Nothing Phone (3a) Lite vs CMF Phone 2 Pro: which Nothing OS phone should you pick

• By Ramneek Singh
Published On: 22 December 2025 | 10:25 IST

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite (review) is one of the latest entrants in the sub-Rs 25,000 segment in India. While the phone has clear differences from the standard Phone (3a), it also shares tons of similarities with the CMF Phone 2 Pro (review), launched at Rs 18,999 in April. These include the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, 6.67-inch display, 5,000mAh battery with 33W charging support, and more.

Since the Phone (3a) Lite retails for a starting price of Rs 20,999, is it worth spending the extra over the CMF Phone 2 Pro just for the signature transparent design and the Glyph Light? Find out in this in-depth comparison.

Modularity vs Glyph Light

While the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro are strikingly identical from the front, the rear design is the biggest differentiating factor between the two. The Phone (3a) Lite borrows the signature transparent glass design from the Phone (3a) and (3a) Pro, while the CMF Phone 2 Pro sticks to the mechanical and poppy look of the CMF Phone 1. The Phone (3a) Lite maintains its identity by rocking a Glyph Light at the bottom that blinks for calls and notifications, while the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a rotating dial to attach a lanyard. CMF also sells a ‘Universal cover’ for the Phone 2 Pro for attaching magnetic accessories to the back, such as a wallet.

Even though both phones have polycarbonate frames, the Phone (3a) Lite feels more premium to hold and has a heavier feel (199g) due to the glass back panel. The CMF Phone 2 Pro weighs 185g, but its back panel is slippery. Thankfully, both smartphones come with a bundled TPU case to ensure grip. The buttons, charging port, and microphone have the same placements, indicating the same chassis is used on both.

Simply put, if you’re aiming for a lightweight design with a mechanical look and modular functionality, go for the CMF Phone 2 Pro, while the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite is more ideal for those who’re willing to rock a phone that features a glass back (a rarity in its segment), distinct see-through design elements, and a utilitarian light that notifies for calls and notifications.

Sharp and symmetrical display panels

As stated above, both smartphones have identical front-facing designs, thanks to their 6.67-inch AMOLED panels, which are protected by Panda Glass. Coming with a 1080p resolution and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro can reach up to 3,000 nits peak brightness, while the outdoor and typical brightness levels are capped at 1,300 nits and 800 nits, respectively.

Just like the on-paper specifications, the real-world viewing experience of both handsets was similar, with the difference being in tones, where the CMF Phone 2 Pro outputs cooler tones compared to Phone (3a) Lite’s warmer colours. Both displays were legible outdoors, produced vibrant colours, and supported HDR content, such as on JioHotstar, with sufficiently high brightness levels. Even though the display bezels are not the narrowest, they’re symmetrical, giving the phones a cohesive look.

A triumphant telephoto over the macro lens

The cameras are another key differentiating factor between these two smartphones. While both feature a non-OIS 50MP 1/1.57-inch main camera with an f/1.9 aperture and an 8MP 1/4-inch ultrawide sensor, the Phone (3a) Lite adds a 2MP macro camera, and the CMF Phone 2 Pro adds a 50MP 1/2.88-inch 2x telephoto lens as the third lens. The primary cameras on both phones can record videos in up to 4K at 30FPS, while the 16MP selfie camera is limited to 1080p at 30FPS. Here’s the lens-wise comparison of both the handsets:

Main camera

As noted in our Nothing Phone (3a) Lite review, the handset doesn’t deliver as great details as it should, considering the sensor size it carries. Despite using the same main camera sensor, the CMF Phone 2 Pro delivers a tad better sharpness. Apart from that, the major difference in daylight shots is in the colour tones, where the (3a) Lite produces warmer tones, while the Phone 2 Pro goes for a slightly cooler look.

Other aspects like dynamic range, contrast levels, and level of noise are nearly identical, with the exception being in exposure, where the CMF Phone 2 Pro has better control over strong light sources. Speaking of which, the main cameras of both handsets have heavy light flares when capturing light sources, such as street poles.

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite primary camera samples:

CMF Phone 2 Pro primary camera samples:

2x zoom

This is where the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a clear edge over the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite. The dedicated telephoto camera with 2x optical zoom captures sharper and more detailed images compared to the Phone (3a) Lite’s 2x digital zoom from the main camera. So if you prefer to click photos at 2x zoom levels or around the 50mm focal length, the CMF Phone 2 Pro will be the ideal pick over (3a) Lite’s 2MP macro camera.

Nothing Phone (3a) Lite 2x (digital) zoom camera samples:

CMF Phone 2 Pro 2x (optical) zoom camera samples:

Ultrawide

The 8MP ultrawide of the Phone (3a) Lite and Phone 2 Pro has a 119-degree field of view, allowing users to capture wider perspectives. The images coming out of this lens lack details, which is to be expected from a small sensor size of 1/4-inches.

Nothing Phone (3a) ultrawide camera samples:

CMF Phone 2 Pro ultrawide camera samples:

Long-supported software with basic features

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro come with Android 15 out of the box with Nothing OS 3 running on top. Considering the Phone (3a) Lite landed in late November, it could’ve booted on Nothing OS 4 as the company had already been pushing out the update to the Phone (3a) and Phone (2a) series before the phone’s launch. Nonetheless, the Phone (3a) Lite is slated to receive the OS 4 update early next year, while the CMF Phone 2 Pro is confirmed to get the firmware by the end of December 2025, as stated by the company.

Both handsets are confirmed to receive three OS upgrades and six years of security updates, which is commendable under the Rs 21,000 segment. The actual software experience on offer is the same, wherein both phones get Nothing’s own branded design elements over stock Android, which include monochrome fonts and icons, red accents in widgets and first-party apps, and dot matrix designs thrown here and there.

If you’re looking for software that gets the basics right, with minimal customisation in the form of lockscreen clocks and resizable quick settings tiles, and offers key features like App Lock, three-finger screenshot, Private Space to store confidential media and data, and more, these phones won’t let you down. However, if you want a more fluid UI with better customisations, Realme or POCO phones may be more suitable.

Reliable day-to-day performance

Since the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro are powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro, their performance output is nearly identical. Backed by either 8+128GB or 8+256GB storage with UFS 2.2 on both, the day-to-day software operation was swift and reliable for the most part. The only minor jitters I witnessed were when quickly scrolling a Spotify playlist. The 8GB RAM is well-optimised for keeping social media and daily use apps in memory for hours, unless you use the camera or play games.

These handsets can run BGMI and CODM at up to 120 FPS and 90 FPS, respectively, on the lowest graphics settings. Upon testing these games, I found that while 120 FPS can be achieved on both handsets in BGMI’s battle royale mode, the frame rates mostly hover around 80 to 95 FPS shortly after the match begins, such as when landing from the plane. It’s a similar story in CODM’s multiplayer mode, where these phones achieved an average FPS of 88 in multiple matches of 5 to 8 minutes each.

Sufficient battery endurance for casual users

Just like other attributes, the Phone (3a) Lite and CMF Phone 2 Pro share the same battery capacity and charging support: 5,000mAh with up to 33W fast charging. Since the Phone (3a) Lite doesn’t include a charger, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has an edge here, as you won’t need to rely on a separate charger to juice up the device. Both can be charged to full in an hour or so when plugging in at 20 percent, per our in-house testing.

In terms of battery life, I felt the CMF Phone 2 Pro’s 5,000mAh battery is tuned ever so slightly better than the Nothing Phone (3a) Lite’s. Regardless, both phones can deliver 8 hours of SOT on light to moderate use if you watch videos or movies for hours a day, scroll Instagram, browse the internet, or play games for several minutes.

Other similarities and differences:

• Speaker output – The Nothing smartphones in this comparison come with a single bottom-firing speaker that produces heavy, bloated sound. Also, it doesn’t get as loud as stereo speaker solutions found on other phones.
• Call quality – The earpiece speaker produced a clear, loud sound for calls on both sides.
• Haptics – Even though both phones use an x-axis linear haptics motor, the Phone (3a) Lite’s haptics integration is noticeably stronger and tighter, resulting in a more satisfying typing experience.

The bottom line

The Nothing Phone (3a) Lite at Rs 20,999 is ideal for those who want a phone that has a premium in-hand feel while being affordable. Its semi-transparent design with intricate elements has the potential to turn heads, while the Glyph Light can come in handy for indicating pending notifications or incoming calls. The other aspects on offer, like display, performance, and software, are more or less the same as the CMF Phone 2 Pro.

On the other hand, at Rs 18,999 (when not on sale), the CMF Phone 2 Pro misses out on the premium aspect due to its all-around polycarbonate build, but in return comes with a lightweight mechanical design, while offering a more capable set of cameras with its dedicated telephoto lens and sharper main lens and tad better battery life. In other key areas like performance, software and charging speeds, both smartphones are equally matched.