CMF Phone 2 Pro : A Perfect Blend of Style and Speed
The CMF Phone 2 Pro brings decent performance and useful AI features. But is it enough to survive in this price segment?
CMF by Nothing's first phone, the CMF Phone 1, caught everyone's attention by bringing innovations to the sub-Rs. 20,000 price segment and a new modular concept. The phone was praised for its quirky design, stable performance, minimal software experience, and ability to use different rear panels, bringing fresh air to this segment. Now, the company is back with an upgraded CMF Phone 2 Pro.
The latest smartphone from the brand comes equipped with several segment-leading features, a new set of accessories, and more. The handset comes with a price tag of Rs. 18,999 for the base variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB of internal storage, while the top-end option with 8GB RAM and 256GB of storage comes with a price tag of Rs. 20,999. That said, does it really make sense to go for the CMF Phone 2 Pro in 2025? Let's try to figure it out.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Design: Slim, Lightweight, and No-so-Modular
- Dimensions - 164 x 78 x 7.8mm
- Weight - 185g
- Colours - White, Black, Orange, and Light Green
The CMF Phone 2 Pro follows the legacy of Nothing when it comes to design. The brand has made sure that the handset offers similar distinctive characteristics to those it did with the CMF Phone 1. However, this time, it has refined it further to make it slimmer and more premium compared to its predecessor. Although the phone is still made of plastic, the brand has made sure to bring different materials to the rear panel to add an oomph factor.
The device is available in four colour options: White, Black, Orange, and Light Green. The White and Orange come with a dual-tone finish, while the Light Green and Black come with a single-tone finish. Furthermore, the Orange comes with a combination of glossy and metallic finishes, while the White comes with a matte and sandstone-like finish. The Light Green colour option, which I got for the review, comes with a glossy finish and by far, it is the most subtle option among the four colourways.
The company has done a good job of bringing a solid phone, which is lightweight and sleek, despite offering a plastic build. With just 185 grams in weight and 7.8mm in thickness, the phone is quite comfortable to hold in your hand. Plus, there is little to no flex or hollowness, which is a good thing. You also get an IP54 rating, which is an improvement over the IP52 available on the CMF Phone 1, but it still feels a bit behind compared to the rest of the competition that delivers an IP69 rating in this price segment.
You still get the exposed screws and Accessory Point screws that were part of the original CMF device. CMF Phone 1 brought back the concept of changing the back panel, which was much appreciated by the tech community. However, with the CMF Phone 2 Pro, the brand has parted away from this and instead added the concept of a new Universal Cover to attach the accessories. This also makes sense as it introduced a new range of accessories, including new fisheye and macro lenses and a MagSafe wallet. The lanyard accessory is still there.
So, now, to use these accessories, you need to install the Universal Cover. The DIY project is still enjoyable, but I miss changing rear panels. Coming to the accessories, the MagSafe wallet attaches swiftly to the cover and acts as a stand. The fisheye and macro lens extensions can be attached to the camera units with the help of the Universal Cover. You can also remove the Accessory Point to add the lanyard, which I still think is unnecessary, to be honest. I cannot fathom the idea of wearing a phone with a bright orange lanyard and pulling the whole thing like a 'Pro'.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Display: Vibrant and Colourful
- Display - 6.77-inch Full HD+ AMOLED display
- Refresh Rate - 120Hz adaptive screen refresh rate
- Other Features - 480Hz touch sampling rate, Panda Glass protection, HDR10+, 3,000nits peak brightness
Nothing has made some changes on the display front. You get a slightly larger screen than its predecessor, though the difference is tiny. However, there are two key differences between the two phones. The new CMF Phone 2 Pro now comes with a 10-bit colour, an upgrade over the 8-bit one in Phone 1. Secondly, you get up to 3,000 nits of peak brightness, while the older model maxed out at 2,000 nits.
The display is one of the finest in this price segment. The display is flat and offers rich colours. You can also change the colour profiles using Alive and Normal mode in the display settings. The Alive version produces vivid colours and is active by default. Interestingly, the handset also comes with HDR10+ certification, meaning you can easily watch HDR content on Netflix and YouTube.
Moving on, the 120Hz screen refresh rate can now be forced to run all the time, which is a good addition. With this, the scrolls and swipes feel much more responsive than the previous generation. Brightness is also an improvement here, and you will face no problem using it in direct sunlight.
The device also features an in-display fingerprint sensor, which is fast and reliable. That said, the only thing that kind of spoils the experience is the mono speaker setup, which it carried from last year. This is disappointing in 2025 when other devices offered in the same price bracket produce better sound output. The down-firing speaker delivers decent output but is not as punchy as expected.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Software: Minimalistic and Bloat-free
- Software - Nothing OS 3.2
- Version - Android 15
- Updates Promised - 3 Years of OS updates and 6 years of security patches
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has the latest Nothing OS 3.2, based on the Android 15 operating system. NothingOS is all about offering a minimalist (almost monochromatic) aesthetic. So, you do get the option to choose between the black-and-white icons on the home screen with the dot matrix font and design language. Users have access to 24 custom widgets, which basically cover all the day-to-day essentials like clocks, calendars, weather, albums, contacts, and more.
The NothingOS is one of my favourite operating systems out there as it delivers the one thing I always crave: a bloat-free experience. You get minimal applications in the CMF Phone 2 Pro, which is in line with Nothing's ethos.
The biggest addition here is the inclusion of Essential Space, which the brand introduced with the Nothing Phone 3a series. You get a dedicated Essential Space button below the power button to access this feature.
Simply put, Essential Space is a mix of on-device and cloud-based AI to help you organise your notes, screenshots, and voice notes in one place. In order to function, you need to press the Essential Key to take a screenshot, press and hold to record a voice note, and double-press to go straight into the application.
The whole idea is very thoughtful, and the brand has also made some additions to this feature. It now also recognises images and gives them generative descriptions. However, I am not just a screenshot type of user, so for me, the Essential Space doesn't really doest not resonate well. I am sure there are users out there who might find this feature quite interesting, but it is not just for me.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Performance: Not a Powerhouse, But Still Gets the Job Done
- Processor - MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro
- Memory - 8GB LPDDR4X
- Storage - Up to 256GB UFS 2.2
CMF Phone 2 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor. You also get 8GB of RAM and up to 256GB of internal storage, which can be expanded using a microSD card slot. More importantly, at least on paper, you get a slightly better processor than the CMF Phone 1's Dimensity 7300.
| Benchmark | CMF Phone 2 Pro | Samsung Galaxy A26 | Vivo T4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| AnTuTu v10 | 6,91,275 | 6,08,318 | 7,80,665 |
| PCMark Work 3.0 | 12102 | 14,250 | 11,328 |
| Geekbench 6 Single Core | 1013 | 1,013 | 1,120 |
| Geekbench 6 Multi Core | 2928 | 2,932 | 3,043 |
| 3DM Slingshot Extreme OpenGL | NA | 4,688 | 5,307 |
| 3DM Slingshot | NA | 5,820 | 6,767 |
| 3DM Wild Life | 3148 | 2,805 | 3,924 |
| 3DM Wild Life Unlimited | 3148 | 2,733 | 4,090 |
| GFXBench T-Rex | 60 | 98 | 109 |
| GFXBench Manhattan 3.1 | 51 | 47 | 51 |
| GFXBench Car Chase | 29 | 26 | 28 |
You will not feel much difference between the two phones in terms of daily usage. However, it does feel slightly better when you game or perform tasks that challenge the chipset. Let's be frank: the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro is not a top performer, but it is no slouch, either. The device feels smooth throughout the day, thanks to the optimisation of the brand and minimalist NothingOS 3.2 operation.
So, if you are mindlessly scrolling through Instagram reels or listening to music while reading something on the internet, you will not feel a lag or stutter. Moreover, you can even play most of the casual and latest games on the device without any hiccups.