The CMF Phone 2 Pro might just be the most exciting budget smartphone of 2025 – and that’s saying a lot in an increasingly competitive market. Building on the unexpected success of last year’s CMF Phone 1, Nothing has returned with a slightly more expensive, yet significantly upgraded, sequel that’s already garnering attention. Priced at just £219 (approx. INR 22,000), the phone continues to challenge the traditional expectations one gets from a budget device.
A Sleeker, Smarter Design
At first glance, the CMF Phone 2 Pro immediately stands out with a refined design that feels both modern and functional. The device is around 5% thinner and 5% lighter than its predecessor, with a more rounded profile that offers a comfortable grip. Notable design updates include a third camera and a unique, tactile Essential Key on the side, designed to aid quick tasks like capturing screenshots, taking notes, or issuing voice commands.
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Despite some compromises – such as the new glue-back construction that improves water resistance (now rated at IP54) but limits the CMF Phone 1’s beloved modularity – this design upgrade means you get a more solid feel in the hand. For those who appreciated the CMF Phone 1’s extensive customisation, it’s good to know that the CMF Phone 2 Pro is still compatible with many legacy accessories.
Improved Accessory Ecosystem
Nothing has continued its tradition of offering an ecosystem of accessories, ensuring that users can further personalise and improve their experience. These include a new universal cover that doubles as a magnetic wallet and stand, interchangeable camera lenses and a range of earphones. However, adding these accessories has become a little more complicated. For example, if you want to use the universal cover, you’ll need to remove and replace the screws on the new glue backplate – a process that slightly diminishes the ease of customisation of the original.
Despite this change, the accessory lineup remains attractive. The new Buds 2 wireless earphones, which start at around £39 (roughly INR 3,900), offer impressive sound quality with booming bass and clear audio output. For a better experience, the Buds 2 Plus – which costs £49 (roughly INR 4,900) – offers a smoother texture, better noise cancellation, and a fantastic battery life of up to 61.5 hours.
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Plus, if you ever need to replace the protective back cover, it comes at a nominal cost of £29 (roughly INR 2,900) – a small expense considering the value of keeping your phone in good condition.
Display, Battery, and Performance
The CMF Phone 2 Pro isn’t just about style. It sports a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with perfectly even bezels and a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. This ensures that watching videos, app navigation, and browsing general content will all feel extremely smooth—even for a device that falls in the budget segment.
Under the hood, Nothing has equipped the phone with a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro processor paired with 8GB of RAM. While it’s not a high-end powerhouse, this setup is well-optimized, making the performance good enough for everyday tasks and moderate-level gaming. Moreover, the 5,000mAh battery, coupled with software optimizations, offers great longevity, comfortably lasting two full days on a single charge.
Features like the inclusion of NFC for Google Pay and the ability to expand storage up to 2TB via microSD make the CMF Phone 2 Pro stand out from its peers in the budget segment.
The Camera is a Surprise
Photography enthusiasts will find a lot to like about the CMF Phone 2 Pro. The main camera features a 50MP sensor, which is now paired with a larger sensor that delivers brighter, clearer photos with a great sense of depth. Replacing the previously lesser-used secondary lens is a new 8MP ultra-wide lens – perfect for capturing detailed scenes. But the real showstopper is the additional 50MP 2x telephoto lens, which not only doubles your zooming capability but also enhances the quality of portrait mode.
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For creative photography, Nothing offers a number of additional lenses. The fisheye option transforms the ultrawide experience by combining quality with a distinct artistic flare, while the macro lens enables high-quality close-up shots – proving that even budget smartphones can deliver impressive photographic performance.
A Feature-rich, User-friendly Experience
Running on the streamlined Nothing OS, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is free of unnecessary bloatware. Focusing on usability, it includes customisable lock screen widgets and a dedicated Essential Space – a centralised hub for notes, reminders and app shortcuts. While still evolving, this integration of features highlights Nothing’s commitment to creating an intuitive, productivity-boosting user experience.
Final thoughts
The CMF Phone 2 Pro carries forward the legacy of its predecessor, fixing everything that made the CMF Phone 1 so beloved. Despite the minor setbacks in using the modular accessory, improvements in design, display quality, performance, battery life and camera innovation give it a distinct identity in the budget smartphone market. For anyone looking for a stylish, high-performance phone that won’t break the bank, the CMF Phone 2 Pro – priced at £219 (roughly INR 22,000) – is fast becoming a top contender in 2025.
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