The CMF Speaker S is not a typical Bluetooth speaker. It has an unusual design, runs for a long time on a charge, connects well and costs little. That mix makes it a strong budget pick.
Bluetooth speakers are the newest product category for Nothing and its low-cost CMF brand. The Speaker S costs $59, which is a fair price. Its shape sets it apart too. It looks like a small milk carton. That sounds odd, but I like it.
You can pair them for stereo sound, which keeps the speaker competitive in this price range. The JBL Go 5 and Clip 5 are its main rivals.
So is the milk carton the future of Bluetooth speakers? I tested the CMF Speaker S to find out.
CMF Speaker S Full Specs
CMF Speaker S Design
The CMF Speaker S looks like a milk carton, and that is on purpose. Nothing, the company that owns the budget CMF brand, says the shape comes from the sharp geometry of a milk carton. It sounds like a strange starting point for a Bluetooth speaker. The result is a cute, eye-catching device that gets noticed.
You can buy it in four colors: white, dark grey, orange, and turquoise. The command knob changes with each one. The white and grey models have a single line on the knob. The orange model has a cross, and the turquoise model has a circle.
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The top edge has a round hole. You can clip a carabiner through it and hang the speaker from a bag or a hook.
Turn the speaker around and you will see a slider switch near the top. It does not mute a microphone, because this speaker has no microphone and no voice assistant. The switch locks and unlocks the faceplate.
Slide it to unlock, then pull off the command knob and slide the front plate away from the base. The idea feels like the swappable covers on old Nokia phones. Nothing also wants its community to get creative. It encourages owners to design their own covers and print them on a 3D printer.
The command knob does more than most people would expect. Press it once to play or pause. Press twice to skip forward and three times to skip back. Hold it down to switch “ultra bass” mode on or off. You will probably use it most for volume, which you change by turning it clockwise or counter-clockwise.
One side of the speaker has NFC, so you can pair a phone quickly by tapping it. The back has two buttons next to the USB-C charging port. That port also accepts a wired connection for lossless audio.
The first button is for Bluetooth. A small light beside it shows whether the speaker is in pairing mode or already connected to a device. The second button controls Auracast, which I cover in the next section.
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The Speaker S weighs 334g, so you can drop it in a bag or clip it on without adding much load. It measures 130.5 x 85 x 44mm. It is not the smallest speaker at this price, but it is not bulky either.
It also works well outdoors. The IP68 rating protects it from dust and water, so you can take it to the beach or the pool without worry.
CMF Speaker S Features
The CMF Speaker S is small, but it packs in a good number of features. Nothing wants you and your friends to buy one, or its bigger sibling, the Speaker M, because Party Mode is a main selling point.
Both speakers have Auracast built in. Press the button on the back, and the speaker connects on its own to another speaker that has Party Mode turned on. You can keep adding more speakers to get a bigger sound.
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CMF is not the only brand with this feature. JBL has used Auracast on its speakers for years. The catch is that it does not work across brands. I could not link my JBL Flip 7 to the Speaker S. To build a multi-speaker setup, you need speakers or headphones from Nothing or CMF that support Auracast.
I had two Speaker S units, so I tested Party Mode myself. It works well. Linking the speakers is simple, and you can turn the volume up for a party.
A pair of Speaker S units also gives you Stereo Mode. Open the free Nothing X app on iOS or Android and assign each speaker as a stereo pair. One plays the left channel, and the other plays the right.
Stereo Mode works well. I played Pink Floyd’s Money and Radiohead’s Paranoid Android, and the sound moved between my ears as each track shifted between the left and right channels.
The Nothing X app has more settings. You can change the equaliser to suit what you are playing. You can also switch on Ultra Bass for a stronger low end, Night Mode, which limits volume to 60% and cuts deep bass, and Low Lag Mode.
Pairing takes little effort. With NFC Fast Pair, you tap your phone on the side of the Speaker S to connect or disconnect. The speaker also supports Google Fast Pair and Windows Swift Pair, so Android and Windows devices connect with one tap.
You can link two devices at once. I used my phone and laptop and moved between them without re-pairing.
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Bluetooth 6.0 gives the Speaker S a range of up to 100 metres. That range held up in my home. I carried one speaker of the stereo pair to a room on a different floor, kept my phone in my pocket, and both speakers kept playing.
CMF Speaker S Sound quality
The CMF Speaker S will not fill a big room with sound. It was never built for that. It is a small, portable Bluetooth speaker, and it still sounds better than its size suggests.
Inside is a 45mm full-range driver with 10W of output. The sound is clear and balanced.
Turn on Ultra Bass and the two passive radiators on the sides add more low-end resonance. You will not feel the floor shake. You will hear a clear increase in bass, and the sound feels fuller.
The frequency response runs from 70Hz to 20kHz. That gives it a slight edge over the JBL Go 5 at the low end. I liked what the Go 5 could do, so this is a good sign for the Speaker S in its class.
At volumes above 80%, the speaker holds up. The sound gets a bit tighter, but it does not turn harsh or tinny. That matters if you are outside with a group and need the extra volume.
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A second unit improves things further. In Stereo Mode, you get clean left and right channels. I put the pair on each side of my desk and played A Day In The Life by The Beatles, and the separation was easy to hear.
You can also link several Speaker S and Speaker M units in Party Mode. That gives you the room-filling sound of a house party, which one Speaker S cannot deliver alone.
CMF Speaker S Battery Life
The CMF Speaker S has excellent battery life. Nothing says it plays for up to 18 hours with Ultra Bass on and the volume at 50%.
My testing backs that up. The speaker easily lasted a full day of listening. Even at high volume, you get several hours before you need a cable. It can keep a party going for five hours at 80% volume.
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Charging takes about two and a half hours to fill the 2,600mAh battery through the USB-C port on the back. If you are short on time, a 10-minute charge gives you one hour of playback.
CMF Speaker S Verdict
The CMF Speaker S is a Bluetooth speaker unlike any other. It has useful features, long battery life, and better sound than its size and price suggest. No other portable speaker is this much fun to own.
Pros | Cons |
| Fun, cute design with 3D-printable covers | Low Bass quality |
| Good Stereo Mode with two units | |
| Great value for the features |
Final thoughts
I have a big soft spot for the CMF Speaker S. The playful design draws attention, and the appeal goes deeper than looks.
Nothing’s app is excellent, and the features packed into this cheap speaker make it more versatile than you would expect. Owners can also design their own faceplates and print them on a 3D printer.
The IP68 rating for water and dust resistance gives you peace of mind when you travel. The long battery life keeps the music going longer than many rival speakers.
The sound has limits. You will not get booming bass, and one Speaker S will not make much of an impression at a house party.
Buy a second unit and pair them in Stereo Mode for better sound. You can also ask friends who own a Speaker S to join you and turn on Party Mode for a bigger sound.
