A decent device
You get a pretty good setup with the Moto G Power 2026, including long battery life, gorgeous design, access to AI, and an ultra-durable design, all for $300. But there are some concessions to be made.
Pros
- Very big and bright screen
- Great up to 2-day battery life with optimization
- Decent AI integration
- Very affordable
- Incredibly durable
Cons
- Camera specs are similar to previous gen, which wasn’t great
- Step-down processor might be laggy for power users
- Likely limited software updates and security support
Great bang for your buck
As a budget phone, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is the best you can buy under $300, but it’s only available in a limited beta program in the U.S. right now. Nonetheless, you get a unique design, the cool Essential Space and Key, and pretty decent all-around specs.
Pros
- Very cool and unique design
- Essential Space and Essential Key could prove invaluable
- Rigorous testing for impact and bending
- Likely comes with longer security support
Cons
- Only has a mono speaker
- Battery is slightly smaller
- Doesn’t have as high dust and water resistance
- Limited availability in the U.S.
Moto G Power 2026 vs. CMF Phone 2 Pro: Design and basics
Finished in vegan leather-inspired Pantone Pure Cashmere or Pantone Evening Blue, the screen is made from Corning Gorilla Glass 7i, and the phone meets MIL-STD-810H standards for durability against everything from drops to extreme temperatures and humidity. It also boasts an IP68 and IP69 rating for dust and water resistance. On the back is the dual-camera array in a square housing, which is similar to the previous-gen Moto G Power 2025’s design.
Equipped with a 5,200 mAh battery, you get an impressive up to two days of battery life per charge, and the battery retains 80 percent health even after 1,000 charging cycles. A feature called Battery Care also manages background apps and tracks usage to help further optimize performance. The phone supports 30W TurboPower charging, so you can get hours more of use after just a few minutes of charge.
Along with stereo speakers and support for Hi-Res Audio and Dolby Atmos, the Moto G Power 2026 has two microphones, a side fingerprint reader, face unlock, water touch, and a 3.5mm headset jack, which is a rarity nowadays with phones.
While it only has 128GB of storage, you can expand this up to 1TB via an optional microSD card, another rarity nowadays with phones. Motorola hasn’t confirmed the official length of support with us, but if the Moto G Power 2026 follows suit with the company’s latest Moto G phones, you may only get a few years of software and security updates, likely up to Android 18 with security patches through 2029.
Comparatively, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has a slightly smaller 6.77-inch FHD+ flexible AMOLED display with peak brightness of 3,000 nits, 1,300 nits outdoors, and 800 nits typical. The screen offers a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and is covered in Panda Glass.
There are four finish options, black, orange, light green, and white, each with visible stainless-steel screws and an aluminum camera that affords both durability and a refined, unique look. Harish Jonnalagadda says in his CMP Phone 2 Pro review that this phone stays true to Nothing’s reputation for making phones that stand out for their designs.
“The bold colours and vibrant accents give the phone a good presence,” he explains, singling out the orange finish option as the one to get. The green and black options mimic a frosted glass finish, the white a sandstone-like matte texture, and the orange a distinctive metallic sheen.
While the phone only meets an IP54 dust- and water-resistance rating, Nothing says it has passed various impact tests with iron balls and intense bending tests for durability. It’s also the thinnest Nothing phone to date and 12 grams lighter than the first-generation CMF Phone 1. This is complemented by smooth curves and good weight distribution. This phone doesn’t have a detachable back this time, though. It does work with tons of attachable accessories, like a kickstand, case, fisheye lens, and more.
The battery is 5,000mAh with support for slightly faster 33W fast charging as well as 5W reverse wired charging. It comes with 128GB or 256GB storage and, like the Moto G Power 2026, you can expand this via an optional microSD card, but the CMF Phone 2 Pro supports ones up to 2TB.
Equipped with a fingerprint sensor, the CMF Phone 2 Pro has just a single bottom-firing mono speaker, which is one of its biggest downsides. Loaded with Android 16, you do get three years of Android updates and six years of security, however. The one major factor worth noting, however, is that it’s only available in the U.S. through Nothing’s beta program with limited carrier and network support versus an official launch. This means possible issues with 5G and LTE connectivity and no after-sales service.
Moto G Power 2026 vs. CMF Phone 2 Pro: The specs
Let’s check out the key specs of both these phones at-a-glance.
|
Category |
Moto G Power 2026 |
CMF Phone Pro 2 |
|---|---|---|
|
OS |
Android 16 (Hello UX) |
Android 15 |
|
Colors |
Pantone Pure Cashmere, Pantone Evening Blue |
Black, Orange, White, Light Green |
|
Screen Size |
6.8 inches |
6.77 inches |
|
Screen Resolution |
2,388 x 1,080 |
2,392 x 1,084 |
|
Screen Type |
FHD+ |
FHD+ flexible AMOLED |
|
Refresh Rate |
120Hz |
Adaptive 120Hz |
|
Processor |
MediaTek Dimensity 6300 |
MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro |
|
RAM |
8GB |
8GB |
|
Storage |
128GB (expandable up to 1TB) |
128GB, 256GB (expandable up to 2TB) |
|
Cameras |
50MP main with Quad Pixel technology, 8MP ultra-wide, macro vision lens, 32MP front |
50MP main, 50MP telephoto, 8MP ultra-wide, 16MP front |
|
Speakers |
Stereo Speakers (Hi-Res Audio, Dolby Atmos) |
Mono Speaker |
|
Battery |
5,200mAh |
5,000mAh |
|
Wireless Charging |
No |
No |
|
Bluetooth |
5.4 |
5.4 |
|
Water Resistance |
IP68, IP69 |
IP54 |
|
Cellular |
5G |
5G |
|
Size |
166.62 x 77.10 x 8.72mm |
164 x 78 x 7.8mm |
|
Weight |
208 grams |
185 grams |
Moto G Power 2026 vs. CMF Phone 2 Pro: Productivity, AI, and performance
The Moto G Power 2026 runs on Android 16, as noted, with features like Moto Secure, Moto Unplugged, Family Space, ThinkShield, and Hello UX. It’s powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 6300 processor, the same one that powers the Moto G Power 2025. It’s not an ultra-powerful phone, but it can do the trick for those who engage in light to moderate usage.
With 8GB RAM, you can use the AI-powered RAM Boost feature to add up to 16GB RAM from storage, though we have used this feature in the past with mixed results. With Smart Connect, you can enjoy fast file transfers and a synced experience. In terms of AI, you can access Google Gemini and all the AI features that come with it, like Circle to Search.
Looking at the CMF Phone 2 Pro, it runs on the previous-gen Android 15, though it’s updatable to Android 16 and will be updatable through Android 18 as well. It also runs the Nothing OS 3.0 with special features like Nothing animations, icons, fonts, a lock screen with custom shortcuts, widgets, and even shared widgets. Use the Smart Drawer to organize apps.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has 8GB RAM and a step-up MediaTek Dimensity 7300 Pro 5G processor, an older option, though Jonnalagadda says he didn’t experience any noticeable lag during regular use. The stand-out feature is Essential Space and the Essential Key. Press this button to capture content on your screen at any time, long-press to record ideas. AI organizes all this in the Essential Space to provide personalized suggestions and actions. It might be while you’re organizing a party and logging things like menu items, decorations, and music playlist ideas, or even vacation planning.
You can access ChatGPT on the go through voice commands or the bespoke Nothing widget. It does support Google Gemini as well through the app, so you can enjoy basic AI features like with other devices.
Moto G Power 2026 vs. CMF Phone 2 Pro: Cameras and camera features
Ready to take some photos? You aren’t going to get a camera experience that blows you away with either of these phones. But you’ll be able to take decent photos for posterity and social sharing. The Moto G Power 2026 has a 50MP main camera with Quad Pixel technology and optical image stabilization. There’s also RAW Night Vision mode, a surprising inclusion in such an entry phone. This is complemented by the 8MP ultrawide camera, macro vision lens, and 32MP front “selfie” camera.
There are many AI-powered camera features, like Auto Night Vision, Portrait Mode, Auto Smile Capture, and Shot Optimization. You can also access all the favorite Google Photos editing tools through that app. We haven’t yet reviewed this phone or camera, but the Moto G Power 2025 has a similar camera array. In his review of that last-gen phone, Derrek Lee called the cameras simply “usable,” noting you can get good photos in favorable lighting, but that they are often noisy and lack detail. We don’t yet know if the Moto G Power 2026 offers any improvements in this department, but you can likely expect a similar experience for this budget phone.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro also has a 50MP main camera along with a 50MP telephoto lens, an 8MP ultra-wide, and a 16MP front camera. Capture 4K videos as well and enjoy an improved experience thanks to the TrueLens Engine 3. With features like portrait effects, you can also enjoy 20x digital zoom.
Jonnalagadda says the cameras are basic, and you can capture usable video as well. It has decent shooting modes and takes passable portraits, but it’s nothing to write home about. Daylight shots are good with nice detail and vibrancy, he says, and even low-light images come out okay. It’s worth playing around with the optional wide-angle and fisheye lens attachments, which allow you to get some fun shots. While they don’t rival the cameras in more premium phones, Jonnalagadda calls the cameras in the CMF Phone 2 Pro the “best you’ll find on a sub-$300 phone.”
Moto G Power 2026 vs. CMF Phone 2 Pro: Which should you buy?
The decision between the Moto G Power 2026 vs. the CMF Phone 2 Pro is a tough one. If you’re looking for something you can hang onto for a long time, the CMF Phone 2 Pro presumably offers longer support with security updates; though software could be a wash since it comes loaded with a generation older version of Android. If this doesn’t matter and you just want a basic phone to use for a few years, you’ll find valuable features with both.
The Moto G Power is much more durable, making it a good choice for a teen, tween, or senior who might be more accident-prone. It’s also good if you want a phone you can take virtually anywhere, from the pool to the ski hill. But it isn’t as powerful, and you get very limited storage unless you invest in a microSD card separately. The camera performance, if anything like its predecessor, may leave much to be desired.
The CMF Phone 2 Pro has unique features like Essential Space, though it’s up to you if you think you’d even use it. It does have a brighter screen and cameras are fairly similar, the CMF Phone 2 Pro adding a telephoto lens while the Moto G Power 2026 has a better front camera and speakers, which might make it more suitable for content creators.
Overall, Jonnalagadda calls the CMF Phone 2 Pro the best budget phone of 2025, and it’s the best Android phone under $300. So, for more people, it’s the one to get. But the beta program availability in the U.S. limits your options, and this might deter you from investing in this phone versus the Moto G Power 2026, which offers more widespread support.
It comes down to your usage habits. For something rugged and built to last with a good selfie camera and speakers, fast charging, and basic AI and photo features, the Moto G Power 2026 is an alright option. If you want a fun, personalized experience to organize your life with a lot of storage (via optional microSD card), a good telephoto lens, and a slightly better processor, CMF Phone 2 Pro is for you. Overall, most people will find more value with the CMF Phone 2 Pro.
It’s an option
If you value durability, audio, larger screen size, the front camera, and battery life above all else, the Moto G Power 2026 is a worthy contender. But you will probably find better bang for your buck elsewhere.
The best under $300
If you have $300 burning a hole in your pocket and you can content with a beta release in the U.S. right now, the CMF Phone 2 Pro is the best you can get right now for that price. It will suit light to moderate users, and it’s an eye-catching design, to boot.
Via: androidcentral.com
