto a CMF product, but it’s nice to see it return. Probably more noteworthy than the Smart Dial is the general look of the Clip Pro, which, to me, is giving off lighter or vape vibes.
The battery life is characteristically good for a pair of open-ear wireless earbuds, with 10 hours of life on a single charge and as much as 32 hours in combination with the charging case.
Due to the lack of ear tips, there is no active noise cancellation (ANC) here, but that’s the case with pretty much every pair of open wireless earbuds out there. In keeping with CMF’s other products, the pricing is very competitive on the Clip Pro at $100, and there are several tasteful (if a bit muted) colors, including dark grey, light grey, and coral. The Clip Pro are availble starting on Aug. 15.
This article has been updated with a new availability date. CMF originally said open sales would start today, Aug. 4. It’s changed to Aug. 15.
