CMF Speaker S and M Bring Nothing’s Design Obsession to Portable Audio

Portable Bluetooth speakers have become remarkably predictable. Pick a cylinder, cover it in fabric, add enough bass to frighten the patio furniture, and choose six colors.

CMF by Nothing has decided that milk cartons might be more interesting. Those of us who grew up in the 1980s remember when the most notable thing printed on one was a missing child — not Bluetooth 6.0 and Auracast.

The new CMF Speaker S and Speaker M are the brand’s first portable Bluetooth speakers, priced at $59 and $109 respectively in the U.S. They join an increasingly large CMF audio lineup that already includes the CMF Headphone Pro and several wireless earbuds, including the Buds 2, Buds 2 Plus, and Buds Pro 2.

So, yes, Nothing is becoming a rather interesting audio company whether everyone noticed or not.

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More Than Funny-Looking Boxes

Both speakers deliberately borrow the geometry of a milk carton, but this is not simply industrial-design theater.

The smaller Speaker S uses a 45mm full-range driver with two passive radiators, delivering 10 watts RMS and a claimed 70Hz to 20kHz response. The larger Speaker M uses a 70mm woofer and 16mm tweeter, producing 35 watts RMS with response rated from 60Hz to 20kHz.

Both support Bluetooth 6.0, USB-C audio, NFC pairing, Google Fast Pair, Microsoft Swift Pair, dual-device connections, stereo pairing, Auracast Party Mode, custom EQ through the Nothing X app, and IP68 dust and water resistance. Battery life is rated at up to 18 hours.

USB-C audio is especially welcome because it turns either model into a low-latency desktop speaker without requiring Bluetooth. CMF claims less than 60ms latency over USB-C.

The physical controls also deserve some credit. Instead of forcing everything through an app, CMF provides a rotary knob for volume and playback alongside dedicated Bluetooth and Auracast buttons.

A revolutionary concept: buttons.

Is IKEA the Real Competition?

In some ways, yes.

IKEA has been pushing inexpensive, design-forward Bluetooth speakers aggressively, including the $99.99 SOLSKYDD portable speaker and absurdly inexpensive $9.99 KALLSUP. Its current speaker range is designed as much around home décor and color as traditional audio hardware.

CMF is aiming at a similar customer but bringing a much deeper technology stack with IP68 protection, Auracast, app-based EQ, USB-C audio, multipoint connectivity, NFC, and fast pairing. CMF also uses removable panels and plans to release templates that owners can use to 3D-print customized parts.

That makes these speakers more interesting than their milk-carton appearance suggests.

Comparison

The Bottom Line

The portable Bluetooth speaker market is crowded with products that look and behave almost exactly the same, which makes CMF’s first attempt more interesting than it initially appears. The Speaker S and Speaker M combine Nothing’s design-first approach with useful features such as Auracast, USB Type-C audio, IP68 protection, app-based EQ, multipoint connectivity, and customizable hardware at prices that remain accessible.

IKEA is the obvious lifestyle-design comparison, while JBL remains the more direct portable-audio competitor, but CMF is trying to occupy the space between them: inexpensive, visually distinctive, and considerably more feature-rich than most décor-first speakers.

CMF has not reinvented the Bluetooth speaker. It has simply made one considerably less boring.

For more information: us.nothing.tech/collections/cmf

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