The Philippine government is preparing to officially retire its outdated 2G and 3G mobile networks. The goal is to free up valuable radio frequencies so they can be used by faster, modern 4G and especially 5G services. But before this could happen, this transition requires the passage of a new law, the Konektadong Pinoy Act, according to Henry Aguda, Information Secretary for the Department of Information and Communications Technology (DICT). Aguda explained that because only about 1 in 7 Filipinos (roughly 15%) still uses basic 2G or 3G phones, it makes sense to shut these networks down. Retiring these old networks also helps unlock more of this valuable network spectrum for new internet players entering the Philippine market. How to survive on limited data and volume-based Internet subscriptions Cheapest unlimited Fiber internet plans in the Philippines Once the act is law, allocating freed-up frequencies to these new companies will be easier. Aguda hopes this will help lower...
Nothing sub-brand CMF has released its second smartphone, and it’s a Pro one. Meet the CMF Phone 2 Pro.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a bold attempt to spice up the midrange market in an era where phones seem to come from the same mold and copy each other. This smartphone features an interesting design and interface that’s nowhere near what you’d find from other brands.
Without a doubt, Nothing brought their outside-the-box thinking with this one. But how were they able to pull it off? Is it enough for consumers to bet their hard-earned money on it? We’ll find out in our CMF Phone 2 Pro review.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Specs
- Android 15, Nothing OS 3.2 (3 OS upgrades, 6 years security patches)
- Dual SIM, Dual Standby
- 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display, 2392 x 1080 pixel resolution, ~388ppi
- 120Hz refresh rate, 10-bit color
- HDR10+, 3000-nit peak brightness
- 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro octa-core processor
- Mali-G615 MC2 GPU
- 8GB RAM
- 128GB/256GB internal storage, expandable via microSD
- 16-megapixel front camera
- 50-megapixel (f/1.9, dual-pixel PDAF) + 50-megapixel (f/1.9, 2x telephoto, PDAF) + 8-megapixel (ultra-wide) rear cameras, LED flash
- IP54 dust and splash resistant
- Removable rear panel
- Under-display fingerprint scanner, Face unlock
- HSPA+, 4G LTE, 5G
- WiFi 6, dual-band
- Bluetooth 5.3
- GPS, GLONASS, GALILEO, QZSS, BDS
- NFC
- USB-C
- Dimensions: 164 x 78 x 7.8mm
- Weight: 185g
- Colors: Light Green, Orange, Black, White
- 5,000mAh non-removable battery, 33W wired, 5W reverse wired charging
Design and Build Quality
Like its Nothing-branded cousins, the first thing you’d appreciate about the CMF Phone 2 Pro is its design. Apart from the CMF Phone 1, it’s nothing like we’ve ever seen before. It has a metallic look with exposed screws. The whole device looks like it came out of a metal factory. But that’s actually a good thing as it made it really unique.
These screws are more than just an ornament. They can be unscrewed to attach Nothing’s dedicated universal cover acting as a magnetic adapter for other accessories like Nothing’s wallet/stand, and a back plate to attach Nothing’s interchangeable fisheye or macro lens.
Nothing has created a tiny screwdriver for this. Unfortunately, they didn’t include it in the package like they did with the previous release, but there’s not much use for it anyway.
There’s also the attachment point at the bottom right, which you can unscrew without a tool. It’s great for attaching lanyards and trinkets, or other Nothing accessories.
Moving on, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is predominantly made of plastic. The rear panel is too, although it looks and slightly feels like ceramic, which is a big plus for us. It’s available in four colors: Orange, Black, Light Green, and the review unit we got, White.
Sadly, the device is only IP54-rated for dust and splash resistance, instead of the higher IP66 or IP69. It’s enough for quick or accidental water exposure, but don’t deliberately submerge it underwater.
Despite its plastic build, the frame feels really solid. A couple of light bend tests did nothing to it. We really liked using the free clear case for extra protection, though. A screen protector was also pre-applied out of the factory.
Taking a tour, we have a large 6.77-inch AMOLED screen on the front. The bezels are not the thinnest but are uniform all around. The punch-hole for the 16-megapixel selfie camera looks nice and clean.
The top only has the secondary microphone for noise isolation. No stereo speaker here.
We have the primary loudspeaker at the bottom, together with the USB-C port, microphone, and the hybrid SIM slot that can house either two nano SIMs or one SIM and a microSD card for storage expansion.
Left side has the volume controls, while the right side has the lock/power switch on top and the Essential Key below it. The latter is slightly smaller than the former. I just wish there was a better distinction between the two, as I always get confused which is which.
The triple cameras are on the back with a bump from their individual lenses. The one on top is the ultra-wide lens, below it is the main shooter, while the telephoto is on the right, on top of the LED flash.
While the ingress protection lags behind the competition, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is easily one of the visually interesting phones in its segment.
Display and Audio
The CMF Phone 2 Pro boasts a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 2392 x 1080 resolution, ~388ppi, 10-bit colors, 120Hz dynamic refresh rate, HDR10+ support, and 3000-nit peak brightness.
Display quality nothing about the ordinary, but that’s to be expected from a midrange smartphone. It gets very bright outdoors, HDR works well, colors and unsurprisingly vibrant, sharpness is ample, and the large size is great for multitasking, gaming, and watching movies. Needless to say, it’s more than good enough.
What really disappointed us is the lack of stereo speakers. Even phones that are much cheaper already have two drivers. To add insult to injury, the single bottom-firing speaker is lackluster, too. Volume is subpar and bass is nowhere to be found. The treble is good, though, so at least it has that.
Hardware and Performance
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is powered by a 2.5GHz MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro octa-core processor. This 4nm chip has a 10% faster CPU and 5% better GPU than the first CMF Phone. It is paired with a Mali-G615 MC2 GPU, 8GB of RAM, and has an option between 128GB and 256GB of expandable storage.
CMF Phone 2 Pro Benchmark Scores
Day-to-day performance was very smooth and seamless. From the UI animations, transitions, to actually using apps like browsing through social media feeds, taking pictures, making calls, and editing.
We’re really impressed by how flawless the performance is in basic tasks, now let’s see if that carries over to gaming.
We played Genshin Impact extensively and had no issues under Low graphics settings, under smooth 60 frames. PUBG Mobile was smooth at HDR graphics with Ultra frames, and Call of Duty Mobile with Very High graphics and frame rates.
Farlight84 was playable using HDR graphics at High frame rates, but could be smoother if you dial down to HD or Balanced graphics. Mobile Legends: Bang Bang and Asphalt Legends Unite had no issues with their highest available settings.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro handled the game with finesse and without overheating issues. Having stereo speakers would’ve made the whole experience a lot better, though.
| Game | Graphics Settings |
| Call of Duty: Mobile | • Graphics Quality: Very High • Frame Rate: Very High |
| Farlight84 | • Graphics Quality: HDR • Frame Rate: High |
| PUBG Mobile | • Graphics Quality: HDR • Frame Rate: Ultra |
| Genshin Impact | • Render Resolution: Low • Visual Effects: Low • FPS: 60 |
| Mobile Legends: Bang Bang | • Graphics Quality: Ultra • Frame Rate: Super • HD Mode: On |
| Asphalt Legends Unite | • Visual Quality: High Quality • Frame Rate: 60 |
Software and User Interface
The CMF Phone 2 Pro runs on Android 15-based Nothing OS 3.2, the same interface used on Nothing phones. The brand pledged up to three major Android upgrades for this device. It’s not the longest support, but I think it’s good enough for this kind of device.
Nothing bet big when they went with a bold design with their interface, and it really paid off. It’s far from any interfaces we’ve seen from other brands, and that’s the reason why it’s now our favorite UI.
More than its aesthetic appeal, the design just works in a practical sense. The buttons in the Control Center are large, legible, and customizable. Nothing’s dot matrix font looks so simple yet so distinct, and the icons pack looks unified with more to choose from online.
The default lockscreen looks incredible, even the clock looks nice and is a great representation of what the entire UI actually looks like. You can also put different widgets here.
Nothing also nailed the app drawer. The Smart layout is still in beta but already does a good job of curating all your apps and what you might use next.
Essential Space is like Pinterest built into your phone. Instead of manually taking screenshots and lose those inspirations and pins in your gallery, you can instead press the Essential Key, write a note, and find it in the Essential Space app.
CMF Phone 2 Pro also features a Game window that you can easily access with any game. It looks much more condensed than other game windows we’ve seen. Just a few buttons to let you illuminate distractions. But we do miss the real-time hardware stats, game changers, and more.
Like many other smartphones today, an optical under-display fingerprint scanner is available, which worked fast and accurately during our tests. The face unlock was quick, too. No problems here.
Virtual RAM expansion is here, allowing you to borrow 2GB, 4GB, or 8GB of space from the storage for an extra multitasking boost.
There’s a Smart Cleanup feature in the settings for the storage. Unlike other phones that seem to fake cleanups just to satisfy users, Nothing OS will simply tell you that everything is good and there’s nothing to worry about. We’re also happy to report that the CMF Phone 2 Pro is free from nonsense bloatware.
Bottom line, the Nothing OS is one of the most visually intriguing yet practical interfaces in the smartphone market, and it’s currently our favorite.
Cameras
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a large 50-megapixel 1/1.57-inch main sensor with dual-pixel PDAF. Unfortunately, there’s no optical image stabilization. It is joined by a 50-megapixel telephoto lens that offers 2x zooms at f/1.85, which is great for portraits. We also have an 8-megapixel 120-degree field-of-view and a 16-megapixel sensor on the front for selfies.
We like how clean the camera app is. You can swipe up to choose from four different presets: Soft Focus and B&W Film for portraits, Wide Angle, and Lenticular. Importing more presets via a QR code or uploading them manually if you have a preferred style is also possible.
There are also bokeh effects to choose from in the Portrait Mode (Velvet, Twist, Pentacle, Snowflake). You can shoot video at H.264 or H.265 in different resolutions: 1080p@30fps, 1080p@60fps, and 4K@30fps.
Daylight photos from the main camera look good at a quick glance with its vibrant colors, nice exposure, clean dynamic range, and fast shutter, but investigating further immediately reveals its flaws. Details are quite lacking, and we’re noticing weird post-processing and artifacts when zoomed in.
Low-light shots from the main camera look generally nice. Colors are still nice, dynamic range held up pretty well, but noise and grains could’ve been handled better.
The 50-megapixel 2x telephoto lens looks a bit cleaner than the main one. Processing could still be better, especially with Portrait Mode enabled, but the colors pop, dynamic range is good, and low-light performance is passable.
The same good colors and contrast can be expected from the 8-megapixel ultra-wide lens. But as expected, sharpness and details are lacking.
Noise and grains persist in the 16-megapixel selfie camera. On the upside, skin tones look accurate, details are sharp, and low-light performance holds up well.
We did appreciate having a dedicated telephoto lens and the nice colors the CMF Phone 2 Pro produces, but we just wish it processed photos better.
Battery and Charging
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a 5,000mAh capacity — a bit behind most of its competition that has already breached the 5,500mAh mark. It supports a slightly slow 33W charging, but it only comes with a USB-C port. No charging adapter included in the package.
It may not have the biggest battery, but it actually managed to beat other competing phones with a bigger capacity. In the PCMark synthetic battery loop test, it lasted for 16 hours and 56 minutes, much higher than the average score of 12 hours and 42 minutes that the competition got.
The Phone 2 Pro even had one of the best scores in our 1080p YouTube Video loop test, where it lasted 20 hours and 19 minutes, versus the average score of around 15 hours and 33 minutes that other phones got.
Since it didn’t come with its own charger, we tested it using our spare 120W charger. The device charges up quite fast. A quick 15-minute charge already gives a 0-23% worth of juice, with a full charge only taking about 1 hour and 11 minutes. See the full test below:
- 15mins: 0-23%
- 30mins: 48%
- 45mins: 72%
- 1hr: 93%
- 1hr 11mins: FULL
Verdict
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is undeniably one of the coolest midrange phones on the market, thanks to its unique and customizable design and interesting proprietary accessories.
Its fascinating design is paired with a distinct and one-of-a-kind software. This combination is a much-needed breath of fresh air on this segment.
More than that, CMF’s first Pro phone also offers a seamless performance for both day-to-day tasks and gaming, has an impressive display, and surprisingly good battery life.
Unfortunately, there are many things you should be aware of before making the purchase. For starters, the image processing needs a lot of work, and the lack of OIS is a bummer. The lack of a charger in the box is also disappointing. And worst of all, it doesn’t have stereo speakers, which is quite discouraging for the asking price.
To be honest, some of them are just nitpicking. If you can cut it some slack, the CMF Phone 2 Pro can provide a reliable user experience and make you stand out from the crowd without breaking the bank.
CMF Phone 2 Pro pricing and availability
The CMF Phone 2 Pro 8GB/128GB has an SRP of Php16,490 in the Philippines, while the 8GB/256GB retails for Php18,490. You can get at Digital Walker physical stores, and official website, Shopee Mall, and open-source by Beyond the Box.
Pros
- Unique, customizable design
- Distinct, intuitive interface
- Large, vibrant, smooth display
- Flawless performance
- Good battery life
Cons
- No stereo speakers
- Terrible image processing
- No OIS
- No charger included
This article, CMF Phone 2 Pro Review, was originally published at NoypiGeeks | Philippines Technology News, Reviews and How to's.
Comments
Post a Comment