CMF Phone 2 Pro Review: The Best Budget Smartphone

The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a triple-camera system, and the third camera isn’t some silly 2-megapixel macro sensor like on most cheap phones. You’re getting a proper, versatile camera array usually found on pricier devices, with a 50-MP main camera, a 50-MP telephoto camera with 2X optical zoom, and an 8-MP ultrawide. There’s a 16-MP selfie camera on the front.

These sensors can struggle in high-contrast scenes, like when you have bright highlights on a sunny day mixed with shadowy areas—things can blow out a bit. In low light, you have to stay still to avoid a blurry image. But overall, I’ve been happy with the photos out of this system, which have been detailed and colorful. I tend to use telephoto cameras over ultrawides, so I’m excited to see it here, and I hope this trend expands to other budget phones.

One of my gripes with the original CMF Phone 1, the lack of NFC, has been resolved. With the near-field communication sensor in tow, you can pay with the Phone 2 Pro via Google Wallet. It also comes with 256 GB of storage, another rarity even compared to midrange phones, complete with a microSD card slot to expand space when you need it.

A big, often overlooked part of budget smartphones is the software. Many come with preloaded apps and games that bog down the whole experience. There’s none of this tomfoolery in Nothing OS. I’d argue that Nothing’s Android layer is more beautiful than the stock Android found on competing devices, with gorgeous widgets and a thoughtful monochrome home screen.

CMF has brought over Nothing’s Essential Key, which debuted on the recent Nothing Phone (3a) series. This physical key activates Essential Space, an app that lets you store screenshots and audio clippings and uses artificial intelligence to extrapolate useful information in the form of to-do lists and suggestions. I don’t take many screenshots, but I like the ability to press and hold the button to activate a voice memo—the app makes quick work of transcribing your voice note.

Best of all is software support. CMF promises six years of security updates and three Android OS upgrades, which is only bested by Samsung’s latest Galaxy A series phones—they get a blanket six years of support in software and operating system updates. Motorola only this year decided to offer two Android OS updates to its Moto G smartphones, with three years of security updates.

Accessory Enigma

Photograph: Julian Chokkattu

So what’s up with the four screws on the back, and that rounded corner? Remove these with a screwdriver—and the circular Accessory Point with your fingers—and you can add different colored back plates like on the original CMF Phone 1.