Purchasing a new phone for £219 (or $279) won’t break the bank, and Nothing’s CMF Phone 2 Pro still has a great feature set considering how inexpensive it is. The several back cameras, the huge, bright display, the enormous battery, and the Android 15 software are all present. You really get a lot for your money when you include the IP54 water resistance and a hefty six years of security updates.
However, I think the phone’s design is its best feature. In contrast to other low-cost phones, it has metallic camera bezels, exposed screw heads, and a delightfully soft spearmint hue on my evaluation model. For those who like shooting pictures at festivals, the phone even has a little detachable circle on the rear that lets you attach a lanyard straight to it.
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The basic edition of the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro, which has 128GB of storage and 8GB of RAM, is available for presale in the UK starting today for £219. You may get the 256GB variant in the US for $279, but only if you sign up for Nothing’s beta program and share your thoughts on the phone. Nothing indicates that the phone won’t operate with every US network band.
If you’re interested in the beta program, it’s definitely worth looking out. Hopefully, nothing will eventually lead to the phone’s formal US launch.
The phone is officially known as the “CMF by Nothing Phone 2 Pro.” CMF is the confusingly low-cost sub-brand of Nothing, a phone manufacturer that is already reasonably priced. It’s the second-generation CMF phone, and I’m still perplexed as to why Nothing feels the need to market it entirely under the Nothing moniker rather than developing a distinct, awkwardly titled brand. However, maybe it is the reason I write about phones instead of selling them.
A picture of a hand with a phone
The screen is big, vivid, and brilliant.
Even though I haven’t had the phone long, I already appreciate a lot of things about it. The design is striking right away. Although it lacks the flashing LEDs seen on Nothing’s more costly phones, I still enjoy the way it looks and find it to be surprisingly durable and high-end for such a low-cost phone. Additionally, its IP54 water resistant designation will help protect it from the occasional spilled beverage.
The AMOLED screen is vivid and brilliant. YouTube movies with vibrant colors looked fantastic and were able to balance off my office’s strong overhead lighting. With its changeable refresh rate of 1 to 120 Hz, playing fast-paced games shouldn’t be an issue.
A picture of a hand with a phone
You may connect a lanyard straight to the phone by removing that little circle.
Its main operating system is Android 15, and nothing has made it seem like its previous phones. Though I sometimes have trouble identifying whatever program I’m searching for, it focuses on a stark monochromatic appearance with simple black and white icons and widgets that look very good. For a phone of this price, nothing has promised six years of complete security support, which is rather generous. For instance, the OnePlus 13 costs over £1,000 in the UK and comes with six years of service.
A 50 megapixel primary camera, a 50 megapixel telephoto camera (which has a 2x optical zoom), and an 8 megapixel ultrawide are all included in the back cameras. I can’t comment to the quality of the cameras since I haven’t tested them yet, but based on the previous CMF Phone 1, I anticipate that they will be able to produce respectable daily photos, but they won’t be able to compete with high-end cameras like the iPhone 16 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra.
A picture of a hand with a phone
For a phone this inexpensive, a triple back camera configuration is rather generous.
Is it worthwhile to get the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro?
Although I haven’t used the phone long enough to get a firm opinion, my first thoughts about it are encouraging. This unusual-looking phone makes a statement among low-cost models. At such a cheap cost, the good range of specifications and the six years of service are considerable.
On paper, this phone should be able to handle both daily work and more demanding games, but I’m particularly interested in seeing how well its cameras and CPU function.