CMF Phone 2 Pro test: now with NFC and three cameras
28.4.2025
Translation: Elicia Payne
Pictures: Jan Johannsen
NFC, ultra-wide-angle and telephoto camera: Nothing has improved its most affordable smartphone and given it the Pro suffix.
Nothing has once again managed to impress me with an affordable smartphone. The CMF Phone 2 Pro has everything a phone needs – and then some. So it’s becoming increasingly difficult to justify paying more than four times as much for the «best» phones on the market.
The screws remain, but the back’s no longer replaceable
Although the CMF Phone 2 Pro is inexpensive, its design still sets it apart from the crowd. Unlike the CMF Phone 1, you can’t replace the back. However, the distinct screws and the thread for the accessories are still there. You can attach a magnetic cover and other accessories such as a stand or credit card holder to it. The focal lengths of the cameras can also be changed with add-on lenses. I wasn’t able to test them, though. Nothing only sells them directly through its website.
Without accessories, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is Nothing’s thinnest smartphone at 7.8 millimetres. The two-part back has a different texture depending on the colour variant. The back is slightly rough which is nice to grip. And with IP54 certification, it’s now splash-proof. The screw-open predecessor was only protected against dripping water to IP52.
Nothing’s taken the easy route for the display and uses the same one as the Phone (3a). I was already excited by the 6.77-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 2392 × 1080 pixels then. With 800 nits typical brightness and 1,300 nits in outdoor mode, it’s bright enough for use in sunshine and has a natural colour reproduction. The lesser-known Panda Glass is designed to prevent scratches on the display.
The European version of the CMF Phone 2 Pro is equipped with an NFC chip. This allows the phone to be used for contactless payments, among other things. However, as with the predecessor, this is missing in the version for the Indian market – for which the smartphone is still intended.
No change in performance and still suitable for everyday use
Nothing uses the Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G from Mediatek as the processor in the CMF Phone 2. The manufacturer expects this to deliver more performance for AI applications and five and ten per cent more computing power for the GPU and CPU than CMF Phone 1’s Dimensity 7300. When I totalled my various benchmark tests, however, I only noticed a performance increase of one or two per cent. The results are similar for AI benchmarks.
The comparably priced Galaxy A26 from Samsung with the Exynos 1380 is on par in terms of CPU performance and performs slightly better in graphics processing. The Nothing Phone (3a) with the Snapdragon 7s Gen 3 achieves better results across the board. The CMF Phone 2 Pro performs well enough for everyday use, though. It didn’t come to a standstill, nor did I notice any long waiting times.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has eight gigabytes of RAM and 128 gigabytes of storage space for data. You can increase the 128-gigabyte internal storage with a microSD card. In Germany, Nothing only sells the 256 gigabyte version directly via its website.
The 5000 mAh battery of the Phone 2 Pro is said to still have a capacity of 90 per cent after 1,200 charging cycles. Not bad. Until recently, the standard was 80 per cent after 600 cycles. The battery’s charged quickly, but not super fast, with up to 33 watts. Nothing promises you’ll have enough power for a day in a 20-minute charge. I reckon it’s more like an hour. A power adapter’s not included in the box and for cost reasons there’s no wireless charging.
In Nothing’s advertising, it claims the battery life lasts up to two days. To understand how much this value depends on usage, we can look at the exact runtimes specified by the manufacturer: 47 hours of phone calls, 22 hours of watching videos or ten hours of gaming.
The PC Mark Work 3.0 battery test, on the other hand, determines a battery life of 11:08 hours. So there’s no difference here to the Nothing Phone (3a), which ran 11:09 hours in the same test. At 11:14, the CMF Phone 1 is also still within the fluctuation range of the measurements. These are all useful, but not outstanding values for a phone.
Three cameras that still need fine-tuning
The feature that the CMF Phone 2 Pro has most improved in compared to its predecessor are the cameras. The main camera’s complemented by an ultra-wide-angle camera and a telephoto camera. On the Phone 1, the second camera only provides field depth information for portrait shots.
On the back, the camera selection’s now similar to the Nothing Phone (3a), although there are differences in sensor sizes and apertures. Still, the resolutions and focal lengths are identical. Only the front camera on the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a lower resolution.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro entices me with its larger selection of cameras. When I compare it to the Phone 1, the colour reproduction appears somewhat greener and paler. I expect Nothing will improve this situation with software updates.
The Nothing Phone (3a) offers the same camera selection as the Phone 2 Pro and the two are also closer in colour. But I like the Phone (3a) more.
Compared to the Phone 1, I can see clear improvements in the dark. The night mode in Phone 1 makes the shots worse.
The Phone (3a), on the other hand, scores points for the recognisable difference you can see between automatic and night mode. Here I can opt for more darkness. The Phone 2 Pro doesn’t have this option.
For selfies, I like the colour reproduction on the Phone 2 Pro a little better than on its predecessor. The level of detail’s very similar on all three phones despite the different resolutions – and the Nothing Phone (3a)’s on a par with the Phone 2 Pro in terms of colour.
Android with few bells and whistles and an eye-catching look
Nothing has rolled out the CMF Phone 2 Pro with Nothing OS 3.2. The user interface is based on Android 15 and adds some exclusive functions to the operating system. Visually, I like Nothing’s minimalist ways and I’m still pleased that the manufacturer doesn’t install any third-party advertising apps, even on inexpensive devices.
One of the special features is the Essential Space. There’s a separate Essential Key for this below the power button on the right edge of the phone. I used it to record screenshots or voice memos. I was then able to organise them with the help of AI within the Essential Space and find them more easily later. At first, I found the app confusing and not intuitive to use, but after a while I got used to it.
Nothing has announced that it’ll only provide three years of operating system updates for the CMF Phone 2 Pro. This is comparatively little, but thanks to six years of security updates, the phone’s still usable for a long time.
In a nutshell
A lot of phone for very little money
The thing I’m most impressed by when it concerns the CMF Phone 2 Pro is it’s value for money. For 249 euros or 219 francs, you get a very usable phone with pretty much everything included.
The design’s eye-catching and includes accessories which offer a few extra functions. The display’s satisfying to look at and the computing power’s sufficient for everyday use, even if there hasn’t been a significant increase since the predecessor. The additional cameras give me more options when taking photos – if I ignore the fact that the best phones and their five times optical zoom in telephoto cameras have ruined my expectations. Hopefully, Nothing will fix the colour deviations with a software update.
My biggest criticism is that the operating system updates are only promised for three years. But at least security gaps are closed for six years, meaning the CMF Phone 2 Pro can be used for longer.
I’d prefer the CMF Phone 2 Pro to the similarly priced Galaxy A26 from Samsung. And if I had the budget, I’d opt for the Nothing Phone (3a) – it’s a slightly better device and, most importantly, has a little more computing power.
Pro
- Two more cameras than its predecessor
- Good value for money
- NFC
Contra
- Only 3 years of OS updates
- Performance is the same as predecessor
- Colour reproduction of the main camera could be improved
Header image: Jan Johannsen
As a primary school pupil, I used to sit in a friend's living room with many of my classmates to play the Super NES. Now I get my hands on the latest technology and test it for you. In recent years at Curved, Computer Bild and Netzwelt, now at Digitec and Galaxus.
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