CMF Phone 2 Pro Review: The Best Budget Smartphone

The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a triple-camera system, and the 3rd camera isn't immoderate silly 2-megapixel macro sensor similar connected astir inexpensive phones. You're getting a proper, versatile camera array usually recovered connected 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 connected the front.

These sensors tin conflict successful high-contrast scenes, similar erstwhile you person agleam highlights connected a sunny time mixed with shadowy areas—things tin stroke retired a bit. In debased light, you person to enactment inactive to debar a blurry image. But overall, I've been blessed with the photos retired of this system, which person been elaborate and colorful. I thin to usage telephoto cameras implicit ultrawides, truthful I'm excited to spot it here, and I anticipation this inclination expands to different fund phones.

One of my gripes with the archetypal CMF Phone 1, the deficiency of NFC, has been resolved. With the near-field connection sensor successful tow, you tin wage with the Phone 2 Pro via Google Wallet. It besides comes with 256 GB of storage, different rarity adjacent compared to midrange phones, implicit with a microSD paper slot to grow abstraction erstwhile you request it.

A big, often overlooked portion of fund smartphones is the software. Many travel with preloaded apps and games that bog down the full experience. There's nary of this tomfoolery successful Nothing OS. I'd reason that Nothing's Android furniture is much beauteous than the banal Android recovered connected competing devices, with gorgeous widgets and a thoughtful monochrome location screen.

CMF has brought implicit Nothing's Essential Key, which debuted connected the caller Nothing Phone (3a) series. This carnal cardinal activates Essential Space, an app that lets you store screenshots and audio clippings and uses artificial quality to extrapolate utile accusation successful the signifier of to-do lists and suggestions. I don't instrumentality galore screenshots, but I similar the quality to property and clasp the fastener to activate a dependable memo—the app makes speedy enactment of transcribing your dependable note.

Best of each is bundle support. CMF promises six years of information updates and 3 Android OS upgrades, which is lone bested by Samsung's latest Galaxy A bid phones—they get a broad six years of enactment successful bundle and operating strategy updates. Motorola lone this twelvemonth decided to connection two Android OS updates to its Moto G smartphones, with 3 years of information updates.

Accessory Enigma

So what's up with the 4 screws connected the back, and that rounded corner? Remove these with a screwdriver—and the circular Accessory Point with your fingers—and you tin adhd antithetic colored backmost plates similar connected the archetypal CMF Phone 1.