CMF Phone 2 Pro Review: A Massive Upgrade at an Unbeatable Price

The CMF Phone 2 Pro has left me both surprised and a little confused — but in a good way. Surprised because the upgrades feel like a two-generation leap over the original CMF Phone 1, and confused because it’s priced so well that it actually seems like a better deal than the recently launched Nothing Phone 3. Let’s dive deep and clear up everything you need to know about this exciting new device.

What’s New: Major Upgrades Over CMF Phone 1

The very first thing you’ll notice? The box is heavier — but that’s a good thing. This time, CMF has included two essentials that were missing last year: a 33W charger and a transparent silicone case. Considering Nothing’s past habit of shipping phones without chargers, this is a very welcome change. Full credit to them for listening to feedback.

Now, let’s talk about the design. The CMF Phone 2 Pro comes in four colors, and while all of them look great, the white variant with its dual-tone finish stands out as my personal favorite. The light green version is vibrant too, although it skips the dual-tone styling.

One significant change is that the phone no longer has a swappable back. Unlike last year, you can’t just pop off the rear panel and customize it. However, CMF didn’t ditch the customization idea entirely — now, you can attach a universal case with screw-on accessories like the MagSafe wallet and camera lenses. It’s a smart middle ground that allowed them to make the phone thinner and lighter: it’s just 7.88mm thick and weighs 185g, making it the thinnest Nothing phone yet. The rounded edges also make it very comfortable to hold.

Additional design improvements include IP54 water and dust resistance, a new essential key on the side, and plastic buttons that still feel solid. The bottom ring design is now more subtle and less protruding than before. Overall, the CMF Phone 2 Pro feels like a major step forward in terms of aesthetics and ergonomics.

Display Upgrades: Bigger, Brighter, and Better

The improvements continue when you flip the phone over to the front. The display is larger, much brighter, and better protected thanks to Panda Glass, which Nothing claims is as durable as Gorilla Glass 5. In our tests, the screen reached a peak brightness of 1270 nits, easily outshining the CMF Phone 1. Plus, the bezels are now symmetrical, meaning the phone has lost that distracting bottom chin.

An under-display fingerprint scanner returns, and now you also get an always-on display feature, missing from last year’s model. The multimedia experience is mostly unchanged — still a single bottom-firing speaker, HDR10+ support is there, but no HDR content on Netflix due to the app not being pre-installed. Nothing has added a “150% ultra volume” feature, but at full blast, it tends to crackle. Overall, while the multimedia experience isn’t groundbreaking, the display itself is a significant upgrade.

Cameras: A Serious Step Up

One of the biggest reasons this isn’t just called the CMF Phone 2 — but the 2 Pro — is the camera setup. This time, you’re getting a proper triple-camera system:

• 50MP main sensor (same as the Nothing Phone 3A, but without OIS)

• 8MP ultra-wide camera

• 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom

• 16MP selfie camera

While the specs might remind you of the Nothing Phone 3A, don’t get confused — apart from the main sensor, the other cameras are different. And the main camera here lacks optical image stabilization (OIS), which impacts video stability.

That said, compared to last year’s single lonely camera and depth sensor setup, this is a huge upgrade. In daylight, the photos look decent, but compared to the Phone 3A, CMF’s images sometimes feel a bit muted. Night shots are close, though the 3A edges ahead slightly in details. Portraits have good edge detection on both, but the 3A again delivers more natural colors and sharper textures. Interestingly, for 2x zoom portrait shots, the CMF Phone 2 Pro often produced better skin tones and detail.

The selfie camera favors the 3A too when it comes to details. In video recording, the lack of OIS on the CMF shows: videos look shakier compared to the 3A, both in 1080p and 4K.

Still, overall, the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s camera setup is a solid step forward under ₹20,000, and with software updates, it could get even better.

Performance: Smooth and Reliable

Powering the CMF Phone 2 Pro is the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset, paired with 8GB of LPDDR4X RAM and 128GB of UFS 2.2 storage. Compared to the CMF Phone 1, the performance boost is modest — benchmark scores are similar — but the extra RAM in the base model is definitely an improvement.

In daily use, the phone runs smoothly with no bugs, lags, or crashes. It also handles gaming impressively for the price:

• 120 FPS support in BGMI

• 90 FPS in Call of Duty Mobile

• Genshin Impact runs at 40–45 FPS on high settings

The performance is comparable to the CMF Phone 1, but the bigger RAM makes multitasking much better.

Software: Clean and Minimal

Software is one of Nothing’s strengths, and it continues here. The CMF Phone 2 Pro runs on Nothing OS 3.2 based on Android 15. You get:

• Three years of major Android updates

• Six years of security patches

• No ads, no bloatware — just clean, minimal Android

You also get the essential key (just like the one on the Nothing Phone 3) with full functionality, no corners cut. A standout feature is the new Private Space — an Android 15 feature that isn’t widely available yet. It lets you create a hidden, password-protected area for private apps, photos, and files. You can even hide the Private Space completely if you choose.

Battery, Charging, and Connectivity

Battery capacity and charging speeds remain the same as last year. But now, you get a 33W charger included in the box — a big bonus.

Connectivity is mostly unchanged:

• More 5G bands now

• Same Wi-Fi, Bluetooth standards

• Expandable storage via microSD

• No NFC in the Indian variant

Pricing and Final Thoughts

The CMF Phone 1 launched at ₹15,000 for the 6GB/128GB variant. The CMF Phone 2 Pro starts at ₹18,999, but with bank discounts, you can grab it for as low as ₹16,999.

Given the improvements in design, display, cameras, software, and the fact that you get a charger included, this is a phenomenal value. It’s honestly so good for the price that you might find yourself questioning whether the Nothing Phone 3 is even necessary.