DT Next Tech | CMF Phone 2 Pro redefines budget smartphones
It’s a device that’s likely to spark clear love or hate reactions. We’re fans of this design template that also offers customisable options (like its predecessor) with stainless screws on the back to swap the cover.
CHENNAI: At a time when ‘incremental upgrades’ seem to dominate the smartphone space, the CMF Phone 2 Pro breaks the mould. CMF (that refers to Colour, Material and Finish) is the budget sub-brand of Nothing. The Phone 2 Pro is a significant upgrade over last year’s CMF Phone 1. Is this the smartphone to beat in the sub Rs 20K segment?
The Phone 2 Pro retains the same quirky design language of its predecessor. It’s a device that’s likely to spark clear love or hate reactions. We’re fans of this design template that also offers customisable options (like its predecessor) with stainless screws on the back to swap the cover.
You can also add accessories to the device. Nothing has managed to slim down this device. It’s under 8 mm thin and weighs just 185 gm. It comes in a choice of cool colours including this year’s hero colourway - Light Green, that we checked out.
We dig the triple rear cam module. The rear cam is one of the showstoppers in this device. This one is not a ‘gimmicky’ set-up that allows the brand bragging rights, but a camera module that walks the talk. It combines a 50MP main camera with a 50MP telephoto lens (with 2X optical zoom) and an 8MP ultra-wide lens. There’s no OIS (optical image stabilisation) though. The rear cam is one of the best we’ve tested at this price range with good results especially in optimal lighting conditions. The optical zoom (especially at 2X) gives it an edge.
It’s not just the camera, Nothing hasn’t skimped on the hardware either. At the heart of this device is a MediaTek 7300 Pro chipset complemented with 8GB of RAM that aces everyday usage scenarios. It clocked 2978 in our Geekbench (multi-core) benchmark test. The device comes in two internal storage options (128GB and 256GB) that both offer expandable storage (up to 2TB).
The other box that this device ticks is battery life. There’s a 5000 mAh battery under the hood that comfortably lasted over a day in our tests. Nothing has bundled a 33W fast charger and a protective back case in the box.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is easy to recommend for anyone looking for a smartphone under Rs 20,000, even if you’re not looking at customising the device with the phone’s modular accessory system (like the modular camera lenses or the cool magnetic wallet kickstand combo). The design stands out in the crowd while the hardware specs and triple rear cam add to its ‘bang for your buck’ appeal. (Rs 18,999 onwards)
(Ashwin Rajagopalan is a lifestyle writer and consumer technology expert. Catch the latest digital and tech updates in this weekly column.)
