During the pandemic, I got into “doctor mode” by opening up old gadgets that needed repair. I spent hours fixing them, sometimes with success, but more often with failure. The whole process gave me a deep sense of satisfaction and fostered a spiritual love for gadgets. I miss my school days when gadgets were candy-colored, easy to open and repair, and each had their own personality. Today, most devices look the same and are like cookie cutters. But Nothing doesn’t seem to recognize the need for change and is trying to fix that by adding quirkiness to its products. I’m a big fan of the company’s translucent devices, and the new CMF Phone 1 is a fun nostalgia trip into the fun side of gadgets. After testing the smartphone for over a week, I’m convinced that it is indeed different and fun to look at. The phone stands out with its semi-modular design, sleek software interface, and pricing. I love experimental and whimsical things, and the CMF Phone 1 fits that bill perfectly. Here’s my review.
CMF Phone 1 by Nothing price in India: Rs 15,999 (6GB RAM, 128GB storage), Rs 17,999 (8GB RAM, 128GB storage)
Orange is the new black
The CMF Phone 1 features a modular back panel (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
My first thoughts about the CMF Phone 1 were how to evaluate the device. Should I call it a toy, a nostalgia device, or what can be described as a bizarre experience at its best? Honestly, the CMF Phone 1 is not what you would expect a smartphone to be. It’s full of gimmicks, surprisingly loud, and playful, like a character from a Nintendo game. And I love it. It took me a while to get used to the device. It just doesn’t feel right.
The CMF Phone 1 ditched the traditional, run-of-the-mill smartphone design template in favor of a semi-modular approach. The phone’s exterior is made of matte plastic (Apple did this with the iPhone 5c, drawing ire from some users), and it fits well in the hand without being too slippery. It feels more like a plastic toy than a tech product, which is refreshing. Despite the phone’s very large screen, the device is surprisingly easy to handle and use.
What makes Nothing so special is how lightweight and sturdy the device is. There’s a comfort and instant gratification you get when handling the CMF Phone 1 that’s hard to find with many modern smartphones. And of course, no amount of photos of the CMF Phone 1 in its vibrant orange case can do justice to just how eye-catching the device is: fun, sturdy, and attractive.
A big addition to the phone’s design is the ability to remove the back and replace it with a new one. All it takes is a screwdriver to remove four screws on the back, and the job takes just five minutes. While the DIY approach may not be new to the tech world, those few minutes give you real physical feedback.
The back panel of the Phone 1 can be removed and replaced using a regular screwdriver (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Of course, this is just the beginning. What you can do with this phone is add fun accessories (sold separately), such as funky straps, stands, and card cases. It’s very easy to attach these accessories to the phone. There is a physical rotating dial on the bottom right side of the phone that you can replace with another dial to secure the accessory. I really like the modular approach, both in idea and execution, but it’s very understated and minimalist. It’s very clean, but I would like to see the use of magnets. It offers an inexpensive way to bring modularity to the phone, albeit on a superficial level. However, this system does not encourage users to repair the phone or extend its usability, as LG did back in the day with its G5 modular smartphone. I think the goal of Nothing was to make the phone interesting with easily available accessories, not to let users assemble the phone themselves.
Some of the color-matched first-party accessories for the Phone 1 (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
By the way, I almost forgot to mention that the phone is IPX2 rated, meaning it can withstand small drops of water without any damage. In fact, you can’t swim with this phone, but it is “moderately sweat-resistant”. The phone charges using USB-C. At the bottom of the phone, there is a tray for the nano SIM card and the TransFlash card. On the left side of the phone is the power button, while the right side only has volume buttons. On the back of the phone, there are two rear cameras, which we’ll talk more about later in the camera section.
Display and Speakers
Despite being a budget smartphone, it has a 120Hz OLED screen (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The display is a Samsung AMOLED panel with a 6.67-inch diagonal (supporting refresh rates up to 120Hz) and a resolution of 1080 x 2400 pixels, which is great for such a budget smartphone. The screen is also impressively large; it’s great to watch videos and scroll through photos on such a large screen, which I couldn’t do on my tiny iPhone 13 mini. The stereo speakers are great and loud. As someone who doesn’t like wearing headphones during night walks and tends to rely on my smartphone’s speakers as much as possible, whether it’s watching YouTube videos or listening to podcasts, I can tell you how important good speakers are.
Fast processor and long battery life
The Dimensity 7300 is a very capable 5G chip (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 (8GB RAM/128GB storage in my review unit) is not a high-end chip used in flagship smartphones, but the average user will not notice the difference. For what I usually use the phone for – browsing the web, watching YouTube, streaming music, writing and editing copies in Google Docs, and occasionally playing games – the phone had no issues processing power. I’m not saying the CMF Phone 1 is a slow phone, and it will be more than fast enough for many consumers in this price range. However, there is a noticeable drop in responsiveness compared to the performance I got from the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 in the Motorola Razr 50 Ultra. But that phone costs over Rs 100,000 and is therefore a faster device.
Battery life on the Nothing CMF Phone 1 is also solid, easily lasting a full day. The device has a 5000mAh battery, which is much bigger than my iPhone 13 mini, and lasted me about two days (depending on usage) with daily browsing, email, WhatsApp and a variety of apps. It supports 33W fast charging, but not wireless charging (not surprisingly).
A UI with a difference
The device runs Nothing OS based on Android 14 (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
The phone runs Nothing OS 2.6.0, which is based on Android 14. The skin itself looks very funky, and I think it’s one of the features Nothing has emphasized on its phones since the beginning. I think the user interface adds a lot of charm to the phone. The software offers a stock-like experience, but brings a visual design centered on dot-matrix art, monochrome icons, large folders, and widgets. However, it takes some time to get used to Nothing OS, especially the shapes of the app icons, and you might get a little confused when choosing the right app, at least for the first few days of using the phone. I don’t mean to nitpick, but I would say that if you’re upgrading to the latest Nothing smartphone, you should be prepared for these small inconveniences.
It’s also important to be clear that Nothing is providing the CMF Phone 1 with two years of software updates and three years of bi-monthly security updates, which is inferior to what competitors are offering, so if you’re looking for a phone that will last from a software perspective, you should keep your options open.
Camera and photo features
The CMF Phone 1 has a total of three cameras: two on the back (50 MP main + portrait sensor) and a 16 MP selfie camera on the front. I think the cameras are a mix of good and great. The good is that the main camera performs well in almost all lighting conditions. In bright sunlight, photos are sharp and colorful. Photos have an iPhone feel, without being oversharpened or oversaturated. Unfortunately, it’s not all great. Shots in the dark were lacking in detail and color. I wasn’t impressed. Of course, the camera will perform better in ideal lighting conditions, but you’ll notice a drop in quality, especially when taking photos indoors.
Check out some sample photos of the CMF Phone 1 below.
Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express) Blank CMF Phone 1 camera sample (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Final thoughts
An unusual budget smartphone (Image credit: Anuj Bhatia/The Indian Express)
Nothing has created an impressive phone with powerful features both inside and out, starting at just Rs 15,999. The design and modularity is very unique and I hope to see Nothing expand into third-party accessories in the future. I know this is not a flagship grade phone, but not everyone wants one. Companies like Nintendo thrive by not making cutting edge gaming consoles, and Nothing has taken a similar approach with the CMF Phone 1. Overall, I find the CMF Phone 1 a real joy to use.
