Nothing’s sub-brand CMF, which stands for ‘Colour, Material, Finish’, has launched its new mid-range smartphone in India, the CMF Phone 2 Pro. The smartphone succeeds last year’s CMF Phone 1 and offers a new dual-tone design, improved cameras, and a faster processor. It is CMF’s second-ever smartphone and aims to take on the likes of the Moto Edge 60 Fusion, Samsung M35, and Realme P13.
Is the CMF Phone 2 Pro worth consideration? Where does it impress, and where could CMF have done better? Here are the top four features of the smartphone, as well as two elements that we are slightly disappointed by:
CMF Phone 2 Pro: Price and availability
The CMF Phone 2 Pro will be available in India via Flipkart starting May 5, in White, Black, Orange, and Light Green colour options. On offer is a variant with 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, priced at Rs. 18,999, and another with 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, priced at Rs. 20,999. Initially, the phone will be available at a discounted rate of Rs. 17,999 for the 128GB storage variant and Rs. 19,999 for the 256GB version.
| Variant | Price | Launch price |
| 8GB + 128GB | Rs. 18,999 | Rs. 17,999 |
| 8GB + 256GB | Rs. 20,999 | Rs. 19,999 |
CMF Phone 2 Pro: Top 4 features
The CMF Phone 2 Pro offers substantial updates over its predecessor, the CMF Phone 1. While there are several impressive aspects of the smartphone, here are the four that we are impressed by the most:
1) Bloat-free software
The CMF Phone 2 Pro runs Nothing OS 3.2 based on Android 15. What sets the smartphone apart in its price range is how clean and bloat-free the software experience is. No third-party applications are pre-installed, and there are no spammy ads littered across the user interface. The cherry on top of the cake is the baked-in AI experiences, including Nothing’s exclusive ‘Essential Space’, which organises your tasks, events, and memories in one place.
2) Large and bright display
The CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with a 6.7-inch Full-HD+ AMOLED display with a refresh rate of 120Hz, a 1000 Hz touch sampling rate, and Panda Glass protection. The panel has an impressive peak brightness of 3,000 Nits and also supports 10-bit colour depth, which allows for more accurate colours and smoother gradients vis-à-vis standard 8-bit displays. The display also houses an optical fingerprint sensor.
3) Bundled accessories
Turn back the clock by just a few years – unboxing a brand-new smartphone used to feel special, with the box containing goodies like earphones, a bundled charger, and even a case. These days, phones ship with the bare minimum – some dry, boring regulatory information and a charging cable. With the CMF Phone 2, Nothing has bundled a charger as well as a TPU case in the retail box. We hope more manufacturers follow suit and bring back bundled accessories.
4) Solid hardware
Powering the CMF Phone 2 Pro is Mediatek’s Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset, an incremental update over the Dimensity 7300 found in the CMF Phone 1. It offers a 10 per cent boost in CPU performance and 5 per cent better graphics performance. Rounding off the package is 8GB RAM, 128GB or 256GB of non-expandable storage, and a 5,000mAh battery with 33W fast charging. On the imaging front, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a triple rear camera setup with a 50-megapixel primary sensor, a 50-megapixel telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom, and an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera. Up front, there is a 16-megapixel selfie camera.
CMF Phone 2 Pro: 2 disappointments
Here are the two areas where we feel that Nothing could have done a better job with the CMF Phone 2 Pro:
1) Non-swappable back panels
Unlike the CMF Phone 1, the back panel of the CMF Phone 2 Pro is not swappable. This time around, CMF has introduced a multifunctional universal cover with a built-in magnet, which can be screwed onto the smartphone, and allows for the attachment of a wallet that doubles as a stand and interchangeable lenses. The lack of swappable back panels takes away a major feature that made the original CMF Phone 1 so unique and is a step in the wrong direction, in our opinion.
2) Mediocre software support
CMF has promised three years of Android updates and six years of security patches with the CMF Phone 2 Pro. While this is a step up from its predecessor, which only came with the promise of two OS updates and three years of security patches, it still lags behind the competition. Samsung smartphones in this price range now offer 6 years of OS updates and security patches, and we feel Nothing should match the same.
CMF Phone 2 Pro: Key specifications
- Display: 6.7-inch full-HD+ AMOLED panel, 120Hz refresh rate.
- Processor: MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro.
- RAM and storage: 8GB RAM, up to 256GB storage.
- Software: Nothing OS 3.2, based on Android 15.
- Primary camera: 50-megapixel with an aperture of f/1.88.
- Secondary camera: 50-megapixel telephoto sensor with 2x optical zoom, and an aperture of f/1.85.
- Tertiary camera: 8-megapixel ultrawide with an aperture of f/2.2.
- Selfie camera: 16-megapixel with an aperture of f/2.45.
- Battery and charging: 5000mAh, 33W fast charging.
- Dimensions and weight: 7.8mm thickness, 185g.
- Other features: IP54 water and dust resistance, in-display fingerprint scanner.
- Colours: White, Black, Orange, and Light Green.
