The Phone That’s Turning Heads
Every so often, a smartphone comes around that makes the industry sit up and take notice. The CMF Phone 2 Pro is one of those rare creatures. It’s not just an iteration—it’s a bold statement from CMF, a sub-brand under Nothing, that isn’t afraid to leap into the fiercely competitive midrange market with both feet and a bucketful of attitude. This is the phone that challenges what you think you can get for a sensible price. Let’s dive into the world of the CMF Phone 2 Pro—where affordable doesn’t mean boring and flagship is a mindset, not just a price tag.
Origins: The CMF Brand Story
Before basking in the glory of the Phone 2 Pro, it helps to know where it all began. CMF stands for “Color, Material, Finish”—words that, for designers, are the holy trinity of product experience. Born from the quirky minds at Nothing, CMF is about democratizing great design and technology, stripping away unnecessary fluff to focus on what actually matters. It’s about playful style, honest value, and a dash of rebelliousness. The Phone 2 Pro is the brand’s boldest bet yet, aiming to capture the hearts (and wallets) of smartphone lovers craving something different.
First Impressions: Unboxing the Experience
Unboxing a phone sets the stage for your relationship with it. The CMF Phone 2 Pro knows exactly how to make an entrance: the box slides open with a satisfying hiss, revealing the device swaddled in minimal but premium-feeling packaging. Inside, you find a little welcome card with playful CMF branding, a matching fast charger (because let’s face it, not every brand includes one these days!), and a bright USB-C cable that practically dares you to tangle it.
Sliding the phone out, you’re greeted by a flash of personality. Whether you pick the vibrant Orange Pop, the tactile Matte Blue, or the understated Storm Grey, each color finish pops in the hand. There’s a certain joy in holding a device that doesn’t try to look like every other black glass slab on the shelf.
Design Language: Make a Statement
Let’s talk design, because the CMF Phone 2 Pro is anything but shy. CMF’s obsession with colors and finishes is on full parade. The back panel borrows inspiration from sports cars and streetwear, mixing textures and tones in a way that isn’t just skin-deep. The slightly curved edges nestle into your palm, while the metal frame brings a cool touch of elegance.
The biggest twist? Interchangeable rear covers! Bored of your phone’s look? Just swap in a new back panel—no tools, no specialized skills needed. Today, your phone could be blue canvas; tomorrow, stealth grey or a wild textured orange. It’s personalization done right, shaking up our monochromatic phone world with a playful wink.
Aside from looks, ergonomics matter. At 195g, the Phone 2 Pro isn’t feather-light, but it strikes a solid balance: reassuring in the hand without feeling brick-heavy. The thickness (just under 8.5mm) means it slips into pockets gracefully, and the slightly textured buttons are clicky and confident.
Display: A Feast for Your Eyes
No great phone ignores its display, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro comes prepared. Stretching to 6.7 inches, the OLED panel dazzles with FHD+ resolution (2400x1080), delivering punchy colors and inky blacks that only good OLEDs can pull off. But where the screen really earns its stripes is in the little details:
120Hz Refresh Rate: Scrolling feels like butter—animations are quick, smooth, and almost addictive to flick through. After a day, anything less feels like a chore.
1300 Nits Peak Brightness: Sunlight won’t drown your TikToks or Netflix watch parties. Even under the noon sky, text and video remain sharp and visible.
Color Customization: Whether you crave eye-searing vibrance or the gentler hues of sRGB, the display lets you tweak profiles to suit your mood.
Bezels are minimal but still recognizable—not razor-thin, but enough to offer a sturdy grip for gaming or marathon reading sessions. There’s even an always-on mode for quick glances at time, notifications, and widgets, dimmed just right to sip at battery life.
Power and Performance: Muscle Where It Matters
Under the hood, the CMF Phone 2 Pro doesn’t play second fiddle. It’s powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 8300 Ultra—an efficient but robust chip that confidently juggles everyday tasks and high-octane gaming. Paired with 8GB or 12GB of speedy LPDDR5X RAM and up to 256GB of blazing-fast UFS 4.0 storage, this phone is all about snappy performance and long-term stamina.
Gaming: Popular titles like Genshin Impact, CoD Mobile, and Asphalt run at high settings with barely a hiccup. The phone manages heat well, thanks to a new vapor chamber cooling system.
Multitasking: App-switching is immediate, and background apps rarely reload, even with several running in the background. Productivity fiends, rejoice!
Benchmarks: While numbers aren’t everything, the Dimensity 8300 Ultra puts the Phone 2 Pro well above its price point—snuggling against flagship rivals in synthetic results, but more importantly, it feels fast where it matters.
Software: Delightful, Minimal, and Playful
The CMF Phone 2 Pro runs a delightfully minimal skin of Android (based on Android 15 at launch), laced with CMF and Nothing’s trademark quirks. Bloatware is kept to a minimum—just a couple of custom tools (like the color-changing themes and the nifty widget shelf). Security patches arrive regularly, and the upgrade promise is two years of OS upgrades and three years of security.
But this software isn’t just about stripping down for speed. The living wallpapers shift with time and mood, notification sounds are playfully distinctive, and the interface invites exploration. Customization junkies can tinker to their heart’s content, shaping widgets, color palettes, and always-on display styles.
A shoutout to productivity features: The new split-screen multitasking is snappy, clipboard sharing across devices (within the Nothing ecosystem) works like magic, and privacy controls are front and center.
Camera: Snapshots with Sass
Here’s where things get spicy. The CMF Phone 2 Pro won’t replace top-tier camera phones, but it punches way above its class. Let’s break it down:
Rear Cameras
Main Lens: 50MP Sony IMX890, f/1.8 aperture, OIS
Ultra-wide: 8MP, 120-degree field
Macro Sensor: 2MP (for those odd close-up cravings)
Daylight shots are crisp, vivid, and full of detail—sometimes even too punchy, but that can be dialed down. Low light? Thanks to some impressive computational trickery, night shots preserve color and realism without the muddy smears plagued by lesser midrange phones.
Portrait mode separates subjects from backgrounds smoothly, and the onboard AI tweaks skin tones subtly. The ultra-wide isn’t as detailed, but does wonders for group shots or epic landscapes. Macro… well, it’s still mostly a novelty, but good for social media fun.
Selfie Camera
16MP, fixed focus, wide field for group selfies
Video maxes out at 4K30 on the main lens, with good stabilization and solid sound pickup. It’s not a vlogger’s studio, but more than enough for TikTok and rapid-fire Instagram Reels.
If I had a magic wand, I’d ask for a sharper ultra-wide lens and faster image processing in dark scenes—but for the money, the Phone 2 Pro is a snap-happy companion.
Battery Life and Charging: Built For the Real World
Phones today live and die by their battery endurance, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro is built to last the day—and then some. Packing a beefy 5100 mAh cell, it easily handles a hardcore schedule:
7-8 hours of screen-on time (heavier days might nibble at the reserves, but it’s rare to panic before bedtime).
Standby time is stellar—leave it overnight, and you’ll lose barely a percent or two.
Charging is zippy, too:
Connectivity and Extras: Everything You Need
SuperVOOC 67W wired charging—from 0 to 70% in just over 20 minutes, full in under 45 minutes.
There’s no wireless charging, which might
bug a few, but at this price, the fast wired option sweetens the compromise.
Smart AI algorithms optimize charging overnight to protect battery health—which means you’re looking at years of reliable service, not just months.