So, after so many phones that I had the pleasure of trying, I want to share what I think of the CMF 2.
Some background…
I was a Xiaomi user before Xiaomi was famous on Europe (and even people knew about it), got them directly from China thanks to old forums which imported them in bulk. Same for ZTE, when was only a “chinese brand” when only Samsung was known. I also had the old Samsungs (starting with S2)… I’ve used almost every brand that’s on the market and that existed. I still remember the first android on my HTC phones. And yes, I also used iPhones.
All of my perspective is based on my 10y experience as a UI developer.
My actual needs
I don’t need fancy stuff, premium-like features, 10000 cameras, CPU that flies… I just want a phone that WORKS. Nothing more, I’m a simple one.
I thought so many times of getting a dumb phone, since I don’t need almost any of what a phone is capable of. So, why not? Well I know I can use web instead but, there’s two limits:
- App banking. This is PITA because you need to have a trusted device = phone. PC is NOT allowed to. It need to be a phone. Payment review? app. Sending money? app. Everything… Is on the f* app.
- Apps that ask for login. I’m thinking on Steam Guard. Like banking, this is only allowed to exist on a phone (or any other device, but not a PC).
Just a summary, I know I could have a tablet and just live with a dumb phone. But that would restrict my lifestyle: what if I go out and need to pay for a split? What if a shop only allows for a payment using “sending money”?
Why CMF
As a summary: it was a gift.
There was many reasons why I was looking at this brand:
- The OS. Simple, clean, nothing fancy. No ads, no bloatware, nothing. Just, what it needs to be. Of course there’s still “bloatware” for me, because there’s a lot of apps I don’t care (YT Music, Android Auto, Chrome…)
- Its look. Cool. It looks different. I’m just tired of every phone looking the same. It looks like all were made from the same mold: who is copying whom? iPhone? Google? Dunno. But it’s obvious… They want them to look the same. And I’m just bored.
- Price. CMF 2 pro had a decent price for the specs, better than any other brand. If we take into consideration that you have a CLEAN OS, if not… there’s a lot of options. But the OS was important for me. Here it’s 249€ for 128gb.
I had my old OnePlus 5 since released on 2017, imported from China at ~300€. I’ve been so happy with it but, over the years, battery started to fail. In 2022, I was gifted a Pixel 7 and… despite being so big for me, I was amazed at every pic I took. But, this ended up pretty fast because that phone restarted itself 5-10 times EVERY SINGLE DAY. So, I returned it the 3rd day and replaced the battery on my OP5.
I kept using it until Dec 2025, when I got the CMF 2. Again, the battery was screaming to be replaced so I had two choices: replace or renew. And that’s how the phone came to my hands.
I’m pleased with the OS: simple, clean, easy to use. I fell in love with it instantly because it fit the need I had. That was the reason why I went for a Pixel (if it wasn’t because it was faulty). And that’s why almost every brand was out of my list:
- iPhone. I’m sorry but i’ve never been an apple lover… Besides, I don’t like that idea of “outdated”. If you have an old iPhone, you cannot install new apps. That’s just nonsense! Like I’ve said, I’ve been using OP5 till 2025 and I didn’t found ANY app that I couldn’t install, using Android 10. So, I don’t want to be on that wagon of “I decide this is old, buy a new one”.
- Samsung. I don’t like that UI + all of that bloatware. Besides, you’re paying more just because of the brand name (like Apple).
- Xiaomi. Nothing to say besides bloatware and ads. I’ve enjoyed the old MIUI on my Xiaomi Mi2 (yes, really old…) and it didn’t had any. But, seems like a norm nowadays for brands to start so good and end so bad.
- Any other chinese brand. Well, most of them have ads and/or bloatware. There’s still OnePlus but speaking of price, it wasn’t that good.
My impressions after this months
Note: all of this is referring to NOS 3.2, which was the version that came with the phone.
The CMF 2 made me fell in love again with Android. I was bored of every phone looking the same, every brand trying to look like iOS (let’s be real… they’re doing lol). For the first time in years, I’ve been enjoying using my phone the same as I did when I first got my OP5.
For real, I love this sh*t. It’s just simple, fuckingly fast compared to my old OP5 which… lagged so many times. It just collapsed, froze for 2 sec and then did what I asked. Yeah, I had a LOT of patience. I still didn’t found any lag, no apps that didn’t worked good, audio problems, wifi, bluetooth… I tried all when I got first day just to make sure it was okay, or I send it back while I was on the return window.
It came in a cool box. Simple design, clean package. Appreciate the detail of having a clear case but… I’m sick of not having a charger. For real. This feels so dumb, even on expensive they don’t come. Tested with my OP cable, it didn’t charge fast but it did with the Nothing (on the same charger).
Okay, things that I’ve loved:
- I loved that small lock/unlock watery feeling when using AOD. It’s a simple, dumb thing… But, it’s what makes me notice that small things.
- I love the Nothing font. Adds that coolness to the phone.
- I love the minimalistic icon set, which fits 100% with the brand. Appreciate that you can activate only on homescreen, because on app drawer is a f* mess to find apps lol
- I don’t need the AI button… but I still didn’t found myself using it by mistake. Maybe I’m weird lol
- It feels good on hand. Weights more than my older phone but I was aware of it. Still, it’s light and thin.
- I want to make clear that I didn’t found any issues with the screen. No burn, no weird things. I know I only had it for 2 months but still, wanted to note it.
- Had no issues with apps. Fast open, transitions, switch. Doing half screen also works as expected, but it doesn’t work with all (banking of course don’t).
- I prefer the button navbar over the gesture. But I feel the gestures are faster… if you’re used to.
- I wish some apps would be allowed to be removed, but since they’re from the big G, seems impossible. I don’t use Auto, YT, YT music, Chrome, AR, google TV, meet… Still, happy to disable them. Better than nothing.
- I like that charging transition/effect. It reminds me of OnePlus, which had a sound when connected and a transition on the screen (that cute thunder).
- I’m amazed with the screen: perfect looking. Didn’t had a trouble with colors, yet. I do find dark theme isn’t that dark (and that’s why there’s the extra dark on 4.0) and still, I like it. I like the curved corners and how good it looks, compared to my OP5. Far from perfect compared with my MacBook but still, amazing quality for the price.
Things that I don’t:
- I cannot say the camera is good. Better than my old OP5? Yes. Good enough? Not sure… for shaky hands like mine, it’s hard to make them not blurry. Also, on auto its just a “okay ish” pic. Nothing WOW. Not even on RAW and setting each individually. I didn’t expected it to be amazing but at least useful at minimum. But, it’s just as bad as my OP5 compared with other phones I’ve tried (not pixel, because that’s a lost battle).
- I prefer a normal camera… and hate the cutouts. I’ve used the OP5 for 8 years, had physical buttons and camera which, for me, was the best. I don’t care about buttons as much as camera. For real, it’s just… nope.
- Where this is going with AI. For real, I hope you stop at time. It’s obvious this AI bubble will explode someday. And yes, I use it at my work (imposed by my company). I’ve been on this before AI existed, before chatgpt was famous, I’ve been there! It’s okay to handle AI for a lot of tasks, pretty useful. But, don’t go too far… AI is not the answer for everything.
- Would’ve been nice to have a led notification, I’m used to my OP5. I cannot know if anyone wrote me if I didn’t hear the notification…
Some weird issues
- Doing a videocall using Telegram blocked the screen because “I wasn’t looking at it”. Well, I did a call with my partner while I was shopping to make sure I got what he noted on the shopping list. Every time, it just locked the screen which was annoying. I know, it’s a ME issue. But still… Shouldn’t it detect i’m on a videocall and NOT lock the screen? Just my guess.
- Sometimes, it’s really hard to listen to audio message on Whatsapp. It doesn’t matter where I try to put the phone on my ear, ⅘ it never detect it and just stops playing the audio. If I want to listen myself and not use the speakers, this should work… as expected.
- Nothing sounds are SO ANNOYING. It just scares me every f* time the phone rings. I put the sound lower and still it’s so annoying, and I’m not the only one who thinks that… I don’t have any prob with notifications, I’m talking only about PHONE CALLS. Oh, also had scares the first weeks with morning alarm… I’m using crab on the alarm and clwb on phone calls. Notifications is pep, which is okay compared with the other two…
- The auto brightness IS SO WEIRD. It puts 50% brightness without the need of it, not being on a high illuminated place. Disabling and enabling again it drops down to what it should be. Like… What? Really, the sensor is wrong ⅗.
- Why drop the CMF with the idea of “attachments” if we cannot get them? There’s no way to get the lanyard or anything…
- Most of the time, since I’m used to old fingerprint reading… whenever I unlock, 3 of 5 it opens the app that’s on the back (grid of 5 on the homescreen, it opens the one in the middle). I always see Brave open 😂 it would’ve been better to have it at little bit up, like Pixel.
- I get the feeling that, even on 3.2, adaptive drains battery more than the standard. So, I’m limiting my screen to 60hz.
- Sometimes, tapping screen doesn’t activate. Also, tapping when AOD shows, doesn’t activate the fingerprint.
Some feedback and ideas
- Since Nothing started as a privacy focused, it would be cool to have the option of blocking front camera like some OS does. Or even better… provide a physical option, like a camera button.
- Using the nothing font more would add more value, more “identity”. It just feels weird to have it only on the top title on settings.
- What about adding a “ting” when put to charge? I find that small little details add name to a brand.
- Not sure if it’s possible (since I don’t do android dev anymore), but would be cool to have the watery effect when lock/unlock without the AOD active. I find it wastes a lot of battery, for some reason.
- I would like to have the option of remap the AI button. I never used it, I’m sorry i feel like I’m not your target. Maybe someday I’ll find it useful… right now, I don’t. I would prefer to have another key there (like disable wifi or something).
- I get the ads/bloatware came with the idea of making money where there was 0 benefit. Okay, we’re on a business and I get you. But there’s to ways to treat users: treat them good and they will be loyal or treat them like shit and you will die. Just see how many brands died on the path: Nokia, which “revived” with HMD and it’s pure android and looks like it’s going to disappear. See Sony, which they still sell Xperia… but not as many as when it started. You can’t pretend to be apple or Google, or even Samsung. You’re not. You should be loyal to your customers because that’s what made you what you are. And let me tell you… I couldn’t find any local shop which had nothing phones. Big shops that has every brand (I’ve seen TCL and ZTE too) but not nothing. So, don’t be cocky. I’ve seen so many business go bankrupt because of greedy… and I think, Nothing is a good choice. BUT all of us make bad choices, just be sure to apologize, fix it and not repeat again.
- From my perspective, you could have done some AI subscription to use on the Essential if you needed money. That would come from ALL, not just the cheap/budget. Like, limited usage as chatgpt or Gemini. Nothing fancy!
- Or even better, you could had made a deal with some privacy companies. That way, you will reinforce the idea of the OS. Proton, mullvad… or even browsers like brave. Anything is better than Facebook (but I get they have A LOT of money). But, we don’t trust them, that’s obvious. Or, a better choice could’ve been Netflix/HBO or any other… better than Meta and their “steal for free philosophy”. It’s already known meta used Anna’s arch* to train their AI, but what for us is illegal… it’s not for them. So, what kind of brand you want to be? One that shows it’s loyal to it’s users… or one that sells at the worst one?
- Add more widgets and customization. This OS means a lot and can have A LOT MORE. It has a lot of potential to be the “ideal” if we don’t want to go for google pixel.
- For newer releases of phones, I would consider that in EU will be mandatory to have replaceable batteries on 2027. Just to note… because, if you start before it’s mandatory, you can start the trend. There’s only a few brands which makes them easy, like Fairphone (which is my opt if you keep on the shitty line).
- Something I liked about OP was the new Oxygen15. On the locking screen or background, you can have icons placed behind an image (which can even be yours!). This is something cool, UI perspective.
Why not “open” to the world?
When someone opens the OS, gives the possibility to improve those things that the team has no time to solve. It’s not everyone wants to join… But it’s something that most “famous” brands did. And for a reason. If you open yourself, you give a better image + open the door to improvements; enhancements; ideas… Everything. All for free. Because yes, people LIKES to help!
The problem with the selling points
I can see it’s pretty common to find them on India but, it’s a little nightmare if you want to find them physically on other places. Not every shop has them and, the ones that does… Only sells them online. I’ve tried on every big shop and none of them had. Whenever I asked for, I got something like “Uh… It’s gonna be hard. Those phones aren’t sold on any shop” and they were right. I found every freaking brand: Xiaomi, Samsung, TCL, ZTE, Motorola, Google, Redmi… Even those dumbphones! But no Nothing. Nope. I wanted to take a look at NP3 in person but that was mission impossible. It catch my eye but, wanted to see how it feels on my hands; how it looks in real life; everything.
I know this is something that it’s hard for a small company like Nothing, but seeing from a perspective point… If you show yourself on a market, it’ll be more possibilities for people to try it and buy it. Let’s be real: Nothing phones catch an eye, for good or bad. And that look can be the entry point for people who doesn’t know the brand…
If Nothing ever expands it’s market and try it, MediaMarkt and El Corte Inglés would be the best choice. Everyone walks around those, everyone knows them and all of us just when to “have a look” at what’s exposed… And ended up taking something with you home.
Note: I’m talking about Spain’s market. Cannot speak for others.
My problem with NOS 4.0
I know there’s been a lot of controversy with Lock Glympse on all non-flagship, which ended up only on CMF and 3a lite. Why NOTHING consider CMF 2 a cheap one, while the 3a isn’t? So, you NOW target ADS and BLOATWARE on the cheap while the 3a is 294€? It’s only 45€ diff, WHY ON EARTH ARE TREATED LIKE SHIT?
It’s not about price, I can get any. It’s about WHAT I NEED: I don’t need a flagship, 100000 cameras, snapdragon elite for gaming, dolby vision for netflix… I. DON’T. NEED. IT. I just need a phone for simple tasks, but I don’t want to have ads everyday like I would on a Xiaomi.
Nothing sold a “bloatware, ad-free experience” and that’s why I loved it. But now, with the new AppServices/Aura and Lock Glympse… It does just feels wrong. I get it: every company needs money. But there’s better ways to handle it, more if you sell the company as clean and laugh at the others.
Like you’ve seen, I’m not your target. I don’t use TikTok. Facebook. LinkedIn. Instagram. Not even YouTube. So, why add so many apps when some of us would don’t need them? Okay, I can remove them and I’m fine with it. But I’m not fine with the idea of “suggestions” that I don’t f* care (besides the problem with privacy and sending our data). My apps are limited and never install anything else when already setup. I’m simple.
Last message for NOTHING
I’m a bit disappointed. Maybe I’m one of those weirdos that likes the NP3 look. I really love it and I would have not minded getting it… But, spending money on a brand that you cannot trust isn’t on my list. I’m gonna keep on 3.2 and see where this goes. Depending on how the company handles everything (and if it really keeps the promise of really allow to uninstall them), I will think on keep it or store it and get a new different one (from another brand).
NOTHING looked like the “best” brand and option out there, if we don’t talk about hardware specs. Everyone is aware that the NP3 wasn’t the best price/hardware, compared with their competitors (like OP13). But, if anyone came here, that wasn’t the interesting part. It was because of YOUR OS. If you keep on that line, you’ll lose the identity the brand gained… And then, this will just end up in one way. Be cautious, you’re still in time to fix what you’ve done!
People who trusted nothing came for the budget and affordable ones, because they offered the best for the price. Say, 3a (which is so weird to me to be only 45€ more than CMF and still, CMF is treated like “cheap”).
— Trust makes years to build, seconds to break and forever to repair.
