The CMF Phone 2 Pro (review) is a worthy contender for the best smartphone under Rs 20,000 in 2025. Whether it will win the award or not, only time will tell. But, right now, we take a look at how its cameras compare against those of the more expensive Vivo T4 (review). The Vivo smartphone is selling in India starting at Rs 21,999 and sports a dual rear camera setup with a 50MP primary and a 2MP secondary sensor. The CMF Phone 2 Pro also ships with a 50MP main camera, but it is paired with 8MP ultrawide and 50MP telescopic lenses – all of this at just Rs 18,999 for the base variant.
Read on to find out how the cameras fare in different scenarios. To keep things fair, only the shared camera modes between the two smartphones were used.
Verdict
Despite its modest camera setup, the Vivo T4 holds an edge over the CMF Phone 2 Pro in both daylight and low-light conditions. However, the CMF Phone 2 Pro shines in portrait photography and matches the Vivo T4 in selfie and night modes.
| Scenario | Winner |
| Daylight | Vivo T4 |
| Portrait | CMF Phone 2 Pro |
| Selfie | Tie |
| Low-light | Vivo T4 |
| Low-light (night mode) | Tie |
Table of Contents
Daylight
The Vivo T4’s primary camera delivers results that strike a middle ground between the overly saturated tones captured by the CMF Phone 2 Pro and a more subdued, natural look. Its colour science leans towards realism, with hues that generally avoid the exaggerated vibrancy often seen in budget-friendly smartphone cameras. However, while the output feels more true-to-life, it doesn’t quite match the CMF Phone 2 Pro in terms of sharpness and fine detail reproduction.
Textures, especially in intricate subjects like foliage or architecture, can appear slightly soft upon closer inspection. Despite this, the Vivo T4 manages to maintain a commendable dynamic range, effectively balancing highlights and shadows in well-lit scenes. This makes it a solid performer for casual photography, particularly for users who prefer a more balanced, less processed look.
Winner: Vivo T4
Portrait
The CMF Phone 2 Pro outshines the Vivo T4 in portraits, preserving those intricate elements more consistently. The handset also offers a nice separation of subjects in the foreground from the background and delivers skin tones that are closer to reality.
The Vivo smartphone, on the other hand, faces challenges in accurately separating the subject from the background in portrait mode. While its colour reproduction leans towards a more vibrant and saturated palette, giving portraits a livelier look, it comes at the cost of realism.
Winner: CMF Phone 2 Pro
Selfie
Despite featuring a smaller 16MP sensor, the CMF Phone 2 Pro delivers image quality on par with the Vivo T4’s 32MP camera.
The Vivo T4 retains facial details more effectively than the CMF Phone 2 Pro, avoiding the overly smooth skin tones that often result from aggressive processing. However, it leans towards oversaturation, rendering colours darker and more vibrant than they naturally appear. Additionally, the Vivo T4 has difficulty handling background exposure, often leading to blown-out highlights or uneven lighting.
Winner: Tie
Low-light
In low-light, the Vivo T4 manages to maintain cleaner, more defined shots. Its colour reproduction is also more vibrant compared to the CMF Phone 2 Pro, which can sometimes appear more muted in similar lighting. While the Vivo T4’s low-light images may exhibit a bit more grain, they retain a level of detail that the CMF Phone 2 Pro struggles to match, as the latter applies a smoothing effect that softens textures and reduces clarity. The Vivo T4’s photo, though grainier, preserves finer details and strikes a better balance between noise and sharpness, making it a strong contender in low-light photography.
Winner: Vivo T4
Low-light (night mode)
Even though the Vivo T4 takes long exposure shots by default, it has a dedicated night mode, which keeps the shutter open for a longer duration for improved results in dimly lit environments.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro captures night mode images with a touch of vibrancy, lending them a slightly enhanced look. However, these images tend to lack fine detail and overall sharpness. In comparison, the Vivo T4 handles low-light scenes with greater finesse, preserving shadow details more effectively and offering a truer, more balanced depiction of the actual scene.
Winner: Tie
Final verdict
Both the Vivo T4 and CMF Phone 2 Pro offer impressive camera performance, each with its own strengths and trade-offs. The Vivo T4 edges ahead with its primary camera across lighting scenarios, offering more balanced and realistic images. Its strong dynamic range and refined low-light processing give it an edge for users who prioritise natural-looking results. Conversely, the CMF Phone 2 Pro shines in portrait photography, where it excels with better subject separation, more natural skin tones, and sharper detail. The handset also offers strong performance in night mode and matches the Vivo T4 in selfie and low-light (night mode) shots.
As a result, the choice between the two depends on your preferences. If you’re looking for a smartphone with a more well-rounded camera system, especially for casual or all-purpose photography, the Vivo T4 is likely the better choice. However, those who enjoy portrait photography or want a more budget-friendly option that can still deliver strong performance, the CMF Phone 2 Pro holds its ground as a solid contender under Rs 20,000.
