Taking apart a phone has never been so much fun.
That’s a misleading statement. I haven’t been taking apart phones lately, but when the CMF Phone 1 arrived, it was the first thing I did, because it’s built differently. I don’t think it’ll be widely available in the US, but if you’re interested, you can get it through Nothing’s beta program. At $199, it’s a real bargain.
CMF, the budget-conscious yet very style-conscious sub-brand of Nothing, is shipping its first phone, the aptly named Phone 1. It shares the name and operating system with Nothing’s first own-brand phone, but takes a new modular approach to phone customization: Why put another case on your phone when you can put a whole new phone on it?
Nothing listens to you like an orange gadget. Photo: Allison Johnson / The Verge
The concept is simple: you have a phone, but the back panel can be removed so you can swap it out for a different one, which comes with everything you need to get the job done, including its own tiny screwdriver, screws, and a color-matched SIM tray.
There’s also a rounded accessory port cover on the bottom corner of the phone. It resembles the control dial on CMF’s neckband earphones, but serves no functional purpose other than protecting the accessory port. At launch, CMF is offering three accessories – a strap, wallet, and kickstand – for $25 each, in an eye-catching orange color.
All of this is sold separately, along with the colorful replacement back panels, which are also $35 each. Inside the box, you’ll find a very nice budget Android phone with a 6.7-inch OLED, a 50-megapixel rear camera, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, and a big 5,000mAh battery. It comes with a black panel installed, with orange, light green, and blue as other options.
Just living in the moment, no back panel in sight.
Removing the back panel is easy, but it does require a bit of force—enough to break a fingernail that’s too long, as I learned—but that’s probably for the best, since that panel sits between the heart of the phone and the rest of the outside world. Speaking of heart, it’s so strange to see a modern phone so bare and exposed like this.
Once your phone is safely in the case again, you can add accessories. The wallet actually has two parts: a plastic panel with embedded magnets like MagSafe, and the wallet itself. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that you can use this magnetic mount to attach your phone to the MagSafe charging stand (though the Phone 1 doesn’t support wireless charging), or you can attach a kickstand or strap while using the wallet.
The strap is made from a thick woven fabric, and if you’re a lot cooler and younger than me, you’ll have no problem holding your phone on it. The kickstand seems sturdy enough, but I wish the arm could tuck into the phone when not in use. They’re all bright orange, which I think is the gadget color of the year.
1/3
Photo: Allison Johnson/The Verge
1/3
Photo: Allison Johnson/The Verge
As a budget phone, there are of course some trade-offs to consider: there’s no NFC, and the Phone 1 is only splash-proof. You also need to consider how the whole back of the phone comes off, which is understandable given the price. Carrier support is also pretty limited in the US; like the Phone 2A, it works on T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks, but only supports Verizon and AT&T’s 4G bands. But for $199, it might be worth it; at the very least, it’s a great accessory.
Photo: Allison Johnson/The Verge
