CMF, the sub-brand of Nothing, has just launched its first smartphone – CMF Phone 1. If you’re looking for a budget-friendly phone that doesn’t skimp on style and features, you might want to give this one a look. After playing around with it for a week, here’s what the CMF Phone 1 brings to the table.
Table of Contents
Design and Build
First, let’s talk design. The CMF Phone 1 catches your eye with its cool modular design. It’s got screws and this nifty rotating round dial on the back, letting you swap out the back panel and add accessories. It’s not something you see every day on smartphones. The phone feels pretty solid despite its plastic build, thanks to the nice finish. CMF stands for Colors, Materials, and Finish.
CMF Phone 1 Specifications
Don’t let the price fool you. The CMF Phone 1 packs quite a punch:
| Feature | Specification |
|---|---|
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 (4nm, octa-core) |
| RAM | 6GB /8GB LPDDR4X |
| Storage | 128GB UFS 2.2 |
| Display | 6.7-inch AMOLED, 120Hz refresh rate |
| Rear Camera | 50MP Main (Sony IMX 882) + depth sensor |
| Front Camera | 16MP |
| Video | Up to 4K at 30FPS |
| SIM | Dual SIM, Hybrid slot |
| Connectivity | 5G bands, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3, NFC |
| Battery | 5,000mAh, 33W fast-charging, 5W reverse wired |
| IP Rating | IP52 |
| Software | Nothing OS 2.6 (based on Android 14) |
| Price | Starts at $200 / Rs. 15,999 |
Inside the Box
When you open the box, here’s what you’ll find:
- CMF Phone 1 (Black, with a replaceable back cover)
- USB Type-C to C cable
- Orange SIM card ejector pin with CMF logo
- User manual and paperwork
No extra back panels or accessories. You’ll have to buy those separately. Also, no screwdriver in the box, but the accessories come with a little tool for installation.
Customizable Back Panels
One of the coolest features is the replaceable back panels. You can choose between black, blue, light green, and orange panels. The orange and blue panels have a fancy vegan leather finish, while the black and green ones have a textured look. Each panel comes with a matching SIM card tray and that rotating round dial. Plus, you get a set of screws and a small screwdriver for swapping things out.
Besides the back panels, the CMF Phone 1 supports three accessories: a lanyard, a cardholder, and a kickstand. These attach by replacing the rotating dial. Swapping covers can be a bit fiddly, and you might lose screws or the dial, which isn’t great if you’ve got kids around.
Display and Audio
The phone boasts a 6.7-inch AMOLED display with a smooth 120Hz refresh rate. The screen supports HDR 10+ content. Also, the display comes with a 2,000 nits peak brightness. However, it reaches peak brightness only in specific scenarios like under direct sunlight. We got up to 1700 nits in our tests.
That’s still plenty bright for most situations, but it might struggle under direct sunlight. The bezels aren’t quite as uniform as the Nothing Phone (2a), but that’s a minor gripe. As for audio, it has a single loudspeaker that’s clear. The sound quality is decent, though not mind-blowing.
Battery Life and Charging
With a 5,000mAh battery, the CMF Phone 1 gives you about 7 hours of screen-on time under heavy use, and it doesn’t heat up much after prolonged use. Despite the company’s claims of 33W fast charging, we couldn’t get it to charge faster than 16W, and it takes about 25 minutes to reach 50%.
Software Experience
The phone runs on Nothing OS 2.6, based on Android 14, offering a near-stock Android experience with a few unique tweaks. Key features of this customized software experience include:
- Nothing Icon Pack: Monochrome icons to keep things neat.
- Home Screen Customization: Widgets, folder customization, and wallpaper effects to keep things lively.
- ChatGPT Integration: A dedicated ChatGPT widget for quick searches and screenshot uploads.
CMF Phone 1 only supports 2 years of software updates and 3 years of security updates. While it’s common for the price segment, but there are better alternatives if software updates are important to you.
Performance and Gaming
CMF Phone 1 houses a Dimensity 7300 processor compared to the Nothing Phone (2a)’s Dimensity 7200. It might look like an upgrade from the Nothing Phone (2a). The Dimensity 7300 chip packs four Cortex-A78 performance cores and four Cortex-A55 cores. Those are older than the two Cortex-A715 cores and six Cortex-A510 cores modern cores. So don’t get fooled by the Dimensity 7300 number.
The Dimensity 7300 is a less powerful chip compared to the Dimensity 7200 chipset. Here are the benchmarks of CMF Phone 1 and Nothing Phone (2a) for comparison.
It comes with 6/8 GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. But the good thing is you get a hybrid SIM card slot, so you can insert an SD card and expand your storage up to 2TB if needed.
When it comes to gaming, we have tried playing various games from PUBG, COD Mobile, and Genshin Impact. The games run around 60Hz with medium graphic settings. The gaming experience isn’t the best since it is not a gaming dedicated phone. While it may not compete with other gaming phones, it handles occasional gaming, especially for optimized titles like COD mobile and PUBG.
Camera and Video
The 50MP main camera does a decent job in the day light. However, it struggles in low light to click photos. Also, video stabilization could be better. The depth sensor helps with portrait shots. However, we felt that the edge detection and color accuracy for skin tones aren’t up to the mark. Video recording goes up to 4K at 30FPS, but without a telephoto or ultra-wide camera, zooming feels like cropping, reducing quality.
So, Unique or Gimmick?
The CMF Phone 1 offers great value for money with its customizable design, solid performance, and capable camera (for the price). Let’s not forget the fact that this company is still new. We’re still unsure about frequency of softare update and after-sales support. But if you’re into modular designs, this phone offers a unique experience that’s more than just a gimmick.
