Nothing’s CMF sub-brand designed the Phone 2 Pro for the budget market, keeping several headline features while making compromises in less prominent areas. Through Nothing’s now-ended US Beta Program, the base model cost $279, compared with $379 for the Nothing Phone 3a.

The price gap did not mean a smaller screen or battery. Both phones have a 6.77-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and a 5,000mAh battery. The CMF Phone 2 Pro also includes a 50-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel 2x telephoto camera and an 8-megapixel ultrawide camera.

Nothing has not published a component-by-component cost breakdown, so the exact savings from each decision are unclear. The differences include the processor: the Phone 2 Pro uses MediaTek’s Dimensity 7300 Pro, while the Phone 3a has Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 3. The CMF model is responsive for everyday tasks such as browsing and messaging, but can struggle with demanding games at high settings.

Camera hardware is another trade-off. The Phone 2 Pro’s main and telephoto cameras rely on electronic image stabilization, while the Phone 3a’s main camera has optical image stabilization. The CMF phone can take decent photos, but may be less reliable in low light or when the camera is moving.

Other cuts include a single speaker, charging capped at 33W rather than 50W, and an IP54 rating compared with the Phone 3a’s IP64. In return, the Phone 2 Pro supports microSD cards up to 2TB, NFC in some regions, three years of Android updates and six years of security updates.

For people who mainly use a phone for messaging, maps, social media, video and casual photography, CMF’s larger display and battery may count for more than faster charging or optical stabilization. The company’s approach was to preserve features that matter in everyday use and reduce costs in areas some buyers may notice less often.

Repeating that formula may be difficult. Nothing co-founder Akis Evangelidis said on X that CMF had been working on a successor but could not make one that felt like a genuine step forward at a suitable price, citing rising memory costs. Nothing has not said when another similarly priced CMF phone might arrive, and it will not release a Phone 2 Pro successor in 2026.

Sources: Engadget.