CMF Phone 2 Pro vs CMF Phone 1: Cool just got capable
Intro
Carl Pei and Nothing are doing an amazing job showing the world how a small operation can still be competitive in today's smartphone climate. Not only that, but last year Nothing launched its basic, super-affordable CMF Phone 1, and it was a pretty interesting device.
It's time for the sequel! This time around we have the "Pro" moniker and some very cool changes. Behold the CMF Phone 2 Pro. How do these two stack up against each other? It's time to compare them and find out!
It's time for the sequel! This time around we have the "Pro" moniker and some very cool changes. Behold the CMF Phone 2 Pro. How do these two stack up against each other? It's time to compare them and find out!
CMF Phone 2 Pro vs CMF Phone 1 differences:
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Thinner and a little lighter phone, same striking design | A tad thicker and heavier |
| Separate camera housings on the back | Pill-shaped camera bump |
| One main camera and a depth sensor | Triple camera setup - wide, ultrawide and telephoto |
| 120Hz AMOLED display, higher peak brightness | 120Hz AMOLED as well, not as bright |
| Slightly bigger display at 6.77 inches, lower pixel density | 6.67-inch display, 1080 x 2400 pixels resolution |
| Mediatek Dimensity 7300 Pro (4 nm) chipset, same ballpark | Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm), non-Pro version |
| 8GB of RAM | 6GB/8GB of RAM |
| A new 50MP telephoto lens with 2x optical zoom | No telephoto camera |
| A new 8MP ultrawide camera | No ultrawide camera |
| The same 16MP front camera | 16 MP front camera |
| The same battery and charging | 5000 mAh battery, 33W wired charging |
| No wireless charging | No wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Cool design just became cooler
The original CMF Phone 1 was pretty cool when it launched with its bold orange color and industrial design elements. Nothing proudly embraced the plastic back and made it user-replaceable, bypassing the need for a case.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with some improvements. The phone still features a plastic back, but the company processed the different colors in different ways.
"Black and Light Green are crafted with a glass-like back that mimics a frosted glass texture and is bordered with a metallic frame. Refined and minimalist, White is worked with a paneled sandstone finish at the back with an authentic feel and haptics. Orange has a metallic sheen and is the boldest option of all."
The new model is also thinner at 7.8 mm but a tad heavier, probably due to the extra camera hardware inside.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro follows in the footsteps of its predecessor with some improvements. The phone still features a plastic back, but the company processed the different colors in different ways.
"Black and Light Green are crafted with a glass-like back that mimics a frosted glass texture and is bordered with a metallic frame. Refined and minimalist, White is worked with a paneled sandstone finish at the back with an authentic feel and haptics. Orange has a metallic sheen and is the boldest option of all."
The new model is also thinner at 7.8 mm but a tad heavier, probably due to the extra camera hardware inside.
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Thickness 7.8 mm | Thickness 8.2 mm |
| Weight 197 grams | Weight 185 grams |
In terms of overall design, apart from the different finishes, the CMF Phone 2 Pro now features three cameras, and Nothing made sure this is seen. Each of the lenses is housed separately, with distinct rings around each one.
The overall industrial look of the first CMF Phone 1 is carried over and even more emphasized by the new camera housing, and even though the colors are largely the same between the two models, the CMF Phone 2 Pro introduces a two-tone design for some of the hues. Speaking of colors, here are all the options available for both phones.
The official CMF Phone 2 Pro colors
| CMF Phone 2 Pro colors | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| White | - |
| Black | Black |
| Orange | Orange |
| Light Green | Light Green |
Display Differences
50% more peak brightness
One of the most impressive features of the original CMF Phone 1 was the 120Hz dynamic AMOLED display. It was quite cool to see the tech on such an affordable device. This year, Nothing takes things up a notch with the CMF Phone 2 Pro, mainly in the brightness department.
The new phone features a slightly bigger display (by about 0.1 inches), but the company has bumped up the brightness by 50% compared to the previous model. The new phone also features a 1000 Hz touch sampling rate, 2160 Hz pulse width modulation dimming, 10-bit colors, and Panda glass on top of all that to protect the display.
The new phone features a slightly bigger display (by about 0.1 inches), but the company has bumped up the brightness by 50% compared to the previous model. The new phone also features a 1000 Hz touch sampling rate, 2160 Hz pulse width modulation dimming, 10-bit colors, and Panda glass on top of all that to protect the display.
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Size 6.77" | Size 6.67" |
| Brightness 800 nits (typ) 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 500 nits (typ) 2000 nits (peak) |
Our display tests are running as we type this, so stay tuned for detailed info about the real-life brightness, color accuracy, temperature and gamma soon. Meanwhile, the CMF Phone 1 managed almost 1200 nits of brightness and also proved to be very color-accurate, so the new model has something to live up to.
Performance and Software
To Pro or not to Pro?
The first CMF Phone device was equipped with the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip. It's an octa-core platform with 4x2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55 cores. In our performance test, the phone managed around 1000 points in Geekbench 6 single-core and 3000 in the multicore test.
Now, the CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with the same chipset but with the added Pro (just like the name of the phone) moniker. What this probably means is that the performance core might be able to go to a higher clock speed, but we need to run our tests to find out.
Now, the CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with the same chipset but with the added Pro (just like the name of the phone) moniker. What this probably means is that the performance core might be able to go to a higher clock speed, but we need to run our tests to find out.
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Chip MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro | Chip MediaTek Dimensity 7300 |
| Process 4nm | Process 4nm |
| RAM 8GB | RAM 6GB/8GB |
The RAM situation is similar—the original model came with either 6GB RAM (on the base 128GB memory configuration) or an option to get 8GB. The CMF Phone 2 Pro makes things simpler with just one RAM option. The phone comes with 8GB on all storage configurations, which are in fact just two—128GB and 256GB.
In terms of software, both phones use Nothing OS based on Android, but the CMF Phone 2 Pro steps up the support game with 3 years of major OS updates and 6 years of security patches. The original CMF Phone 1 launched with 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches, so a big improvement on that front.
In terms of software, both phones use Nothing OS based on Android, but the CMF Phone 2 Pro steps up the support game with 3 years of major OS updates and 6 years of security patches. The original CMF Phone 1 launched with 2 years of OS updates and 3 years of security patches, so a big improvement on that front.
Stay tuned for a detailed rundown of all the features, as well as some performance benchmarks soon.
Camera
Big upgrades
The biggest upgrades that the CMF Phone 2 Pro is bringing can be found in the camera department. The predecessor came with only one camera on its back, and even though it was a decent 50MP snapper, the lack of an ultrawide and/or a telephoto made the model less flexible.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro absolutely mends this with two new cameras in addition to the main one. The phone now features a capable and flexible triple camera setup - the industry standard - one main wide camera (50MP sensor), one ultrawide (8MP), and one telephoto (again 50MP) under a lens with 2x optical zoom.
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Main 50 MP f/1.9 24mm (wide) 1/1.57" | Main 50 MP f/1.8 24mm (wide) |
| Ultrawide 8 MP f/2.2 15mm (ultrawide) 120 FOV | Ultrawide N/A |
| Telephoto 50 MP 50mm 2x optical zoom | Telephoto N/A |
Some might argue that a 2x telephoto is a bit redundant when most companies rely on crops from the main sensor to get to that magnification, but we have to test the telephoto lens in real-life condition to give our verdict.
One thing is certain - the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a big advantage in the camera and it can be easily seen and counted - two more cameras. This brings the phone to a completely different category. Stay tuned for samples.
Battery Life and Charging
Identical?
Nothing has changed in the battery and charging department (sorry for the pun, we couldn't help ourselves). The CMF Phone 2 Pro features the same 5000 mAh cell as its predecessor, and the charging figures are the same as well. We're talking about 33W wired charging support and no wireless charging coils on neither of these phones.
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Battery capacity 5000 mAh | Battery capacity 5000 mAh |
Charging speeds 33W wired No wireless charging USB-C | Charging speeds 33W wired No wireless charging USB-C |
Of course, when we talk about battery life, there are other variables, such as the display and chipset efficiency, the power of the speakers, the heatsink and so on. The original CMF Phone 1 managed 6h 55m overall in our battery test, which put it #62 of all phones tested in the past two years. Not a result to write home about. We expect the new model to be in the same ballpark, but we have to run our tests to confirm. Stay tuned.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison between the CMF Phone 2 Pro and the CMF Phone 1:
| CMF Phone 2 Pro | CMF Phone 1 |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 164 x 78 x 7.8 mm 185 g | Size, weight 147.5 x 71.5 x 7.9 mm 206 g |
| Screen 6.77" AMOLED 120Hz 3000 nits peak | Screen 6.67" AMOLED 120Hz 2000 nits peak |
| Processor MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 4nm | Processor MediaTek Dimensity 7300 4nm |
| Versions: 8/128GB 8/256GB LPDDR5 | Versions: 6/128GB 8/128GB 8/256GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 50MP main 8MP ultra 50MP telephoto, 2x zoom 16MP front | Cameras: 50MP main 2MP depth 16MP front |
| Battery: 5000 mAh | Battery: 5000 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 33W wired No wireless charging | Charging: USB-C 33W wired No wireless charging |
Summary
We have another no-brainer here! Nothing managed to grab the attention of the public with the first CMF Phone 1 model, and the sequel seems worth watching as well. The CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with two additional cameras, bringing the brand to the modern camera age, it features the same cool design, a pretty capable display, and also a decent battery.
If you own the original CMF Phone 1, the reason to upgrade might boil down to your photography needs, as the other differences between the old model and the new "Pro" phone are somewhat miniscule. If you absolutely need an ultrawide and a telephoto camera, then the extra cash for the CMF Phone 2 Pro might be justified.
If you're just looking for a decent affordable smartphone with a lot of character and cool factor, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is the one to get. It's just the better device of the two.
FCC OKs Cingular\'s purchase of AT&T Wireless
Things that are NOT allowed: