Nothing is a relatively new brand, but their subbrand – CMF – is even more recent, initially focusing on smartphone accessories with distinctive designs and somewhat affordable prices. The company soon launched its first CMF-branded phone, aptly named the CMF Phone 1.
Unlike some subbrands by other manufacturers, Nothing’s current marketing strategy does not treat CMF as a completely independent entity but rather as a separate lineup within the broader Nothing ecosystem.
As a product, the CMF Phone 1 shares much with the Nothing Phone (2a) but offers a unique style and design language, staying true to the CMF brand. Nothing emphasizes design and quality as the main pillars of the CMF Phone 1, aiming to deliver on both fronts and “double down on core user needs.” This means it features fairly modest hardware with minimal feature compromises.
Nothing CMF Phone 1 Review The CMF Phone 1 delivers solid tech in key areas, such as its 6.67-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED display and its 50MP main camera with what Nothing describes as a “flagship-grade” Sony sensor. The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset, while not topping performance charts, is geared towards power efficiency and longer battery life.
The experience is enhanced by Nothing OS 2.6 – Nothing’s unique take on Android, complete with a distinctive aesthetic 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 (4×2.5 GHz Cortex-A78 & 4×2.0 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).
Design, Build Quality, Handling
The CMF Phone 1 has a standout design, especially from the back. The rounded corners give it an elegant silhouette, while the visible stainless steel screws provide an industrial look, which CMF refers to as “engineer’s aesthetics.” The choice of colors and plastics suggests a playful style.
The removable back panel is a unique feature, enhancing customizability and sustainability. While the battery is not easily removable, the back cover can be swapped out, addressing any damage to the rear or sides of the phone more easily.
Currently, four back cover options are available: Black, Light Green, Orange, and Blue. The Blue one is exclusive to the Indian market. The Black and Light Green covers have a subtle texture, while the Blue and Orange ones feature an elegant vegan leather layer.
The phone’s unique modular design includes an “Accessory Point” on the back, allowing users to attach functional accessories like a fold-out stand, card holder, or lanyard.
The phone is built solidly, with no flex or hollowness. Its control layout is slightly unconventional, with the volume rocker on the left side and the power button on the right. All buttons provide good tactile feedback.
The CMF Phone 1 has a single bottom-firing loudspeaker, no 3.5mm audio jack, and a hybrid SIM tray that requires choosing between a second nano-SIM card or a microSD. It features an under-display optical fingerprint reader, which is both snappy and accurate.
Display
The CMF Phone 1 has a 6.67-inch AMOLED display with a 1080×2400 resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. It boasts a peak brightness of 2,000 nits, with a typical brightness between 500 and 700 nits. The display supports 8-bit color and offers two color modes: “alive” for DCI-P3 color space and “standard” for sRGB. Both modes are accurate in terms of color reproduction.
While the display lacks popular HDR hardware certifications, it supports “Ultra HDR” for photos and HDR10, HDR10+, and HLG for video decoding.
The refresh rate is marketed as “adaptive,” operating in either 120Hz or 60Hz mode, with no intermediate modes like 90Hz. The phone can switch between these modes to conserve energy.
Battery Life
The CMF Phone 1’s 5,000mAh battery delivers stellar battery life, scoring an Active Use Score of 16:13 hours in standardized testing. This performance surpasses other devices with the Dimensity 7300 chipset, such as the Oppo Reno 12 and Reno 12 Pro.
Charging Speed
The phone supports 33W fast charging, but no charger is included in the box. Testing with a 65W PD/QC universal charger showed a peak charging wattage of around 26W, with the phone charging at around 20W for most of the cycle. A full charge takes about 81 minutes.
Speaker Quality
The CMF Phone 1’s single bottom-firing speaker is rated as “GOOD” in loudness tests. While it has clear mids and decent highs, it lacks a hybrid stereo system and isn’t particularly impressive.
Connectivity
The phone supports dual SIMs with 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3. It lacks NFC, an FM radio receiver, and a 3.5mm audio jack. The Type-C port is limited to USB 2.0 data transfer speeds. The phone includes a comprehensive set of sensors but lacks a barometer.
Nothing OS on Top of Android 14 The CMF Phone 1 runs Nothing OS 2.6 on top of Android 14, offering a clean, AOSP-like experience with heavy visual customization. The phone will receive two years of major Android updates and three years of security patches. Nothing OS includes unique features like custom widgets and a Monochrome UI option.
Benchmarks and Performance
The CMF Phone 1 uses the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, providing competent performance for everyday tasks and light to moderate gaming. It outperforms the Dimensity 7050 in terms of power efficiency and performance.
The phone’s thermal management is effective, with a gentle thermal-throttling curve and a surface that never gets more than lukewarm.
Camera Quality
The main camera uses a 50MP Sony IMX882 sensor, capturing solid daylight photos with natural colors and good contrast. The depth sensor aids in portrait shots, providing good subject detection and separation. The selfie camera offers decent facial features and colors but has limited dynamic range and sharpness.
Low-light photos from the main camera are impressive, with plenty of resolved detail, low noise, and good color reproduction. The phone also performs well in low-light video capture.
Competition
The CMF Phone 1 competes with several devices in its price range, including the Samsung Galaxy A35, Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 Pro, and Xiaomi Poco X6 Pro. Each competitor offers unique features, such as better ingress protection, stereo speakers, or more versatile camera setups.
Verdict
The CMF Phone 1 focuses on aesthetics, offering a unique design with customizability and repairability. While it doesn’t excel in any particular area, it delivers a well-rounded performance with great battery life and a solid display. The minimal ingress protection, single loudspeaker, lack of NFC, and no charger in the box are downsides. However, its design and customizability make it stand out in the market. We believe the CMF Phone 1 will find its fanbase among those who value its distinctive aesthetic and design philosophy.
Pros
- Unique, standout design with a focus on customizability, repairability, and sustainability.
- Bright OLED with HDR and 120Hz refresh rate.
- Great battery life.
- Good chipset performance for the class.
- Solid camera image quality.
Cons
- No charger in the box.
- Minimal IP52 ingress protection.
- Unimpressive single loudspeaker.
- No NFC.
- No camera OIS.
