Nothing’s CMF sub-brand has been shaking up the budget smartphone world, bringing a fresh perspective to affordable devices. In case you didn’t know what CMF is, it means Colour, Material and Finish and the whole goal is to make great design accessible at more affordable prices. At just $449 here in Australia, the new CMF Phone 2 Pro, doubles down on its promise of delivering high-quality design and performance at a price that won’t have you wincing at checkout. And by God do they hit that mark and then some.
From the moment you pick it up, the CMF Phone 2 Pro makes an impression. It carries the unmistakable Nothing aesthetic—clean, modern, and a little unconventional. The back plate, adorned with visible screws, gives it an industrial feel, though this isn’t just a design choice; in some regions, the screws allow users to swap out modular accessories.
The frame is made of metal, giving it a reassuring sturdiness, but the plastic back—while durable—doesn’t quite match the premium feel of glass-backed competitors. It still gets an IP54 dust and water resistance rating so it will easily survive light water sprays and submersion in 25cm of water for up to 20 minutes. This is one of the first phones I’ve been 100% confident to rock without a case.
The phone is also shockingly light at just 185g despite its 6.77-inch display size. For context, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is 218gms while the iPhone 16 Pro Max is 227gms. The difference is stark in the hand and so is the resulting ease of holding the CMF phone. It comes in four colorways; Black, White, Light Green and the signature Orange being the most striking and the one I have. Trust me this doesn’t look like a cheap phone and there’s a charm to its functional, slightly rugged industrial look, making it feel distinct from the sea of glossy, slippery slabs that dominate the budget space.
Once you power on the device, the 6.77-inch AMOLED display quickly becomes one of its most delightful features. At this price point, having a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and HDR10+ support is impressive. The colors pop with rich vibrancy, blacks are deep and immersive, and with a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, visibility remains excellent even in harsh sunlight. Watching videos, scrolling through social feeds, and gaming on this display feels fluid and polished, elevating the overall experience of using the phone.
Performance-wise, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, a chipset that provides a smooth, reliable experience for most day-to-day tasks. Apps open quickly, multitasking feels effortless, and Nothing OS 3.2, based on Android 15, keeps everything streamlined and minimalist.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro delivers a smooth, fast, and responsive user experience with thoughtful software features like the Essential Space for streamlined content management. While demanding mobile games are playable, occasional stutters may occur under heavy load. That said, it holds its own remarkably well, offering fluid performance that rivals much costlier devices like the Google Pixel 9a.
Running on Nothing OS 3.2, the software embraces a clean, minimalist UI built over Android 15, featuring Nothing’s dot matrix font and 24 custom widgets. The Monochrome UI mode integrates with Do Not Disturb and Bedtime modes, transforming the interface into a sleek black-and-white aesthetic while preserving full-color content. The Always-On Display provides quick glances at notifications, and Nothing X ensures seamless pairing with CMF Buds.
The Essential Space centralizes screenshots, photos, and voice notes, accessible via the Essential Key, a dedicated button for quick input and retrieval. A single press captures whatever is on your screen while a double press takes you to the Space. Here, AI-driven categorization makes content management effortless giving you useful summaries about what you captured. It’s kinda like the Pixel Screenshots app that we first saw on the Google Pixel 9. the With its polished UI, practical enhancements, and ecosystem integration, the CMF Phone 2 Pro stands out as one of the best budget smartphones available today.
The camera setup on this device is where CMF really tries to punch above its weight but ultimately falls short. Sporting a triple-lens arrangement, the 50 MP main sensor captures sharp, well-balanced photos with natural-looking colors and decent dynamic range — in the right light. There’s a 50 MP telephoto lens, a rarity in budget smartphones, providing 2x optical zoom, which adds versatility for portrait shots or distant subjects but I wasn’t too keen to use it often as the images just weren’t as good as the main lense.
The 8 MP ultrawide sensor expands the frame, though it doesn’t quite match the clarity of the main camera. Low-light photography is serviceable but not groundbreaking; while Night Mode improves results, noise and lack of sharpness can be apparent. The 16 MP front camera performs adequately for selfies and video calls but lacks the refinement of flagship front-facing shooters.
Video recording is fine, recording 4K 30fps or 1080p 60fps. The quality is again, decent for sharing birthday cake cutting with Nonna or sharing on Facebook but don’t think this will deliver anything near the quality of flagships. I also noted that you can’t switch lenses while recording video so forget about zooming in and out. Overall, photography enthusiasts shouldn’t expect much at this price but casual users will find the camera setup more than sufficient.
Battery life is one area where the CMF Phone 2 Pro delivers impressive results. With its 5,000mAh capacity, the phone easily lasts me two full days or moderate use. That’s phone calls, doom scrolling, messaging, Android Auto and full 120Hz refresh at all times. Hell, I even managed three days one time with light use which is hella impressive.
There’s definitely no battery anxiety with this phone and when you are flat, it will charge at 33W wired; fast enough to get you back up and running quickly, though the absence of wireless charging might be disappointing for some. I hated that I couldn’t juice up the phone on my car pad or desk charger but at this price, its a small sacrifice.
In Australia, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is priced at $449 AUD for the base model with 128GB model, available at retailers like JB Hi-Fi, while the 256GB variant can be found for around $509 AUD. At this price, it crushes the likes of Google’s Pixel 9a, and Motorola’s Edge lineup. It undercuts many of its rivals while delivering features like a 120Hz AMOLED display, a telephoto lens, and a distinct modular design, making it a compelling choice for budget-conscious buyers looking for something that feels fresh and premium.
For buyers who crave a stylish, well-rounded smartphone with a standout design, CMF’s latest offering is more than worthy of consideration. Ultimately, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is a top contender in Australia’s budget-range smartphone market, proving that affordability doesn’t have to mean compromise.
Its combination of a premium display, capable cameras, and thoughtful design makes it an exciting alternative to the usual suspects, and if Nothing continues refining its approach, future iterations could become even more competitive against established players. I really, really like this phone and it’s a no-brainer for anyone who doesn’t have more than $500 to spend on a phone.
Nothing Australia kindly provided a CMF Phone 2 Pro to facilitate this review for PowerUp.
