If you want a pair of earbuds that seals in the bass, blocks out the wind and keeps going for days of back-to-back runs, choose CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2; if you need your ears left open to traffic, your glasses left undisturbed and your music running through a full day of movement, choose Nothing Ear Open Ear. That's the whole cmf by nothing vs nothing earbuds question in one line. And for jogging specifically, it comes down to a single decision: do you want your music sealed in, or do you want the world left on?
CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2 vs Nothing Ear Open Ear at a Glance
• CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2 — biggest trade-off: it's an in-ear bud, so you're plugging your ear canal. If you run on open roads or wear glasses, that sealed-in feeling isn't for everyone.
• Nothing Ear Open Ear — biggest strength: an open-ear hook design at roughly 8 grams per bud that sits off the canal entirely, with multipoint pairing and up to 30 hours of combined playback. Nothing gets between you and what's happening around you.
• Nothing Ear Open Ear — biggest trade-off: open means open. You will not get the isolation or the deep low-end thump of a sealed in-ear, because the whole point is that ambient sound gets through.
• Who each is for: Buds 2 is for the runner who wants a sealed, noise-controlled, high-resolution session; Ear Open Ear is for the runner, cyclist or glasses-wearer who wants background music plus full situational awareness.
The CMF Buds 2 Plus is built like a piece of kit rather than an accessory. The shell mixes a shock-absorbent polymer with sandblasted metal and a soft-touch finish, and the whole set — buds plus case — lands around 51.5 grams, with the case itself weighing about 42.5 grams and measuring roughly 5.3 cm square. It's rated IP55, which is the spec that matters most if you're jogging: sweat, spray and dust are within its comfort zone, not outside it.
How We Research
We compare products from their published specs and features; the verdicts below are our independent editorial opinions.
Sound is the headline. Inside each bud is a 12mm LCP dynamic driver with LDAC certification, a 20Hz–5400Hz frequency range and 32-ohm impedance — the kind of hardware that's usually reserved for deeper bass and more detail than a sport bud bothers with. On top of that sits adaptive ANC rated at 50dB that adjusts to your surroundings and compensates for a poor ear seal, plus Audiodo-powered personal sound that builds a hearing profile from a five-frequency test. For jogging, though, the feature I'd actually notice is the six-microphone array with Wind Noise Reduction 3.0 and 360° modelling — that's the part that decides whether your calls sound like speech or like a jet engine.
Battery is where it runs away: 61.5 hours of combined playback, a 10-minute top-up for 8.5 hours, and a full case recharge in about 95 minutes via a 460mAh cell. You also get Bluetooth 5.4, dual-device pairing, spatial audio with head tracking-style HRTF processing, a 40ms low-latency mode (on Nothing phones), and ChatGPT voice access that's exclusive to Nothing handsets. Buy it if you want the most technically loaded sport bud of the two. Skip it if you hate things sitting in your ear canal, or if you want to hear a car coming up behind you on a shared path.
The Ear (Open) takes the opposite approach on purpose. Each bud weighs about 8.1 grams, hangs on an ear hook with a 50-degree tilt and a three-point balance system, and uses skin-friendly silicone so it stays put without clamping down on your ear. The case is only 19mm thin and clear, with the antenna and circuit board visible through the shell — a design detail Nothing clearly enjoys, and honestly it's part of why people buy the brand.
Because nothing goes into your ear canal, the stepped driver fires from just outside and the shape is worked out so it still sits comfortably over your ear if you wear glasses. That matters more than the spec sheet makes it sound: for jogging, glasses plus in-ear buds is a rubbing, slipping mess, and this design mostly sidesteps it. Audio comes from a coated diaphragm with a lighter driver that pushes high frequencies noticeably harder than comparable open designs, and an automatic algorithm lifts the bass so tracks don't sound hollow. Leakage is handled by cancelling front and back waves, so the person next to you on the treadmill isn't hearing your playlist.
Side-by-Side: Which Should You Choose?
• Best for jogging with full awareness → Nothing Ear Open Ear. Open hooks, IP54, silicone grip and no canal pressure. This is the one I'd hand to someone running on roads or trails.
• Best noise cancelling headphones for jogging → CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2. Adaptive ANC rated at 50dB with ear-seal compensation is a category the open design simply isn't playing in.
• Best battery life → CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2. 61.5 hours total against 30. But note the Ear (Open)'s fast-charge maths: 10 minutes for 10 hours is excellent for a quick top-up before a run.
• Best multipoint bluetooth headset for jogging → a genuine tie. Both do dual-device pairing; Buds 2 uses Bluetooth 5.4, Ear (Open) uses 5.3. Neither has the edge worth choosing over the other.
• Best for call clarity in wind → CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2. Six mics, Clear Voice 3.0 and 360° wind modelling is a heavier microphone load than the Ear (Open)'s dual-mic setup.
• Best for glasses wearers → Nothing Ear Open Ear. The 50-degree tilted hook sits around the ear rather than pressing a bud against a temple arm.
• Best for sound quality in a quiet room → CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2. LDAC, 12mm LCP drivers and a proper seal give it more to work with, plus spatial audio and a personalised hearing profile.
• Best for all-day wearing comfort → Nothing Ear Open Ear. At roughly 8 grams a bud with no canal insertion, you can forget you have them on. That's also why "best bluetooth earbuds for jogging" means different things to different runners.
In my opinion, if jogging is the main job, I'd buy the CMF BY NOTHING Buds 2. The IP55 rating, secure in-ear shape, six-mic wind handling and 61.5-hour endurance make it the more capable training partner, and the adaptive ANC is what turns a loud road into a quiet one. I'd only steer you to the Nothing Ear Open Ear if open-ear awareness, glasses compatibility or all-day comfort outrank isolation for you — and for plenty of road runners, that's a completely rational trade. Check the current price on Amazon before you commit, then pick the fit that matches your route.
FAQ
Is CMF by Nothing the same company as Nothing?
CMF is a separate brand line under the same umbrella, which is why the Buds 2 Plus pairs with the Nothing X app and supports Nothing-phone-only extras like ChatGPT voice access and the 40ms low-latency mode. The Ear (Open) is a Nothing-branded product, so expect the more polished industrial design.
For sealed, noise-cancelled running with maximum battery, the Buds 2 Plus. For running where you need to hear traffic, or you wear glasses, the Ear (Open). Sweat protection is close — IP55 versus IP54 — so fit and awareness decide it, not durability.
Not in the way an in-ear ANC bud does. The open design deliberately lets ambient sound through, and the noise handling is aimed at preventing leakage out rather than sealing sound in. If blocking noise is your priority, that's a Buds 2 Plus job.
I don't quote prices here because they move around — use the "Check latest price on Amazon" button on this page for both and compare what you'd actually pay today.
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