Nothing's budget-focused sub-brand CMF has never been shy about design gimmicks, but its first pair of Bluetooth speakers may be its most literal yet. The CMF Speaker S and larger Speaker M — both shaped like milk cartons — arrived on shelves roughly a month ago, and they are already seeing their first meaningful discounts as part of Nothing's early Black Friday promotions.
The headline deal: the compact CMF Speaker S, which launched at $59, is now available for $39 at both Amazon and Nothing's own store — a $20 cut that The Verge describes as the lowest price yet seen on the newly released speaker. The larger Speaker M is also on sale at Amazon for $79, a $30 discount off its list price.
A Speaker That Doesn't Look Like a Speaker
The most immediate thing about the CMF line is the form factor. Where most portable Bluetooth speakers are anonymous rounded boxes in black or gray, CMF opted for a carton silhouette available in four colorways: white, dark gray, orange, and turquoise. The playful look is central to the pitch, and it has driven much of the early coverage — The Verge's original launch piece dubbed them "musical milk cartons," while MSN's coverage promised "a full-fat sound."
But the design is more than cosmetic. Both speakers feature removable faceplates and a multifunction knob on the front. Owners can swap faceplates to change colors, and CMF says it will publish STL files so anyone with a 3D printer can fabricate their own attachments and custom looks — an unusual move in a category where customization is usually limited to picking a color at checkout.
Under the hood
The Speaker S, the smaller of the two models, packs a 45mm driver paired with two passive radiators to reinforce low-end frequencies — a common technique for squeezing bass out of small enclosures. CMF rates battery life at up to 18 hours per charge and claims an IP68 rating for water and dust resistance, putting it in line with rugged portable speakers that cost considerably more.
- Driver: 45mm full-range, plus two passive radiators
- Battery: up to 18 hours of playback
- Durability: IP68 dust and water resistance
- Connectivity: Bluetooth with NFC and Google Fast Pair, USB-C audio, stereo pairing with a second unit
- Customization: removable faceplates, with STL files promised for 3D printing
Stereo pairing with a second Speaker S is supported, letting users build a wider soundstage from two small units — a feature that has become near-standard among budget portables.
The Pricing Picture
Early coverage of the launch varied slightly on pricing. The Gadgeteer's launch headline put the starting price at $59, while an accompanying version of the story cited $49, and other aggregators have repeated both figures. What is clear now is the promotional reality: $39 for the Speaker S and $79 for the Speaker M during the current sale window, with Nothing framing the cuts as part of its early Black Friday programming rather than a permanent price change.
That distinction matters for buyers. The discounts are positioned as time-limited, and the Speaker S in particular is only about a month old — an unusually fast markdown cadence that suggests Nothing is prioritizing volume and reviewer attention over margin in the ultra-competitive sub-$100 speaker segment.
Reviewers Weigh In
Early reviews have been warmer than the gimmick might suggest. One review of the larger Speaker M carried the headline "Sounds so good, I bought one myself" — a notable vote of confidence for a budget-brand product, and one that reframes the carton aesthetic as a bonus rather than the main event.
"Sounds so good, I bought one myself."
The consensus emerging across outlets is that CMF has managed the trick most budget audio brands struggle with: distinctive design that does not come at the expense of competent sound. The passive radiators, IP68 sealing, and 18-hour battery are the kind of specifications that read as checkbox items until a reviewer actually lives with the product — and the anecdotal reviews so far suggest the fundamentals hold up.
Why It Matters
CMF is Nothing's answer to the question the company has been circling since its founding: can a design-forward, brand-conscious hardware maker compete in the price brackets where margin is thin and competition is brutal? Nothing built its reputation on transparent-design phones and earbuds at mid-tier prices; CMF takes the same aesthetic instincts and pushes them downmarket into accessories.
The speakers also fit a broader pattern in consumer audio: the commoditization of solid specs. Bluetooth pairing, USB-C audio, IP68 ratings, and 18-hour batteries are no longer differentiators — they are table stakes. What remains scarce is personality, and that is precisely what the milk-carton chassis, swappable faceplates, and 3D-printable accessories are designed to supply.
The DIY angle may prove the sleeper feature. Publishing STL files costs CMF almost nothing and hands owners a creative hook that mainstream speaker brands have largely ignored. It also generates a steady drip of user-generated content — custom faceplates, novelty attachments, prints in team colors — which functions as marketing that money can't easily buy.
What to Watch
Two things will determine whether the line sticks. First, whether the $39 and $79 prices survive past the promotional window; an aggressive early discount can train buyers to wait, and CMF's speakers are only weeks old. Second, whether the ecosystem materializes — the 3D-printable accessories, the stereo pairing, and the modular faceplates are all promises that depend on community adoption.
For now, the pitch is simple: a speaker that looks like a milk carton, survives a poolside dunking, runs most of a day on a charge, and costs less than dinner for two. In a category defined by anonymous black boxes, that is a genuinely differentiated offering — and at $39, an easy one to try.
