With its new CMF Phone 1, Nothing wants to start a smartphone renaissance of sorts. When I started college a decade ago, removable smartphone back covers were common and functionality was the core motive of a phone purchase, not raw specs. It was also the time when phones were fun. The CMF Phone 1’s elevator pitch is very similar to this, with its removable back cover, modular nature and smooth performance. But does it get the job done? Find out in this review.
CMF Phone 1
Rs 15.999
What Is Good?
- Excellent in-hand feel
- Modular and unique design
- Silky smooth UI without any bloat
- Good and fast display
- Decent performance
- Reasonably priced
What Is Bad?
- Only one functional camera
- Mono speaker
- No charger in the box
CMF Phone 1 Review: Pricing and Availability in India
The CMF Phone 1 is available in two variants with the base option featuring 6GB RAM, while the storage remains constant. This should suffice for most folks out there, but if more RAM is what you crave, you’ll need to cash out Rs 2,000 extra. Nothing has been quite clever with this pricing, undercutting their potential competitors. The Phone 1 can be bought off of Flipkart.
| Variants | Pricing |
| 6GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 15,999 |
| 8GB RAM + 128GB Storage | Rs 17,999 |
CMF Phone 1 Review: Design
Many of us had lofty expectations about the CMF Phone 1’s design. Glyph lights, synonymous with Nothing’s brand image, aren’t here. A glance at the innards of the phone? Nope.
So what do we get here? Simplicity. That’s surprising, given Nothing’s always been in your face with their designs. But, I think nostalgia is what they are really going for. The 2000s aesthetics are slowly making a comeback on social media. Gen Zs and Zillennials are constantly reminiscing the good old days of customisable gadgets. And that’s precisely what the CMF Phone 1 is hoping to do. Its rear panel is interchangeable.
| Design | Specs |
| Colour options | Black, Light Green, Orange and Blue |
| Accessories (sold separately) | Stand, Lanyard, and Card Case |
| Dimensions | 164mm x 8mm x 8.2mm (HxWxD) |
| Weight | 197 grams / 202 grams (standard/vegan leather) |
| IP rating | IPX2 |
But, it isn’t as easy as sliding and removing the rear panel – you need to take out four proprietary screws and then replace it. I believe Nothing has purposely chosen to make this a bit difficult to ensure it doesn’t wear out that easily.
At this point, you may ponder whether the screwdriver comes within the box. No, it doesn’t. Instead, it is bundled with the cover (sold separately), and that costs about 700 bucks.
But the pièce de résistance has to be that dial on the bottom right, or as Nothing likes to call it, the Accessory Point. As of now, there are a handful of accessories that support this, such as a lanyard, cardholder or a kickstand. I hope they host a competition so that the community gets a chance to develop some meaningful paraphernalia because I see a ton of potential here. In fact, some people have already started using 3D printers to come up with some good-looking prototypes.
Let’s not forget what CMF really stands for – colour, material and finish. And each one of these aspects has been nailed down here. There are four colours to choose from – Black, Light Green, Orange and Blue, the last of which is exclusive to India. The Black and Light Green colours have a subtle, matte texture. The other two colours have a nice vegan leather finish. It’s not so plush that it feels like a sofa seat, but it’s addictive to touch.
The CMF Phone 1 is far easier on the eyes compared to the polarising flashy back panels of the usual Nothing Phones, and just for that reason, it might just have a better chance of reaching a wide audience.
CMF Phone 1 Review: Performance
A few days before its launch, the processor powering the CMF Phone 1 came under fire. You’d think the Dimensity 7300 would be an upgraded version of the 7200. But that isn’t the case. Many experts were quick to point out that it’s indeed a mildly upgraded version of the Dimensity 7050, but there’s another way to look at it – it’s a mildly downgraded Dimensity 8100. It has the same overall architecture as the 8100, except it’s underclocked and is based on a more efficient 4nm process. Glass half empty or half full, I’ll leave it up to you.
| Performance | Specs |
| Processor | MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G |
| RAM | Up to 8GB |
| Storage | Up to 256GB (Expandable up to 2TB) |
| CPU Throttling test | 76% of its maximum performance |
| Software Version | Nothing OS 2.6 based on Android 14
Two years of OS updates and three years of security patches |
| Connectivity Details | Dual SIM, Dual-band Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 |
But, speaking strictly about the benchmark numbers, the CMF Phone 1 seems to be fine. I recall the POCO X6 Pro dropping our jaws to the floor with its AnTuTu and Geekbench figures. That’s not what the Phone 1 is going for. Instead, Nothing OS’s optimisation is what makes creates the perception of speed and that’s what matters if you ask us.
The moment you dig your teeth into the UI, you feel like this is a phone worth twice its price. It seldom stutters, and when it does, it’s only when a really heavy app is running in the background. But when it comes to the bare necessities, such as calling, scrolling your X or Instagram feed, chatting on WhatsApp or navigation on Maps, the Phone 1 delivers.
Gaming isn’t the area of focus for this phone. But, if you really want to, you will feel comfortable on medium graphics for most phones. Our core testing team (CTT) observed a steady frame rate of 60fps on BGMI with Smooth graphics quality and Extreme FPS settings, which is good. The top half of the phone gets a little warm to touch after half an hour or so of playing graphics-intensive games, but the performance doesn’t get loopy.
In the CPU throttling test, it throttled to 76% of its maximum performance, which was less than average. We could attribute this to the lack of a dedicated cooling system.
However, the software longevity is on the lower side. Nothing’s promising to offer two generations of Android updates and three years of software updates. The industry standard this year has been three years each, with some brands such as Samsung offering up to four years of OS updates.
CMF Phone 1 Review: Camera
Because the CMF Phone 1 is all about getting the basics right, it skips on a functional secondary camera. It has a lonesome 50-megapixel Sony sensor. Nothing has been hush-hush about the specificities of the lens and sensor in their documentation.
I recall Nothing saying “No sh***y wide angle, no sh***y macros” during the briefing, and I quite respect that approach.
But, wait a second… What does that second rear camera do? That, my friend, is a portrait sensor. Yep, in the era of AI algorithms and machine learning, we apparently still need a secondary portrait camera to help with depth perception.
| Camera | Specifications |
| Primary Camera | 50-megapixel |
| Secondary Camera | Portrait sensor at f/1.8 |
| Selfie Camera | 16-megapixel |
| Video Recording Capabilities | Up to 4K at 30fps |
The CMF Phone 1’s camera can hold its weight in the day. It has a mild emphasis on blue tones. The reds and greens are neutral, the contrast looks natural except when there’s a harsh backlight. In such scenarios, the HDR kicks in rather aggressively. Even in the latest version of Nothing OS, I could observe the sky being completely blown out in multiple shots. Nothing is quick when it comes to fixing camera snags, so I am positive they will fix this as well.
Under low light, the camera quickly starts to fall apart. It’s fine as long as you have a decent amount of artificial lighting, but the moment that goes away, it thinks everything is yellow. Expect massive shutter lag when shooting in the dark and be ready to be still, because there’s no optical image stabilisation (OIS) here.
Despite the lack of OIS, videos shot on the CMF Phone 1 are surprisingly stable, because the electronic stabilisation is very good at understanding shaky hands. It’s capable of shooting 4K footage at 30fps, which isn’t bad for a phone priced under Rs 20,000.
Selfies are serviceable. They aren’t terrible, in fact, you can extract some good skin textures in the day. It’s just that it struggles a little bit at night.
CMF Phone 1 Review: Display
There are very few smartphones that offer an AMOLED display under the Rs 16,000 mark. It’s the most basic mark of luxury in phones, and the CMF Phone 1 rides on that emotion. Because of its price, it manages to be excused for not having symmetrical bezels or high outdoor legibility. It does support HDR on YouTube (but not on Netflix as of now) and it does a good job of delivering a high-quality video-watching experience. I like the fact that Nothing wasn’t stingy when it came to refresh rate – it’s a fully capable 120Hz panel, not a 90Hz one.
| Display | Specifications |
|---|---|
| Size | 6.67-inch |
| Type | Super AMOLED LTPS |
| Resolution | 1080×2400 Pixels |
| Pixel density | 395ppi |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Touch Sampling Rate | 240Hz |
| Peak Brightness | 2000 nits |
But then, there are places where you feel ‘yep, this is a budget phone’. The vibration motor isn’t as precise and tends to shake the entire phone. The single-bottom firing speaker desperately calls for backup, as it can be easily muffled while watching content. But I guess that’s one way for Nothing to make their CMF Buds 2 a must-have for a first-time buyer.
CMF Phone 1 Review: Battery life
Despite having a removable back cover, the CMF Phone 1 is nearly as slim as an iPhone 15 Pro. So, you’d expect it to have some compromise on battery life. But, it packs 5,000mAh worth of juice, which can last anywhere from a day to a day and a half depending on your usage.
To charge it up, you’ll have to purchase a 33W charger separately. It takes about an hour and 15 minutes for a full charge, which is fine for the price.
CMF Phone 1: Verdict
It took me a week to realise why the CMF Phone 1 seems so unique yet familiar to me. I can totally see it being what the Nokia Lumia 525 was to college students back in my days. It’s aimed at a similar market segment (accounting for inflation), it’s hipster, it’s smooth and it gets the basics spot on. Yes, it misses out on an ultrawide, stereo speaker setup and the Glyph interface, which forms the foundation of Nothing’s reputation worldwide today.
The modularity aspect is a great idea, but I hope third-party accessory makers show interest in it. Maybe Nothing should host a competition for it, that will really accelerate innovative ideas.
That said, the starting price of Rs 15,999 is clever for several reasons. Not only are they trying to undercut the POCO X6 Pro and the OnePlus Nord CE 4 Lite, but they are differentiating this new sub-brand from the baseline of the Nothing numbered series.
To sum it up, the average phone these days needs to have some core features, and that includes an ultrawide camera. So, I’d urge you to rush to your nearest store and try the CMF Phone 1 out. If you’re all about having smooth software and a unique-looking phone, this might be the one for you.
