CMF Phone 2 Pro - switching from Apple to Android

[tim0409]

I thought I would post my experience of the CMF Phone 2 Pro and switching from Apple to Android.

I always upgraded yearly in the early days of iPhones but this slowed down around the iPhone 7. I then went to an X, and the only reason I replaced it was as a result of dropping it in oil whilst servicing my car. I replaced it with a new 12, which had been out for over a year at this point and it has been great phone. The plan was to replace it with a year old model (15/16) after the September release when I visit the US, but a couple of things made me change to Android.

I gave my iPhone 7 to a friend a number of years ago, and due to a lack of iOS upgrades he could no longer use BBC Sounds (he has a macular condition and is going blind so he listens to a lot of podcasts) so the plan was to give him my 12 when I got a new phone. The display of the 7 started to fail, and he doesn’t have much spare cash so I gave him my 12 a few weeks ago when I ordered a new a CMF Phone 2 Pro during Amazon Prime. I was going to buy a cheap Android tablet as I need to run a specific Android app to run diagnostics on my motorbike, and thought it would be better to buy a phone instead as it would be a stopgap until I bought a new iPhone in September.

I knew nothing of CMF/Nothing phones until I saw a post on the Amazon Prime thread for the Pro 2, so decided to give it a try. It was £187 (down from £229) and all the reviews were really positive for what is a budget phone. After a few weeks I’m now conflicted on whether I should just to keep it and ditch the idea of a new iPhone.

Good points.
The display is lovely - Amoled 120 Mhz refresh rate
Touch ID under the glass. I actually prefer this to face ID, especially when I stop on my motorbike and want to use my phone without taking my helmet off.
Nice big screen (6.77”)
It seems fast enough when doing day to day stuff
Although it was a steep learning curve, I am really getting the hang of Android and the ability to customise.

Bad points.
Whilst the camera is probably decent in terms of a £200 phone, you really notice the difference in quality compared to even my old iPhone 12 (unsurprising given the cost difference)
Single speaker is really poor although this can be made a bit better (apparently) by an EQ app.
The screen size is a double edge sword as the phone (whilst slim) is quite a bit bigger than I’m used to
I nearly sent it back as it was struggling to register at the top portion of the display, until I realised turning off mistouch detection solved this!

It really is an incredible phone for the money; I’ve always been a bit of an Apple fanboy but having used Android for a few weeks I’m impressed. I just need to make a decision on whether spending another £600/700 on a iPhone is worth it for a better camera (which I use quite a bit) and better integration with my Mac/iPad. Decisions, decisions.

Any other CMF Pro 2 owners on here?

[Mr Pointy]

You could get a Pixel 9 for £330 including trade-in if you want a better camera & to stay with Android.

[ajprice]

Yes, I've had mine for a couple of weeks now, coming from a Samsung Fold 4. 128GB white bought in the Prime Day sale, bought a 512GB MicroSD card for it with the saving.

Yes the display is nice, bigger than the Fold 4 external screen. It took a few days to get used to the on screen fingerprint reader, I've been used to the sensor on the power button on the Fold, and the volume buttons on the left took some getting used to too. I'm still finding things out with the Nothing OS, like 2 apps on split screen (tap the icon above the app preview in recent apps).

I'm keeping mine, bought upfront to save some money with a sim only contract, and the contract is monthly so I'm not stuck with the phone for 3 years if I do want to change.

My Samsung watch still works with it for most things after installing Samsung Wear, enough to get on with anyway. I know there's a CMF watch 3 just come out that isn't Android Wear, I'm not sure how locked in the other watches are to the corresponding phones like Pixel, Motorola or some other brand.

Haven't tried connecting the Samsung earbuds yet, but they should connect through Samsung Wear like the watch does. I did get a bluetooth speaker in the Amazon sale too, handy around the house and a better output than the single phone speaker.

[mike9009]

I have been using a 'sister' phone to the CMF, the Nothing 2a.

I only have good things to say about it. Love the design, the camera sounds like a step up from the CMF and never stutters or has issues. It is also British designed......

Bear in mind I have never owned a flagship or Apple phone so my expectations might be different ...... I prefer to spend my cash elsewhere when a phone like the Nothing is so competent.....