Recently I've been lucky enough to get my hands on Nothing's new CMF Clip Pros – a swanky pair of open-ear earbuds that offer a breezier alternative to the classic in-ear style. While my full-fat, juicy review is pending, upon first impression I already have a few thoughts – most pressingly, can strangers hear what I'm listening to?
Compared to the security of my current favourite wireless headphones, or the traditional snug fit of an AirPod (or AirPod-adjacent earbud), the Clip Pros have an almost weightless openness to them that, truthfully, terrifies me. As I sit writing this, I can't help but wonder: can the entire office hear me listening to Britney Spears' 2008 hit 'Womanizer'?
Fresh out of the box, Nothing's CMF Clip Pros are clean and delightfully unfussy in their minimalist design. Snapping the case open, I pop them into my ears with relative ease, but come across my first issue – they don't feel like they're sitting right... even when they are. Used to the in-ear violation of traditional earbuds and the head-hugging envelopment of my headphones, it takes a bit of trust to believe I'll hear anything at all.
Bluetooth connection is a doddle as the Clip Pros appear right on my phone's list of local devices, and I spend an embarrassing amount of time choosing a song that isn't too humiliating to listen to out loud, just in case. Like I'm conducting the world's lamest prank, I hold my breath and press play, waiting for one of my coworkers to address the music blasting from my ears. But nobody bats an eyelid, not even a slight craning of the neck to suggest anyone has heard a peep.
It all feels wrong. Music is swishing around my ears, but I can still hear the dulcet mumblings of the office – it's an alien listening experience for me as I'm typically dialled in with noise cancellation. I dither around my coworkers' desks, asking if they can hear anything and after an intensive, brow-furrowed listen, the resounding opinion is "Yeah, no. Maybe? If you really focus on it".
Naturally, I decide everyone must be gaslighting me, so I force my colleagues to try them out. At a normal listening volume, I can scarcely hear a thing, and at full blast only the faintest of buzzes can be heard. Were I a woman of science, I'd explain how the Clip Pros are able to direct sound into the ear without bleeding into your environment, but I'm not, so I won't. To me, it just feels like pure magic.
Given that the Clip Pros sit so unobtrusively in the ear, I'm amazed that the audio quality is as clear as it is, and they're so light it's easy to forget you're even wearing anything. Stay tuned for my full review soon, but in conclusion, it's safe to listen to cheesy Y2K pop when you're wearing the Nothing CMF Clip Pro.
Preorder the Nothing CMF Pro Clip earbuds.
For more tech news, check out why Nothing designs its phones “like logos” or take a look at our Nothing Headphone (a) review.
