Using the CMF Phone 2 Pro for a week has convinced me that Nothing follows in Pokémon’s footsteps regarding its CMF series. If you are aware of Charmeleon, it is the evolved form of Charmander. It shows potential when observed in isolation, but bringing Charmander into the picture clarifies that Charmeleon offers moderate advantages over the latter. The CMF Phone 2 Pro exemplifies this trait of Charmeleon well. While it brings a design refresh and an evolved camera system over the CMF Phone 1, it comprises similar internal specifications and lacks the essence that the ‘Pro’ tag brings with itself.
CMF Phone 2 Pro
Rs 18,999
What Is Good?
- Vivid, fast display
- Satisfactory battery life
- Good daylight camera performance
- Significant camera upgrade over last year
- Great in-hand experience
- Clean user interface without bloatware
What Is Bad?
- Mono speaker lacks depth in audio quality
- Marginal improvement in performance over its predecessor
- Awkward button placement
- Restrictive customisation
This subtle upgrade may have pushed the CMF Phone 2 Pro closer to the conventional map. However, is this strategy enough for Nothing to recreate the reception it once received for its CMF Phone 1? Or is it just an uneducated shot in the dark? Read my review to find out.
Design and Build Quality
The design aspect provides an early glimpse of Nothing’s new approach to its CMF Phone series. The CMF Phone 2 Pro continues the tradition of customisation with accessories initiated with the CMF Phone 1. However, it now feels restrictive.
The CMF Phone 1 offered extensive customisation with numerous accessories, ranging from rear shells to a lanyard cable. If that’s not enough, Nothing open-sourced the 3D model of its back cover, letting folks print their accessories.
On the contrary, its successor primarily relies on the Universal cover to let users attach new accessories, such as a wallet and lenses. No access to this single product can severely hinder you from attaching accessories to the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Everything gets tethered to it. Making it restrictive in nature.
Besides, dislodging the actual back shell now appears an uphill battle. This shift has withdrawn the magical feeling I once experienced with its predecessor.
| Design | Specifications |
| Colour Options | Light Green (reviewed), Red, White, and Orange |
| Weight | 185g |
| Thickness | 7.8 mm |
| IP Rating | IP54 |
| Port and Button Placements | Bottom: Primary microphone, SIM Card tray, USB port, and speaker grille
Top: Secondary microphone Right side: Essential key and power button Left side: Volume rockers |
However, I am not entirely dissatisfied when I realise this modification has allowed Nothing to trim excess weight and make the CMF Phone 2 Pro significantly slimmer.
Its lightweight and slender profile now makes holding it in my hand a much better experience. On a side note, individual camera rings now make the overall aesthetic feel tamed yet sophisticated.
In addition to the customisation change, the CMF Phone 2 Pro flaunts the new Essential Key, which debuted with the Nothing Phone (3a) series. While it may be a useful inclusion to some folks, it annoyed me in my usage. Its placement is so calculated that I unconsciously pressed it instead of the power button whenever I wanted to turn on the display.
Moreover, I couldn’t prop the phone horizontally on any of its sides because this position always executed unnecessary actions, such as adjusting the volume or triggering the Essential space. It is hard to determine whether each key’s pressure sensitivity has been set to minimum, leading to such an issue. Whatever it is, I had to hold the phone horizontally whenever I consumed content, which a lazy person like me doesn’t enjoy.
While the CMF Phone 2 Pro gets a slight upgrade in terms of IP rating, it still doesn’t come close to what the Realme P3 5G or even the OPPO K13 offer. So, it’s best to keep the CMF Phone 2 Pro away from any water body.
Display and Audio Quality
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has inherited the original thickness of the display’s bezel from the CMF Phone 1, yet it feels different. That’s because Nothing has stretched its diagonal dimension by 0.1-inch. This marginal difference enhanced my watching experience, as I felt I could see comparatively wider frames of certain content.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.77-inch |
| Type | AMOLED |
| Resolution | Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2392 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Display Protection | Panda Glass |
| Peak Brightness | Claimed: 3000 nits, Tested: 1902 nits |
| Minimum Brightness | 23 nits |
Other than this trait, watching the One Piece series on the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s screen left a stellar impression on me. Each scene was beautifully manifested with striking colours and appeared detailed. However, the screen’s brightness stood out the most to me.
As I started watching an episode of my beloved series, I couldn’t help but instantly keep the brightness under 37 per cent. Going beyond this value didn’t take time to irritate my eyes. To sum up, the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s display stole my heart with all its glory.
While the display gave me an incredible experience, the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s audio quality left a sour taste in my mouth. The biggest root of this issue is the persistent reliance on the mono speaker for audio. It can’t produce adequate details, sounds tiny, and emits shrill sounds erratically. I had to rely on my wandering earbuds for auditory satisfaction.
Performance and Software
The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro commands the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s operation. Evaluating its performance in my usage clarified that it doesn’t honour its ‘Pro’ moniker.
It offers marginal improvements over its predecessor’s speed on the benchmark front. Moreover, the Vivo T4x scores better with its MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor. The usage of a year-old chipset and the phone’s cheaper price make this comparison even more fascinating. Below, you can see how the CMF Phone 2 Pro fared against its other rivals.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro |
| RAM | 8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | Up to 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Storage Test | 93172 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 91 per cent of its max performance |
| Software Version | Nothing OS 3.2 based on Android 15 |
| Connectivity Details | Bluetooth 5.2 |
| Number of Software Updates | Three years of OS updates and six years of security updates |
My real-world experience with this smartphone was overall great. I never encountered lags while executing my usual routine, whether surfing the YouTube Short page, watching my favourite series, or gaming.
To refresh your memory, the last part is another most discussed part of the CMF Phone 2 Pro because it allows you to play BGMI at 120fps. I reached this sweet number in my testing; however, the frame rate didn’t constantly stay that way in my entire playthrough. I saw the frame meter touching 98fps regularly. That said, the gameplay was mostly stable with minor jitters in between.
While the CMF Phone 2 Pro may appear dull in the performance department, it definitely shines with its ultra-clean Nothing OS 3.2. Considering its sub-Rs 20,000 pricing, it doesn’t possess any bloatware.
This feat feels as unbelievable as Rishabh Pant scoring above 40 runs for the Lucknow Super Giants team. Aside from its clean user interface, I witnessed a smooth app-opening animation. The CMF Phone 2 Pro continues what Nothing started with the customisation options and offering something unique in terms of UI skins. While it does offer a fair cycle of software promises, including six years of security patch updates, Samsung has raised the bar in this segment with the Galaxy F16, offering more updates.
Camera
Nothing has offered a full-fledged camera system with the CMF Phone 2 Pro under Rs 20,000. The phone now packs additional telephoto and ultra-wide cameras, a massive upgrade over its predecessor’s primary snapper with its bokeh sidekick.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel, f/1.8 (EIS) |
| Secondary camera | 50-megapixel, f/1.85, 2x optical zoom (EIS) |
| Tertiary camera | 8-megapixel ultra-wide, f/2.2 |
| Selfie camera | 16-megapixel, f/2.45 |
| Video capabilities | 4K at 30fps for the rear cameras |
The primary camera can capture images with nearly natural colours in daylight, while retaining ample details from the scene. The details in shadow are also preserved in these images. Other than this, it handles dynamic range well.
The telephoto snapper doesn’t differ from the primary camera in almost all aspects, such as HDR management and image clarity. Additionally, it boasts nearly the same colour science as its primary brethren, which is commendable.
The ultra-wide camera is not far behind its elder siblings in generating images with almost true-to-natural colours. However, its lower megapixel count is a major deterrent in preserving nearly all details from the backdrop.
The combined low-light camera performance is respectable but not praiseworthy. In ample lighting, the primary and telephoto duo deliver photos with similar traits achieved in daylight, nearly accurate colours and detail.
The reduction in light intensity instantly undermines their quality. This change invites noise in the darker portions of images and blurs them on sudden movements. Its effects are more perceptible in photos taken from telephoto and ultra-wide cameras.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro excels at preserving almost accurate skin tones in portrait images shot via the primary and telephoto duo. Even the edge detection is mostly done right.
The front camera captures selfies with vibrant colours and a contrasty look in good lighting conditions. Conversely, it tends to smooth human faces in dim lighting conditions.
To sum it all up, cameras are exactly where the CMF Phone 2 Pro somewhat justifies the ‘Pro’ tag.
Battery
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a satisfactory performer in this department. It ran for almost 18 hours on our PCMark Battery test, a commendable feat considering its meagre 5,000mAh battery.
I squeezed a similar result from its battery in my daily routine on moderate usage.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Capacity | 5,000mAh |
| PCMark Battery Test | 17 Hours 58 Minutes |
| Charger Support | 33W |
| Charger in the box? | Yes |
| Charging Speed | 1 hour 9 minutes |
We pitted it against OPPO K13, Realme P3 5G, and Infinix Note 50s for our epic battery endurance showdown. It was the first to give up, lasting seven hours and 11 minutes. You can visit the video linked below to see this action unfold.
Once I depleted its entire charge, it took me an hour and nine minutes to replenish the battery with its 33W charger-in-the-box. By the way, Nothing has provided a charger in its phone’s box for the very first time. This matters a lot, as it signals that the brand listens to its customers and does what is appropriate for them.
Verdict
The CMF Phone 2 Pro doesn’t justify its ‘Pro’ moniker, but it is an incredible proposition under Rs 20,000. Its vivid display eliminates the need to increase brightness to watch content. While its customisation ability is restrictive, its in-hand feeling has improved drastically thanks to its slender profile. Moreover, it offers an ultra-clean user interface without pesky bloatware. Its stacked camera system delivers pleasing photographs in ample lighting. The 5,000mAh battery inside the phone is optimised to give you sufficient time for all your online tasks on moderate usage.
But the phone also has some downsides, which you should note. There is hardly an improvement in the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s performance over its predecessor. Additionally, it isn’t on par with its inexpensive rivals. The mono speaker severely restricts the phone from delivering a satisfying, holistic multimedia experience. Additionally, the weird placement of buttons restrains you from propping the phone horizontally.
In a nutshell, the CMF Phone 2 Pro may not bring a considerable upgrade over its predecessor, but it continues to provide an incredible value in its segment.
The Realme P3 5G is a great alternative if your preferences are stereo speakers and spectacular performance. The Vivo T4x is another option if you seek a phone with an extended battery life.
