- Snappy performance
- Great camera for the price
- Great value
- Modular accessories aren't sold in Australia
- Not as water-resistant as some similarly priced rivals
The CMF Phone 2 Pro is a great budget device that's easy to recommend. Just note that while it punches above its price tag for speed and camera quality, it makes some other trade-offs to hit its $449 price tag.
What we like about the CMF Phone 2 Pro
Zippy! The CMF Phone 2 Pro doesn't feel like a cheap phone, performance-wise. There's no issue with day-to-day performance, and it can even handle demanding games like League of Legends: Wild Rift, Diablo Immortal, and Zenless Zone Zero. That's not something that can be said for every device in this price bracket.
Solid camera. While the CMF Phone 2 Pro's camera obviously isn't perfect given the price, it takes a good enough photo in most situations. It also takes nicer photos than you'd expect in low light, even if they may need a few takes.
CMF Phone 2 Pro camera samples
Check out these camera samples taken on the CMF Phone 2 Pro. Click or tap on any photo to see a larger version.
Good battery life. The CMF Phone 2 Pro has a pretty decent battery. Expect at least six hours of screen time per charge. That translates to a day of moderate usage with a pretty comfortable buffer.
One unusual inclusion here is 5W reverse wireless charging, which can be used to top up earbuds that support wireless charging. It's a feature that's far from common on flagship phones, let alone on cheaper devices.
Has NFC this time around. The CMF Phone Pro 2's predecessor - the CMF Phone 1 - doesn't have NFC. That meant it wasn't able to be used for mobile payments, which many of us have become accustomed to. Thankfully, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has rectified this with the inclusion of NFC.
Great value. For the performance on offer, $449 for the CMF Phone 2 Pro is a very reasonable price. One thing to note, however, is the 128GB of storage. It's pretty easy to find phones with 256GB out of the box in this price bracket. There is a 256GB model, but it will cost you an extra $60. Alternatively, you can always use a microSD card to expand the storage.
What we dislike about the CMF Phone 2 Pro
Not properly water-resistant. While many cheaper devices are now coming with high IP ratings and military-grade drop protection, you won't find that on the CMF Phone 2 Pro. It still has an IP54 rating for splash resistance, but it isn't guaranteed to survive a dunk (or high-pressure water jets), like similarly priced phones, such as OPPO's A5 Pro 5G.
Fewer software updates than the competition. The CMF Phone 2 Pro has been promised three years of major operating system updates and six years of security updates. That's genuinely great for a budget phone, but some competitors have started doing better in this space.
OPPO and Motorola promise five years of operating system upgrades and six years of security for the OPPO A5 Pro and Moto G75, while Samsung promises six and six for the Galaxy A36.
Modular accessories aren't available in Australia. Part of the CMF Phone 2 Pro's appeal is its charming design. On top of fun colours, a unique look, and a build quality that punches above the asking price, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is kinda modular.
In some markets, you can pick up extra accessories for the CMF Phone 2 Pro, like a lanyard, a card wallet that doubles as a kickstand, and lenses that clip onto the main camera. Unfortunately, Australia is not one of them. While these add-ons seem far from essential, they also look like a lot of fun and would have been another interesting point of difference.
CMF Phone 2 Pro - Final Thoughts
The CMF Phone 2 Pro focuses on practicalities over premium flourishes, and that's certainly not a bad thing. At between $400 and $500, I'd say over-delivering on the essentials like performance and camera quality is more important than nice-to-have features like a higher water-resistance rating or eSIM. If you're looking for a great, affordable phone, the CMF Phone 2 is very easy to recommend.
These are the most popular NBN 50 plans with WhistleOut users this week:
|
#1
|
Dodo
All Fixed Line nbn®
Editor's Pick
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$57.99/mth
Min. cost $57.99
|
|
#2
|
amaysim
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN50
$45/mth
Min. cost $45
|
|
#3
|
Tangerine Telecom
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value Plus NBN 50/20
$64.90/mth
Min. cost $64.90
|
|
#4
|
TPG
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Unlimited Plan
$69.99/mth
Min. cost $69.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#5
|
Aussie Broadband
All Fixed Line nbn®
Value nbn - Unlimited
$70/mth
Min. cost $70
Link not supplied
|
|
#6
|
Superloop
All Fixed Line nbn®
Extra-value nbn50/20
$69/mth
Min. cost $69
|
|
#7
|
iiNet
All Fixed Line nbn®
nbn50 Liimitless
$69.99/mth
+ $10 Upfront
Min. cost $79.99
Link not supplied
|
|
#8
|
Belong
All Fixed Line nbn®
NBN Standard Plus – Unlimited
$55/mth
Min. cost $55
|
|
#9
|
Kogan Internet
All Fixed Line nbn®
Silver Unlimited
$69.90/mth
Min. cost $69.90
|
|
#10
|
Flip
All Fixed Line nbn®
Unlimited Family nbn50
$68/mth
Min. cost $68
|
Alex Choros
Related Articles
