Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
It’s no secret that the average price of a flagship phone has gone up. Your iPhones and Galaxy phones these days are going to cost you a markup of $1000 or more. Of course, everyone is offering a budget version of their product, but because of that budget price, you have to expect a budget experience. And more often than not, the price simply isn’t worth it. Enter the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is the budget phone of Nothing’s lineup. Priced at $299, the CMF 2 Pro competes with the other budget heavyweights. For comparison, the cheapest Apple phone you can get, the iPhone 16E, is priced at $599. The other budget phone that actively competes with the CMF 2 Pro and is from a major company is the Samsung Galaxy A25 5G at $299. For this article, we will be directly comparing the A25 and CMF 2 Pro. Let’s get right to it, then, starting with the design.
Table of contents
Design
Do you ever find yourself looking at phones these days and thinking that they’re…boring? Personally speaking, I do. I remember before smartphones took the throne, normal button phones all looked widely different. Every phone manufacturer was trying something different, from flip phones to wide phones to even ones with sliding keyboards. Of course, we did see some innovation at the start of the smartphone boom with the original iPhones slowly evolving and Samsung’s “edge” screens.
These days, it feels like that level of innovation has been replaced with an “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” mentality. And keep in mind there’s nothing explicitly wrong with that. If something is working, why make drastic changes over small incremental ones? But then the issue bleeds into the color of phones as well. Everything’s become so muted or dark. There’s very little personality in most phones.
This is where Nothing picks up the pieces from other phones. And the result is not pretty, but man, does it have personality. For starters, the CMF 2 Pro comes in 4 colors. There’s your standard black and white affair. But it also comes in vibrant orange and light green colors. Compare this to the A25, which comes in black, yellow, blue, and more blue colors, and you’ll see what we’re talking about.
The overall shape and form factor of the phone, despite being your standard slab affair from the front, is visually unique from the back. The back has a 2-tone color to it, with multiple detachable screws, 3 cameras, and an odd puck at the bottom. It’s an acquired taste, but those aesthetics are more of a “feature” that we’ll discuss later. It most definitely makes the A25 5G look like wet toast. From the front, the phone is very standard, with it including a hole-punch camera rather than the A25’s bubble camera. So instead, let’s move on to the software design.
Software Design
The CMF 2 Pro runs on the Nothing OS 3.0 out of the box. Nothing OS is a customized version of Android 15. While not as flashy or slick as iOS, Nothing OS runs pretty well. Nothing OS is true to its name in that it’s also meant to be a lot more bloat-free, especially when you compare it to most Samsung phones. This gives it a niche compared to other budget phones in its ballpark. Of course, a good OS can only function on the back of good specs. So let’s move on to the spec sheet, shall we?
Specs
The Nothing CMF 2 Pro comes with a 1080p x 2392p AMOLED display. The display has a 120 Hz refresh rate. The brightness of the phone ranges from 800 nits at the lowest up to a peak brightness of 3000 nits. The dimensions of the display stand are 6.77 inches or 110.9 cm². The display also supports HDR to make it pop. The display is made out of Panda glass.
The phone comes in 2 different memory sizes. The first being 128 GB and the second 256 GB. Regardless of which storage size you pick, both come with 8GB RAM. If these sizes worry you, then fret not; the system does support MicroSDXC.
The battery of the CMF Pro 2 is a chunky 5000 mAh. Which should last you a while on a full charge. Despite the battery size, the phone is still pretty slim. The charging port is the standard USB Type-C, and the phone supports fast and wireless charging. Unlike most other phones these days, the CMF Pro 2 also comes with a headphone jack.
Last but not least, the CMF 2 is IP54 dust resistant and water resistant. This doesn’t mean waterproof, so don’t go taking it for a dip. Now let’s move to the back of the phone and check out the cameras.
Camera(s)
The CMF 2 Pro’s cameras aren’t exactly anything to write home about. There are 3 separate cameras at the back. The first is a 50 MP, 24 mm wide camera. The second is a 50 MP, 50 mm telephoto camera with a 2x optical zoom. The third camera is an 8 MP, 15 mm ultrawide camera. They support 4K images. Videos stand at 4K 30 FPS or 1080p 30-120 FPS videos. The CMF also supports HDR and panorama. The secondary front-facing camera is 16 MP.
Lastly, the camera is also “customizable.” But to talk about that, we’d have to talk about the phone’s other most prominent features.
Modularity
Remember those 4 screws at the back of the phone we mentioned earlier. Well, they’re super important to the modularity of the phone. Yes, you heard that right. A modular phone in 2025 is real. If you’re wondering why that’s so important. It’s because it allows you to customize the phone more easily. This adds a slight dash of your personality to the phone.
So, what exactly can you mod onto the CMF 2 Pro? Well, for starters, you can add a lens to the camera. This adds an extra level of zoom to it, or you can attach a fisheye lens if you want to take pictures that way. That’s cute, of course, but not pragmatic. You can do a couple of other important things, though. For starters, you can replace the backplate with a magnetic MagSafe plate that has some strong magnets on it. This allows for the further attachment of MagSafe accessories. One such accessory is the kickstand-wallet combo that comes with the phone. To add to that, the phone also has a lanyard at the bottom. This can be detached and replaced with a wristband, helping you keep the phone safe from damage.
However, most of these accessories are only available in European countries. So, people wanting to dabble in the modularity may have to wait for future 3rd-party accessories.
Final Thoughts
So, where do we stand on the CMF Pro 2? Well, we think it’s the best phone to get if you’re on a budget. However, it should be stressed that this is only if you’re on a budget. If you can afford anything above the sub-$300, we’d advise getting that. The Nothing CMF Pro 2 does a lot to stand out from the budget pack. However, as of the time of writing, it’s not doing enough. The cameras aren’t as good. The software is decent, but only if you prefer the perks of Nothing. Last but not least, the modularity, despite being a great perk, is too limited for what the phone is trying to do. Visit Inside Tech World for more reviews, tips, and reader guides updated weekly!
FAQs
- What other Nothing phones can I consider buying?
We would recommend the Phone 3a Pro. It’s priced at $450, and if that’s within your budget, then we’d recommend it. Otherwise, nothing has plenty of other offerings.
- Is the CMF 2 Pro repairable?
No. Despite its modularity, the Nothing CMF 2 is not a repair-friendly phone.
- Does the CMF 2 Pro support fast charging?
Yes, the CMF 2 Pro comes with both fast charging and MagSafe.
