What’s new with the modular phone?

Nothing has revealed a new phone under its CMF sub-brand in the form of the CMF Phone 2 Pro – but how does it compare to the original CMF Phone 1?

While the two might look similar at a glance, with both sporting the same modular design, Nothing has upgraded various aspects of the CMF Phone 2 Pro experience, from the cameras to connectivity, in a bid to fix most of the big complaints consumers had about the original.

While we’re still in the process of reviewing the CMF Phone 2 Pro, we’re very familiar with the CMF Phone 1. Here’s how the two budget smartphones compare on paper, with an in-depth hands-on comparison coming very soon. 

Pricing & availability

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is available to pre-order right now, with release scheduled for 6 May 2025. It’ll cost a slightly more expensive £219 than its predecessor, complete with 128GB of storage, though you’ll be able to get a 256GB variant for £249.

Though not planned for a wider release, the 256GB handset will also be available in the US, but only via the Beta Program. It’ll set you back $279, and there are caveats about potential carrier incompatibility too.

The CMF Phone 1, on the other hand, had an RRP of £209 at launch in 2024, though as it’s now approaching its first birthday, it can be found cheaper at retailers like Amazon. 

The CMF Phone 2 Pro is slimmer, lighter and more durable

The CMF Phone 2 Pro has the same overall design language as the original CMF Phone, but there are subtle changes on offer from this year’s budget-friendly phone that make it feel a little nicer in the hand. 

That starts with the overall build, which measures in at just 7.8mm thick and 185g. This makes it the thinnest and lightest smartphone that Nothing has released, 0.4mm thinner and 12g lighter than last year’s CMF Phone 1 and 0.6mm thinner and 16g lighter than the newly released Nothing Phone 3a.  

The materials have also seen an upgrade, with a new aluminium camera surround and stainless steel screws holding the modular backplate in place. And, paired with improved IP54 compared to IP52 of its predecessor, it should handle those splashes of water a little better too. 

It’s also available in returning shades including Black, Orange and Light Green, along with a new White finish. Black and Light Green, like last year, are made from plastic with a frosted finish, while the vibrant Orange finish offers a metallic feel. 

The new White finish replaces the Blue finish of the CMF Phone 1 and goes in a totally different direction, sporting a panelled sandstone finish. 

The CMF Phone 2 Pro has more capable camera hardware

One weakness of the original CMF Phone was the camera hardware. It sported a 50MP main sensor, which we felt was fine when we reviewed the phone, but the accompanying 2MP depth camera didn’t do much to add to the experience.

Nothing has rectified that issue with the CMF Phone 2 Pro, offering a similar 50MP main lens – albeit with a larger 1/1.57-inch sensor, the largest in the budget market – alongside an all-new 50MP 2x telephoto lens that supports up to 20x digital zoom. There’s also an 8MP ultrawide lens for those scenic vistas.

Combined, the lenses should deliver a much more versatile camera experience than the original CMF Phone 1. 

The CMF Phone 2 Pro features NFC

Budget-focused phones often cut features in order to hit a cheaper price point, but the original CMF Phone 1’s lack of NFC was a dealbreaker for many. 

It essentially meant that you couldn’t use the phone to make mobile payments via Google Wallet – and considering many of us use our phones as our main point of payment in 2025, that’s a big deal.

Again, it’s something Nothing was keen to rectify with the new model, and as such, the CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with NFC for wireless mobile payments and other NFC-enabled features. 

The CMF Phone 2 Pro offers new modular accessories

It was the CMF Phone 1’s modularity that made it so popular among consumers, offering the ability to swap out the back plate and add additional accessories to the phone quickly and easily. For the CMF Phone 1, which included elements like a lanyard connector and a built-in stand, all available to buy via the Nothing online store.

It’s a trend that continues with the new CMF Phone 2 Pro. Like the original, you’ll be able to swap out the rear panel for a different colour or finish, and, you’ll also be able to make use of a new universal cover, interchangeable fisheye and macro lenses and a wallet/stand combo – though pricing of these new accessories is yet to be confirmed. 

The CMF Phone 2 Pro offers a faster processor

Let’s be honest, it wouldn’t be a proper upgrade without a boost to overall power, and that’s what Nothing hopes to achieve with the new MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G within the CMF Phone 2 Pro. 

Nothing says that the new chipset offers a 10% boost to processing speed and a 5% uptick in graphics performance when compared to the regular Dimensity 7300 found in the CMF Phone 1. 

Considering the CMF Phone 1 already offered surprisingly solid performance compared to much of the budget competition, so we’re expecting even better results from the Phone 2 Pro – though we’ll have to confirm once we spend more time with the new device. 

Elsewhere, the CMF Phone 2 Pro comes with the same 8GB of RAM as standard, along with either 128- or 256GB of storage – though with a microSD card, this can be expanded by up to 2TB.

Early thoughts

Though not a complete rethinking of the budget modular phone, the CMF Phone 2 Pro looks to fix most of the big complaints we had with the original, from lacklustre camera performance to the lack of NFC, which could make it a very tempting alternative to the year-old CMF Phone 1.

That said, we’ll save our final verdict for our in-depth comparison coming very soon.

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