CMF Phone 1 by Nothing review

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Introduction

Nothing is a relatively new brand itself but their subbrand - CMF - is even more recent and so far limited itself to offering smartphone accessories with a distinct design and somewhat affordable prices.

It didn't take long for the company to launch its first CMF-branded phone - aptly named the CMF Phone 1.

Unlike some subbrands by other manufacturers, Nothing's current marketing strategy does not see CMF as a completely independent entity but more like a separate lineup in the broader Nothing ecosystem.

As a product, the CMF Phone 1 has a lot in common with the Nothing Phone (2a), but it offers a totally unique style and design language of its own, staying true to the CMF brand.

Nothing sees the design and quality as the main pillars of the CMF Phone 1. The phone is apparently meant to deliver on both fronts as well as "double down on core user needs", which is a fancy way of saying that it is fairly modest hardware-wise, but hopefully with very few feature compromises where it matters.

The CMF Phone 1 indeed delivers some solid tech in key areas, such as its 6.67-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display or its 50MP main camera, with what Nothing describes as a "flagship-grade" Sony sensor. The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset is no slouch either, even if it's not meant to top performance charts, and it's geared towards power efficiency and longer battery life.

The whole experience is tied together by Nothing OS 2.6 - Nothing's own unique-looking take on Android, complete with plenty of character and a surprising amount of extra features.

Nothing CMF Phone 1 specs at a glance:

• Body: 164x77x8.2mm, 197g/202g; plastic shell, glass front; User-replaceable back cover, Splash resistant.
• Display: 6.67" AMOLED, 120Hz, 500 - 700 nits (typ), 2000 nits (peak), 1080x2400px resolution, 20.1:9 aspect ratio, 394ppi.
• Chipset: Mediatek Dimensity 7300 (4 nm): Octa-core (4x2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4x2.0 GHz Cortex-A55); Mali-G615 MC2.
• Memory: 128GB 6GB RAM, 128GB 8GB RAM, 256GB 8GB RAM; microSDXC.
• OS/Software: Android 14.
• Rear camera: Wide (main): 50 MP, f/1.8, PDAF; Depth: 2 MP, f/2.4.
• Front camera: 16 MP, f/2.0, (wide).
• Video capture: Rear camera: 4K@30fps, 1080p@30fps; Front camera: 1080p@30fps.
• Battery: 5000mAh; 33W wired; 5W reverse wired charging.
• Connectivity: 5G; Dual SIM; Wi-Fi; BT.
• Misc: Fingerprint reader (under display, optical).

And speaking of extra features, the CMF Phone 1 delivers quite heftily on that front, first and foremost through its unique modular design. The entire back side of the phone is removable and interchangeable for user customization. There is also something called the "Accessory Point" on the back of the phone. It is meant to attach functional accessories to the CMF Phone 1, like a fold-out stand, card holder or lanyard. We won't lie; that sounds delightfully refreshing .

Unboxing

The CMF Phone 1 comes in a two-piece cardboard box. The front of it is adorned with blown-up design elements from the phone itself and prominently features certain details like the removable screws on the back. More on that in the design section. The phone itself is well-secured in a cradle inside the box.

Just like Nothing, CMF is seemingly not big on accessories. All you get with the CMF Phone 1 is a single, not particularly long or thick USB Type-C to Type-C cable. It seems to be a basic passive cable. The only other in-box accessory is a SIM ejector tool styled in the CMF colors. There is no charger or anything else in the box.