CMF by Nothing, the budget sub-brand of consumer electronics maker Nothing, has announced its first pair of open-ear earbuds. The CMF Clip Pro, priced at $99, is scheduled to reach buyers on August 15. The product was unveiled on August 4 at 9 a.m. EDT (Android Central).

The Clip Pro is an OWS (open-wearable stereo) device that employs what CMF calls a "3-point clip design" intended to distribute pressure evenly across the ear. Each earbud weighs 5.9 grams. Acoustically, the earbuds are equipped with 10.8mm dual-magnet dynamic drivers and feature Ultra Bass Technology, which the company says intelligently enhances low frequencies while reducing treble distortion. The Clip Pro is Hi-Res Certified and supports the LDAC, AAC, and SBC Bluetooth codecs, covering the full spectrum from high-bitrate streaming on Android to baseline compatibility across devices (Engadget).

On the call side, four HD microphones are tasked with separating the user's voice from surrounding noise. Battery life comes in at 10 hours of continuous playback on a full charge, with 32.5 hours total when including the charging case. A 10-minute charge returns four hours of listening time.

The charging case incorporates Nothing's proprietary Smart Dial, a rotating physical dial that controls volume, playback, and call functions directly from the case rather than requiring a phone or earbud touch interaction. Connectivity features include dual Bluetooth connections for simultaneous pairing with two devices, a low-latency gaming mode, Google Fast Pair, and Microsoft Swift Pair. The earbuds carry an IP54 rating for water and dust resistance. Three color options are available: Dark Grey, Light Grey, and Coral.

Open-ear designs occupy a specific niche in the personal audio market. By sitting outside the ear canal rather than sealing it, they allow ambient sound to pass through, which is useful for outdoor activity, situational awareness, or extended-wear comfort. The trade-off has historically been bass response and acoustic isolation. The Clip Pro's combination of dual-magnet drivers, Ultra Bass Technology, and LDAC support reads as a direct attempt to address the low-end deficit that has limited open-ear adoption among discerning listeners.

At $99, the Clip Pro sits well below the price ceiling of premium open-ear offerings from established audio brands. The inclusion of LDAC, dual-device pairing, and a physical Smart Dial at this price point is notable. Nothing has been consistent about pushing industrial design and tactile controls into price brackets where competitors typically default to capacitive touch and minimalist feature sets. The Smart Dial on the case is a continuation of that philosophy, giving users a hardware control surface that does not depend on touch sensitivity or earbud manipulation, which can be finicky with clip-style form factors.

For buyers evaluating the Clip Pro against sealed in-ear monitors, the open-ear form factor remains a category with inherent acoustic compromises. Bass response, passive noise isolation, and maximum volume will not match a well-sealed IEM at equivalent pricing. The value proposition here is for users who prioritize situational awareness, all-day comfort, or simply cannot tolerate in-canal pressure. The 5.9-gram per-earbud weight and 3-point clip design suggest attention to long-wear ergonomics, though real-world comfort will depend on individual ear geometry.

The August 15 availability gives CMF a mid-August retail window. The three colorways and sub-$100 pricing position the Clip Pro as an accessible entry point into the open-ear category for consumers who may have been deterred by higher prices from incumbents.