I Tried This Cheap Android Phone. There’s a Lot to Be Excited About

Spending £219 (or $279) on a new phone won’t hurt your wallet, and Nothing’s CMF Phone 2 Pro still offers an impressive lineup of features for its low price. There’s the large, vibrant display, the multiple rear cameras, the capacious battery and the Android 15 software. Throw in the IP54 water-resistance and a generous six years of security updates and you really are getting a lot for your money. 

But my favorite thing about the phone is its design. It eschews the plain looks of other budget phones, instead using exposed screw heads, metallic camera surrounds and, on my review model, a delightful soft spearmint color. There’s even a little removable circle on the back of the phone that allows you to attach a lanyard directly to it — ideal for those who love taking photos at festivals. 

Read more: Best Phone Under $500

The Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro is available for preorder in the UK from today for £219 for the base model with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. In the US, you’ll be able to buy 256GB model for $279, but only via Nothing’s beta program, which requires you to sign up and provide feedback on your experience with the phone. Nothing says the phone will not support all network bands in the US. 

It’s certainly worth checking out the beta program if you’re interested. And hopefully Nothing will give the phone an official US launch in the future.

Strictly speaking, the phone is called the “CMF by Nothing Phone 2 Pro.” CMF is the confusing affordable sub-brand of already-affordable phone maker Nothing. It’s the second-gen CMF phone and I’m still baffled why Nothing thinks it needs to create a separate clunkily named brand, rather than just launching it fully under the Nothing name. But hey, maybe that’s why I’m writing about phones, rather than selling them.

Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro hands on

I’ve only spent a short time with the phone so far, but there’s already plenty I like about it. The design immediately stands out. It doesn’t have the flashing LEDs of Nothing’s more expensive phones, but I like the look and it feels surprisingly premium and sturdy to hold for such an affordable phone. It has an IP54 water resistance rating which will help keep it safe from the odd spilled drink, too. 

The AMOLED display is bright and vibrant. Colorful YouTube videos looked good and it managed to counter the bright overhead lights of my office. It has a 1 to 120Hz variable refresh rate so playing fast-paced games shouldn’t be a problem here. 

It runs on Android 15 at its core and Nothing has given it the same skin as its other phones. It relies on a stark monochrome aesthetic, with minimalist black and white icons and widgets which look quite cool (although I sometimes struggle to tell exactly which app I’m looking for). Nothing has committed to six years of total security support for the phone which is especially generous for a phone of this price. The OnePlus 13, for example, also offers six years of support and that phone costs almost £1,000 in the UK. 

The rear cameras include a 50 megapixel main camera, a 50 megapixel telephoto camera (with a 2x optical zoom) and an 8 megapixel ultrawide. I haven’t used the cameras yet so I can’t speak to their quality, but based on the previous CMF Phone 1, I expect them to be able to take decent everyday snaps, but certainly won’t be a rival for top camera phones like the iPhone 16 Pro or Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

Is the Nothing CMF Phone 2 Pro worth buying?

I haven’t tested the phone for long enough to give a final verdict yet, but I’m impressed with it based on my early impressions. It’s a quirky-looking phone that stands out from the budget crowd. The solid lineup of specs and its six years of support are generous at such a low price. 

I’m especially keen to see how its cameras perform — along with the processor performance for everyday tasks and more demanding gaming — but on paper at least this phone should be able to do a fair job with both.