Why you may belief Android Central
Our skilled reviewers spend hours testing and evaluating services and products so you may select one of the best for you. Discover out extra about how we take a look at.
Nothing delivered successful final 12 months with the CMF Cellphone 1; the cellphone had an attention-grabbing design and modularity, and it nailed the fundamentals. The model is seeking to construct on that with the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional, which delivers first rate upgrades in most areas. Essentially the most notable addition is a 50MP tele lens on the again in addition to an 8MP wide-angle module that joins the principle 50MP digicam, and it offers the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional versatility like no different funds cellphone as we speak.
You additionally get an AMOLED panel with ultra-thin bezels — much like the Cellphone 2 and 3a Professional — a decent-sized battery, IP54 ingress safety, and one of the best software program of any funds cellphone accessible as we speak. The most effective half is that Nothing is continuous its value-focused push, and the Cellphone 2 Professional prices only a smidgen greater than its predecessor.
Is that this the funds cellphone of 2025, then? With out a shadow of a doubt.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Pricing and availability
Nothing unveiled the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional at a world launch occasion in India on April 28, and the cellphone is slated to go on sale within the nation beginning Might 5. The excellent news is that it prices simply ₹18,999 ($223) for the variant with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage, and that is simply ₹1,000 ($12) greater than what the Cellphone 1 debuted eventually 12 months. Nothing can be promoting the gadget in an 8GB/256GB configuration at ₹20,999 ($246), and each fashions retain the MicroSD card slot — a fantastic transfer in 2025.
Annoyingly, the gadget is not launching within the U.S., with Nothing making the 8GB/256GB variant accessible as a part of the beta initiative for $279. Fortunately, the gadget will likely be on sale within the U.Ok. and different markets within the area, debuting at £219 ($293) for the 8GB/128GB version and £249 ($333) for the 8GB/256GB mannequin. In Germany, it is launching at €249 ($283) for the 8GB/128GB variant, and €279 ($317) for 8GB/256GB.
|
Class |
CMF Cellphone 2 Professional |
|---|---|
|
Show |
6.77-inch 120Hz AMOLED, 2392 x 1080, HDR10+, 1300 nits HBM |
|
OS |
Nothing OS 3.2, Android 15, three Android OS updates |
|
Chipset |
Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Professional, Mali-G615 MC2, 4nm |
|
RAM |
8GB |
|
Storage |
128GB/256GB, MicroSD slot |
|
Rear digicam 1 |
50MP f/1.9, twin pixel PDAF |
|
Rear digicam 2 |
50MP f/1.9 telephoto, 2x optical zoom |
|
Rear digicam 3 |
8MP f/2.2 wide-angle lens |
|
Entrance digicam |
16MP f/2.2 |
|
Ingress safety |
IP54 mud and water resistance |
|
Connectivity |
Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
|
Safety |
Optical fingerprint reader |
|
Audio |
USB-C |
|
Battery |
5000mAh, 33W charging |
|
Dimensions |
164 x 78 x 7.8mm, 185g |
|
Colours |
Mild Inexperienced, Orange, White, Black |
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Design
Nothing’s mainline telephones stand out for his or her designs, and the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional is not any totally different. Whereas it would not characteristic an analogous design language, the daring colours and vibrant accents give the cellphone a great presence, and the design belies the worth tag. I have not used an entry-level cellphone that appears this good, and if you’d like a tool that turns heads, you may have to get the orange mannequin.
I acquired the inexperienced model of the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional, and it has a again that mimics a frosted-glass end. The black model makes use of the identical texture, with the white mannequin delivering a sandstone-like matte texture as a substitute. The orange colour, in the meantime, has a metallic sheen, and appears very distinctive.
One other distinction is the size; coming in at 7.8mm, the Cellphone 2 Professional is the thinnest Nothing cellphone but, and at 185g, it’s 12g lighter than the CMF Cellphone 1 — there is a noticeable distinction between the 2 in relation to in-hand really feel. The again has easy curves the place it meets the mid-frame, and it has good weight distribution.
Apparently, Nothing added the Important Key to the Cellphone 2 Professional as effectively; the devoted button debuted on the Cellphone 3a Professional this 12 months, and it permits you to launch Important Area, a dashboard that allows you to save notes, photographs, and absolutely anything else.
The rear digicam design is accentuated by vibrant rings round every module, and it offers further aptitude to the design — not that it wanted it. A key distinction this 12 months is that the again is absolutely sealed; this allowed the model to attain an IP54 ingress safety. Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis revealed throughout a briefing that the gadget is waterproof, however that it did not undergo the requisite IP testing.
Because the again cowl is now not removable, the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional would not fairly have the identical degree of modularity as its predecessor. That stated, Nothing is debuting a common case that attaches to the again, and it allows using a number of equipment. This time round, the equipment embrace a kickstand that connects magnetically to the common case, a macro lens, fisheye lens, and a lanyard.
Attaching the equipment is about as straightforward because it will get when you affix the common case to the again of the Cellphone 2 Professional. Whereas I typically preferred utilizing the common case, it would not verify to the curves on the again, and it has a definite plastic really feel to it. It is a great way to allow using customized equipment, and for what it is value, the Cellphone 2 Professional as a complete has a design that appears rather more polished.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Show
Nothing is utilizing a similar-sized 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED panel as final 12 months, but it surely went with a versatile AMOLED on the Cellphone 2 Professional, leading to thinner and even bezels on all sides. Evangelidis famous that the change to a versatile AMOLED added to the gadget’s manufacturing prices, however because the model wished to retain parity with its mainline telephones, it used the more expensive panel.
There’s additionally higher flexibility with panel refresh, with the Cellphone 2 Professional capable of change between 30Hz, 60Hz, 90Hz, and 120Hz. The gadget even will get 2,160Hz PWM dimming, and the panel itself is one of the best of any funds cellphone round. I did not run into any points throughout common use or whereas gaming, and Nothing did all the correct issues on this space.
My colleague Nick Sutrich examined the gadget’s PWM dimming, and famous that it was greater than double that of the CMF Cellphone 1 at low brightness, which is nice. Once you enhance the brightness to over 50%, you get DC dimming as normal.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: {Hardware}
Nothing is as soon as once more utilizing MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Professional this era, and the platform is clearly displaying its age; I have not used a cellphone with the older Cortex A78 and A55 cluster shortly. That stated, Nothing did an honest job optimizing the platform, and there’s no noticeable lag in common use.
|
Class |
CMF Cellphone 2 Professional |
POCO X7 Professional |
|---|---|---|
|
Geekbench 6 (single-core) |
1011 |
1573 |
|
Geekbench 6 (multi-core) |
2898 |
5580 |
|
Geekbench AI |
1998 |
2333 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (rating) |
850 |
1868 |
|
3DMark Wild Life Excessive (FPS) |
5.09 |
11.19 |
|
3DMark Metal Nomad Mild (rating) |
344 |
865 |
|
3DMark Metal Nomad Mild (FPS) |
2.55 |
6.41 |
|
PCMark Work 3.0 (General) |
11641 |
12575 |
|
PCMark Work 3.0 (Internet Looking) |
10549 |
11853 |
|
PCMark Work 3.0 (Video Modifying) |
5532 |
5450 |
|
PCMark Work 3.0 (Writing) |
17355 |
18952 |
|
PCMark Work 3.0 (Picture Modifying) |
24051 |
11180 |
The cellphone is satisfactory at gaming too, and whereas you do not get easy framerates, there is not an excessive amount of jitter, and it’s usable if you happen to flip down the settings. That stated, I would strongly suggest selecting up the Cellphone 3a Professional if you happen to’re a budget-focused gaming gadget — it does a a lot better job on this space.
Outdoors of that, the notable inclusion is a MicroSD slot; the bottom variant’s 128GB storage is first rate sufficient, and whereas 8GB of reminiscence is usable, Nothing ought to have rolled out a 12GB/256GB variant at the very least. You aren’t getting AptX codecs, however there’s the usual Bluetooth 5.3, and I did not see any issues with connectivity.
Nothing did not change something on the battery facet of issues, and the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional retains a 5000mAh battery with 33W quick charging. Apparently, the Indian mannequin now features a charger within the field — Nothing says its userbase within the nation was vocal about its inclusion — however different areas miss out on the identical. You need to use any USB PD charger with the gadget, and generally, I acquired a day’s value of use comfortably.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Cameras
The CMF Cellphone 2 Professional will get a trio of cameras on the again, together with a 50MP important lens, 50MP telephoto with 2x optical zoom, and an 8MP wide-angle lens. That is an enormous deal in itself contemplating most telephones on this class have only a single usable digicam, and it is good to see the model offering first rate versatility.
The digicam interface is fairly primary, however you get entry to all of the capturing modes and toggles. It takes 4K30 video, and whereas the video high quality is not significantly nice, it’s usable. There is a first rate variety of capturing modes, and the cellphone does a satisfactory job with portraits.
Picture 1 of 10
Daylight photographs have good element and colour vibrancy, and I did not see any points on this space. What I like essentially the most is how effectively the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional handles low-light imagery; even in difficult circumstances, it delivered pictures with good colours and little to no seen noise. The wide-angle and 2x tele lenses are good in their very own proper, and if you happen to want a little bit additional, Nothing has macro and fisheye lens attachments.
The fisheye lens is enjoyable to make use of, however I did not see a lot utility out of the macro module. General, the digicam on the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional is one of the best you may discover on a sub-$300 cellphone, and Nothing deserves credit score for bundling a robust package deal.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Software program
The CMF Cellphone 2 Professional runs Nothing OS 3.2 primarily based on Android 15 out of the field, and the model continues to do a stellar job with its UI. You get a clear interface with a definite visible styling, and it makes utilizing the gadget that rather more gratifying. Nothing’s unique widgets are an enormous a part of why I like utilizing its telephones, and the design mixed with usability makes the OS as a complete stand out.
You get a great quantity of customizability as effectively, and the interface is fluid — I did not have points in day by day use. You get the same old AI-enabled utilities with on-device transcribing, and Nothing makes use of ChatGPT for any cloud-facing requests. On that be aware, a brand new addition is Important Area, which mainly makes it straightforward to arrange data, together with creating notes, taking memos, and saving issues like billers.
The utility does a fantastic job, and it is one other manner that Nothing differentiates its gadgets. Switching over to updates, the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional will get three Android OS updates and 6 years of safety updates, and that is among the many better of any funds cellphone as we speak.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: The alternate options
POCO’s X7 continues to be a sensible choice if you happen to want a dependable funds cellphone. It has the identical MediaTek Dimensity 7300 platform, a much bigger 5500mAh battery with 45W charging, and IP68 ingress safety. The software program is not pretty much as good because the CMF cellphone 2 Professional, and it will not get as many updates, but when battery life is a precedence, the X7 is an effective possibility.
Final 12 months’s CMF Cellphone 1 remains to be fairly first rate, and a viable various if you will get a great deal on the gadget. Clearly, you miss out on the upgrades that the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional provides, however the Cellphone 1 is a good gadget in its personal proper.
Nothing CMF Cellphone 2 Professional: Do you have to purchase it?
You should purchase this if:
- You want a funds cellphone that appears nice
- You need good cameras
- You want clear software program on a funds gadget
- You need well timed software program updates
You should not purchase this if:
Nothing is making a behavior of displaying up different funds telephones, and the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional is my go-to suggestion if you happen to want a brand new sub-$300 cellphone in 2025. There’s loads to love with the design, and the distinctive equipment give the gadget an edge. The AMOLED panel has good colours, and the skinny bezels make the gadget really feel premium.
You get a great set of cameras on the again, nice battery life, and the software program is well one of the best you may discover on any funds cellphone. The one limitation is round gaming; you may wish to get the Cellphone 3a Professional if you happen to want a little bit of added energy, however aside from that, the CMF Cellphone 2 Professional is a implausible all-rounder.
The CMF Cellphone 2 Professional is nothing in need of one of the best funds cellphone accessible as we speak. It would not miss out on the fundamentals, and also you get a set of nice cameras on the again, and gratifying software program with distinctive extras.
