CMF Phone 2 Pro: The Best Budget Smartphone of 2025? A Deep Dive Review

When it comes to budget smartphones, we often find ourselves making compromises—whether it’s performance, camera quality, display technology, or build materials. But every once in a while, a device comes along that challenges those compromises. The CMF Phone 2 Pro is one such device. Priced at just €250, it promises to deliver more than you’d expect from a phone at this price point. But does it live up to the hype? Let’s explore every detail of this phone to find out.

CMF by Nothing: A Brief Background

Before diving into the phone itself, it’s important to understand the brand behind it. CMF is a sub-brand of Nothing, a company founded by Carl Pei, who also co-founded OnePlus. While CMF is relatively new in the smartphone world, it benefits from the experience and design philosophy of Nothing. The brand’s goal is clear: to offer affordable tech products without compromising too much on quality, innovation, or user experience.

The Phone 2 Pro is only the second smartphone under the CMF brand, yet it already shows signs of maturity in both design and functionality. From the packaging to the user interface, there’s a sense of polish that’s uncommon at this price range.

Unboxing Experience: Minimalist but Thoughtful

Inside the box, you won’t find a power adapter—a decision that aligns with recent trends in the smartphone industry. Instead, CMF includes a few thoughtful accessories. There’s a flexible silicone protective case, which offers basic protection right out of the box. The charging cable included has a distinctive design, resembling the DIY aesthetic seen in Nothing’s earlier products, though it no longer uses the transparent materials Nothing is known for.

I tested the green version of the phone, but it’s also available in a vibrant orange color that I personally find more eye-catching. The phone’s design feels functional rather than flashy, with a two-stage aesthetic that appears slimmer and more refined than its predecessor. Compared to the first CMF Phone, the Phone 2 Pro feels sturdier and more deliberate in its design choices.

Design Evolution: From Playful to Purposeful

Last year’s CMF Phone caught attention with its playful, modular design. It had a back cover secured by four screws, allowing users to swap out accessories like stands or neck straps. This design felt like a blend of Minecraft creativity and Roblox-inspired fun, appealing especially to younger users or those who wanted to customize their phones physically.

The Phone 2 Pro takes a different approach. While the accessory connector remains at the bottom right of the phone, the removable back cover is gone. Instead, CMF introduces a universal cover system that attaches securely to the phone using screws. This cover includes a magnetic element—not for wireless charging, but to enable the attachment of optional accessories like a magnetic wallet or a phone stand.

The wallet accessory is designed to hold up to three cards, though two is recommended for the best fit. Meanwhile, the stand accessory lets you prop the phone vertically, offering convenience for video calls or media consumption. This system also introduces a unique lens connector, allowing users to attach external lenses directly over the main camera for different photography effects.

Display: Punching Above Its Weight Class

One of the standout features of the CMF Phone 2 Pro is its display. It sports a 6.8-inch OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and HDR support. If that sounds familiar, it’s because this is the same display found on the Nothing Phone 3A. That means you’re getting a display that would normally belong on a midrange device for a budget-friendly price.

The bezels around the display are impressively thin—thinner even than those on the Google Pixel 9A, a phone that costs more than twice as much. The symmetry of the bezels gives the phone a modern, premium look that’s rare in this price category.

Of course, it’s not without compromises. At very low brightness, there’s a subtle darkening effect near the front-facing camera and along the edges of the display. Outdoors, in direct sunlight, the display struggles to maintain visibility. But indoors or in shaded environments, it looks vibrant and sharp. Considering the price, this is easily one of the best displays available under €300.

Camera System: Surprising Versatility

Cameras are often the weakest link in budget smartphones, but the CMF Phone 2 Pro challenges that expectation. On paper, it features a 50-megapixel main camera, an 8-megapixel ultrawide lens, and a 50-megapixel 2x optical zoom lens—a configuration rarely seen at this price.

In practice, the main camera delivers solid photos, especially in well-lit environments. Thanks to a larger sensor than its predecessor, low-light performance is notably better, producing images with less noise and more detail. The 2x optical zoom lens is genuinely useful for portraits and close-up shots, maintaining good image quality without relying on digital zoom.

The ultrawide camera is the weak point in this setup. Images from the ultrawide lens tend to be noisy and less sharp, particularly in challenging lighting conditions. However, CMF’s unique accessory system helps address this. By attaching the optional fisheye lens accessory over the main camera, you can achieve a high-quality ultrawide effect that actually surpasses the built-in ultrawide sensor. Similarly, a macro lens accessory lets you capture close-up shots with impressive clarity.

In other words, while the ultrawide camera on the phone itself is average, the optional lenses allow users to expand the phone’s photographic capabilities without needing additional equipment.

Performance: Good Enough for Most Tasks

Under the hood, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor. This chip is a slight upgrade over last year’s Dimensity 7300, offering around a 10% improvement in benchmarks.

In day-to-day use, the phone feels responsive for typical tasks like browsing, messaging, and social media. Thanks to the clean, lightweight Nothing OS interface, menus and animations remain smooth. However, demanding apps and games will reveal the limits of this processor. Load times are a bit longer, and some heavier games may need to run at lower settings to maintain smooth performance.

That said, this processor’s efficiency helps deliver excellent battery life. The 5,000mAh battery comfortably lasts a full day of moderate use, with some users potentially stretching it to a day and a half depending on their habits. Charging speeds top out at 33 watts—not groundbreaking, but still faster than many competitors like Apple’s iPhones or Google’s Pixel lineup.

Software: Clean, Simple, and Promising Longevity

Software is an area where the CMF Phone 2 Pro really shines. It runs Nothing OS, the same operating system used by Nothing’s higher-end phones. This interface is praised for its minimalism, lack of bloatware, and subtle animations.

Perhaps more importantly, CMF promises three years of major software updates and six years of security patches. That’s a level of long-term support that’s rare among budget smartphones and gives the Phone 2 Pro an edge for anyone who values longevity and security.

Unlike the Nothing Phone series, there’s no Glyph lighting system on the back of the phone—a feature reserved for more premium models. But the Phone 2 Pro does include NFC for Google Pay, making contactless payments possible. Another unique feature is the “Essential Key,” a programmable button located under the power button. This key can be customized to perform various actions, such as launching Google Assistant, taking screenshots, or starting a voice recording.

A small caveat: the placement of this key makes it easy to trigger accidentally, especially during the first few days of use. It takes a bit of adjustment to avoid unintended screenshots or actions.

Accessories and Ecosystem: Building Value Beyond the Phone

Part of what makes the CMF Phone 2 Pro interesting is its ecosystem of affordable accessories. The universal cover costs €25, while optional attachments like the wallet, stand, and lens adapters each cost around €35. Bundles are available at discounted prices, encouraging users to customize their phones to suit their needs.

Additionally, CMF offers wireless earbuds priced between €50 and €60, along with a smartwatch available for €70. Altogether, you could build a complete tech ecosystem—including phone, earbuds, smartwatch, and accessories—for less than the price of a base-model iPhone or Galaxy S25.

This approach reflects CMF’s philosophy: to deliver functional, versatile technology at prices that are accessible to a wider audience.

The Verdict: Who Should Buy the CMF Phone 2 Pro?

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is not a phone that tries to do everything perfectly. But it succeeds remarkably well at delivering the essentials—and even a few premium features—at an incredibly low price.

✅ Best display under €300
✅ Surprisingly versatile camera with optical zoom and accessory lenses
✅ Long software support with three years of updates
✅ Affordable ecosystem of accessories and companion devices

Of course, it’s not without limitations:

⚠️ Performance won’t satisfy power users or gamers
⚠️ No wireless charging or premium build materials
⚠️ Ultrawide camera quality is average without accessories

If you’re looking for a phone that nails the basics, offers a premium-feeling display, and lets you expand functionality with clever accessories, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is arguably the best budget phone available today. It’s ideal for students, casual users, or anyone who wants solid tech without breaking the bank.