CMF Phone 1 Review: Exactly What the Budget Market was Missing

At a look

Skilled’s Ranking

Execs

• Distinctive and trendy design
• Bloat-free working system
• Stable efficiency
• Enjoyable equipment
• Glorious worth

Cons

• No NFC
• Solely IP52 rated
• Easy digicam setup

Our Verdict

The CMF Telephone 1 is essentially the most trendy and fascinating design to hit the finances market in years. It’s not excellent, however in order for you one thing totally different, and don’t need to spend the large bucks, it’s definitely the best way to go.

Worth When Reviewed

$199

Greatest Costs Right now: CMF Telephone 1

Once I first received phrase that Nothing was going to launch a finances telephone underneath its CMF sub-brand, I used to be just a little confused. In spite of everything, we simply noticed the Nothing Telephone (2a), which solely prices £349, how low-cost can a telephone get earlier than it loses that signature Nothing allure?

Now, the CMF Telephone 1 has landed, and it’s each bit as cool and distinctive as its pricier siblings – a powerful feat given the £209/$199 MSRP. This telephone has a modular design with a detachable again and a number of enjoyable equipment that may be screwed into place.

It’s a design not like anything available on the market and is the injection of curiosity that the cookie-cutter finances smartphone market wanted.

It’s not simply type that this telephone brings to the desk, both. The CMF Telephone 1 has a vivid and speedy OLED show, a big battery, a stable mid-range chip and a 50Mp most important shooter – most of the similar specs because the pricier Telephone (2a). I used to be excited to seek out out what it’s wish to dwell with.

Design & Construct

• Interchangeable plastic again
• Software-free Accent Level
• 197g, IP52 rated

The CMF Telephone 1 has a boxy, iPhone-like design with a very flat show, squared-off edges and a flat rear panel. The amount rocker and lock button are on reverse sides of the gadget (additionally like an iPhone), and as an Android consumer, that took some getting used to.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

I’m testing the black model, which has a plastic rear casing with a uniform matte end. I like the texture of this materials, it jogs my memory of the PBT keycaps that you simply’d discover on a high-end mechanical keyboard. It’s utterly proof against fingerprint smudges, too, which isn’t usually the case with matte black designs.

The telephone can also be accessible in orange and lightweight inexperienced choices (darkish blue is unique to India), and each are way more eye-catching than the delicate black variant. When you select the signature orange colourway, you’ll get a vegan leather-based rear panel, whereas the sunshine inexperienced mannequin has the identical matte plastic end.

With this telephone, although, it doesn’t actually matter which color you select, as a result of the again will be swapped in a matter of minutes. You don’t get the glyph lights of the Nothing telephones, after all.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

For a worth of £29/£35, you may get a brand-new rear casing in both orange, blue or mild inexperienced. Then, with the assistance of a flathead screwdriver (included), and some minutes of your time, you’ll be able to utterly change the look of your telephone. It’s a singular function today, harking back to the basic telephones of previous just like the Nokia 3210.

The uncovered screws that allow this function give the telephone a type of industrial, rugged vibe, and it’s not like anything available on the market. I’m used to finances telephones enjoying it secure within the design division, manufacturers sometimes need to attraction to as many purchasers as attainable, and their telephones find yourself trying nameless and boring. CMF, nonetheless, dives within the actual other way.

On the decrease proper of the rear panel, there’s a big knurled knob that protrudes from the rear panel by a millimetre or so. When the design of this telephone was first teased, I anticipated it to behave as quantity management or one thing alongside these traces, but it surely’s not fairly that subtle.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

This knob is definitely what CMF calls an Accent Level, and that’s a elaborate means of describing a screw with a tool-free design. This knob will be eliminated and changed with both a lanyard, a kickstand or a card pockets – all of that are non-obligatory purchases that retail for £19/$25 every.

When it comes to precise utility, I don’t really feel just like the Accent Level provides a lot. You possibly can all the time purchase an everyday telephone case with a kickstand, card holder or lanyard, in any case. However it’s enjoyable and distinctive, and that’s precisely what the finances market has been lacking.

A small word is that the equipment at present solely are available in orange. Which will change going ahead and naturally, CMF could launch further equipment, plus we may additionally see third-party ones too.

The rear cameras are surrounded by a flat aluminium panel with a matte end and barely glossier sides. This protrudes by the identical quantity because the Accent Level, and signifies that the telephone doesn’t rock about an excessive amount of when it’s positioned screen-up on a desk. It’s one other considerate contact.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

The CMF Telephone 1 has an IP52 score for mud and water resistance. It’s higher than nothing, however that detachable rear panel clearly isn’t doing the telephone any favours on the subject of water resistance. There’s no point out of the kind of glass that’s used on the entrance, and the rear panel looks as if it’d scratch fairly simply. On the plus facet, you’ll be able to simply swap it out if it begins trying tatty.

The haptic motors are fairly weak, they usually’re not going to impress should you’ve used any latest flagship telephones. Given this telephone’s worth level, although, I believe they’re acceptable sufficient.

Display & Audio system

• 120Hz 6.67-inch OLED show
• 2000 nits, 1080 x 2400 decision
• Mono speaker

The CMF Telephone 1 has a big 6.67-inch FHD+ OLED show with a speedy 120Hz refresh price. This refresh price is adaptive, too, and it’ll swap right down to 60Hz to preserve battery life relying on what you’re viewing.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

It’s additionally a really vivid panel, and it could possibly enhance as much as 2000 nits at peak brightness. I had no hassle seeing it, even when the British summer season sunshine often poked its head by means of the clouds. No matter glass has been used right here is unquestionably a bit extra smudge-prone than a typical flagship, but it surely’s par for the course on this worth vary.

It’s a completely flat display screen with pretty chunky bezels on all sides. The chin is barely bigger than the opposite sides of the bezel, but it surely’s minimal, and you actually need to be seeking to discover it. Usually, I really feel like chunky bezels make a telephone look low-cost, however oddly sufficient, it sort of matches with the utilitarian design of the CMF Telephone 1, and it didn’t trouble me as a lot as normal.

One factor I didn’t like as a lot is that there’s a really slight raised lip on the fringe of the show. It’s tiny, and you’ll barely see it with the bare eye, however you are feeling it each time you swipe from the sting of the show, and also you try this so much with gesture controls. Switching to the CMF Telephone 1 from a curved-edge show was particularly jarring.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

This show doesn’t have any of the favored HDR certifications, however it could possibly show HDR content material, and it really works effectively with YouTube HDR, on the very least. It appears nice doing so, too. The highlights are dazzlingly vivid and the darkish areas are deep and detailed.

There’s an optical under-display fingerprint reader in direction of the underside of the panel, and I discovered that it really works simply as reliably as optical readers from competing manufacturers. It’s barely decrease than I’d like, but it surely’s not up to now down that it turns into uncomfortable to achieve.

There’s solely a single speaker on the CMF Telephone 1, which implies it could possibly’t create any sort of stereo impact. It produces a very good stage of element and vocals come by means of clear and clear, but it surely’s just a little tinny sounding, and will positively use a lift within the decrease frequencies.

On the plus facet, it could possibly get very loud, and it’s well-positioned, so that you’ll very hardly ever muffle it along with your palm.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Specs & Efficiency

• MediaTek Dimensity 7300
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB / 256GB storage

The CMF Telephone 1 is powered by the MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC, and it’s paired with 8GB of RAM and both 128- or 256GB of storage. There’s additionally a model with 6GB of RAM, however that’s solely accessible in India.

That is successfully the identical chip that we examined within the Oppo Reno 12 Professional just lately, and provided that this telephone retails for lower than half the worth, it’s spectacular to see it getting used right here.

Regular day-to-day duties are clean and lag-free, however there are few giveaways that this can be a lower-end chip. For instance, utilizing the search within the settings menu leaves me ready longer than I’m used to. Nonetheless, it’s simple to dwell with and definitely doesn’t really feel underpowered.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

In the case of gaming, it will get the job achieved, however you’ll want to stay to decrease settings to get the perfect expertise. With my normal check title, Genshin Affect, it ran very easily on the bottom preset at 30fps, and it may nearly deal with 60fps mode on the identical preset. Going any increased launched plenty of stutter and slowdowns.

It’s an honest displaying at this worth level, and the truth that the telephone remained cool underneath strain is one other plus level. Even after half an hour of Genshin, the telephone was barely heat to the contact.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

There’s a sport overlay constructed into Nothing OS, but it surely’s essentially the most primary that I’ve come throughout up to now.

It permits you to toggle on Efficiency Mode, block calls and notifications, lock your brightness or begin a display screen recording. It’s a really restricted choice, however they’re all helpful, and it’s good you could entry the whole lot with a fast swipe.

CMF Telephone 1 benchmarks

Cameras

• 50Mp most important sensor
• 16Mp selfie digicam
• As much as 4K 30fps video recording

The CMF Telephone 1 would possibly appear like it has two rear cameras, but it surely truly solely has one usable lens. The opposite lens is a 2Mp depth sensor, designed to enhance the accuracy of portrait mode cutouts.

You might need seen that the majority fashionable flagships lack a depth sensor, and that’s since you don’t actually need one. My suspicion is that it’s primarily right here to extend the digicam rely and the look, and certainly, the telephone seems extra fashionable than it might with a single lens on the again.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

The one rear digicam has a 50Mp decision and a comparatively small 1/1.95-inch sensor. The lens is a 26mm equal with an f/1.8 aperture and it lacks OIS (optical picture stabilisation), relying totally on digital picture stabilisation as a substitute.

On paper, these specs aren’t too spectacular, however this most important digicam can produce some very nice-looking images, particularly within the daylight. The publicity is well-balanced, the sharpening and distinction aren’t overbearing, and the HDR results are fairly good. The minimal focus distance is impressively small, too.

The telephone permits you to choose between Vivid and Pure color profiles just like the Xiaomi 14 sequence, so you’ll be able to resolve should you’d favor a vibrant poppy picture, or one thing extra practical.

There’s additionally a 2x toggle that crops in to the principle sensor for nearer framing. Sadly, doing so ends in a noticeable drop in sharpness and definition, so that you’ll get higher outcomes should you bodily transfer nearer.

The CMF Telephone 1 is able to taking some first rate nighttime pictures, however that lack of OIS means it’s very vulnerable to movement blur. Some photographs come out trying just a little grainy as a result of comparatively small sensor, too. Aided by night time mode, although, you may get some usable snaps at the hours of darkness.

The selfie digicam has a 16Mp decision, an f/2.0 aperture and a 24mm equal focal size. You may as well punch in barely to a 29mm equal discipline of view should you favor tighter framing.

It takes first rate snaps, however don’t count on it to wow you an excessive amount of. In fact, daylight pictures look the perfect but it surely’s not too unhealthy when the sunshine will get low. The picture will get just a little noisy in such circumstances, however movement blur isn’t too prevalent.

Regardless of having a devoted depth sensor, the topic detection isn’t essentially the most dependable in portrait mode. It’s not terrible, however I seen errors in fairly a number of of my pictures, it was particularly unhealthy with pictures of animals. On the plus facet, the bokeh results look fairly genuine, and you may get some nice outcomes when the detection hits good.

Battery Life & Charging

• 5000mAh battery
• 33W wired charging
• No charger included

The CMF Telephone 1 has a large 5000mAh battery pack, identical to you’ll discover in most 2024 telephones. With this telephone, it’s paired with a lower-end energy-efficient chip, and which means it’ll last more than most.

It doesn’t matter what I used to be doing, the telephone by no means did not see me by means of the day. As a rule I’d go to mattress with 40% or extra battery left within the tank. When you’re a light-weight consumer, two days on a cost is unquestionably attainable, however a day and a half is a extra practical prospect for most individuals.

As with all different Nothing telephones, there’s no charger included within the field, however the telephone helps as much as 33W wired charging with a suitable wall adapter. When you like your gear to match, then CMF’s 65W GaN charger is likely to be a pleasant pairing.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Utilizing my Ugreen Nexode multi-charger, the CMF Telephone 1 was in a position to cost as much as 30% in quarter-hour. It’s nothing too spectacular, but it surely’s not too sluggish, both. You may count on a full cost from flat to take round an hour.

You would possibly suppose with a detachable rear cowl that the battery can also be simply detachable. It’s not but it surely ought to at the least be so much simpler to exchange than most telephones. 

There’s no wi-fi charging assist, however that’s not stunning on a finances handset like this. You may, at the least, use the telephone to cost different gadgets with a wire, and it’ll output 5W from its USB-C port should you select to take action.

Software program & Apps

• Nothing OS 2.6, based mostly on Android 14
• Closely stylised interface
• No bloatware

The CMF Telephone 1 runs the identical software program as the opposite telephones in Nothing’s lineup, Nothing OS 2.6, and it’s my first time utilizing it for an prolonged interval. 

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

The very first thing that struck me was the styling. Nothing has a really sturdy model identification with a minimalist, edgy, low-fi aptitude, and also you’ll discover that woven all through the working system.

By default, Nothing’s icon pack is utilized, and your apps will show as monochrome round bubbles. It’s very totally different to another pores and skin, and personally, I believe it appears good.

The styling extends to Nothing’s widgets, too, all of which show within the model’s signature dot matrix styling. You may have panels displaying the climate, world clock, digicam shortcuts, step rely and extra.

I used to be additionally happy to see that there’s basically no bloatware in any way. The one extras you’ll discover are a few Nothing apps, it’s the closest factor to a Google Pixel that I’ve discovered on the subject of a clear set up.

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Luke Baker

Other than the styling and some widgets, Nothing OS doesn’t stray too removed from the inventory Android expertise, and for essentially the most half, I believe that’s a very good factor. Nonetheless, in comparison with different manufacturers, there are a number of creature comforts lacking.

The one which pissed off me essentially the most was the shortage of an possibility transfer or organise apps in bulk. Importing my knowledge from one other telephone dumped all my apps on the house display screen, and when that occurs, I often wish to bulk take away the whole lot and begin recent.

With Nothing OS, there’s no such possibility. I’d have to long-press every app individually to maneuver it. With as many apps as I’ve put in, that’d be a mammoth enterprise. So after organising the primary web page, I simply left the cluttered mess on the opposite pages, it’s removed from preferrred.

Worth & Availability

The CMF Telephone 1 is obtainable to buy now within the UK from Nothing’s web site and Amazon. The 128GB mannequin is at present accessible for an introductory worth of simply £179, the traditional MSRP is £209. When you want extra storage, the 256GB mannequin retails for £239.

Within the US, the Telephone 1 is $199 with simply the 128GB mannequin accessible.

On the time of writing, we haven’t seen any contract offers, so that you’ll have to buy the telephone outright if you wish to get your palms on one. When you do, you’ll want to take a look at our information to the perfect SIM-only offers.

The telephone can also be accessible to buy in most European markets. These areas additionally get an introductory worth of €199.99 and can ultimately improve to €239.

Do you have to purchase the CMF Telephone 1?

The CMF Telephone 1 is essentially the most spectacular and distinctive finances telephone that I’ve tried in years. It’s no simple feat to make one thing thrilling and interesting at such a low worth level, however Nothing has achieved so with finesse.

This telephone appears and feels prefer it needs to be twice the worth, and regardless of a number of niggles, it’s simply the perfect software program expertise in its class. The efficiency is nice, as long as you’re not anticipating a top-tier gaming machine and the funky design, pretty show and distinctive modular equipment sweeten the deal, too.

In fact, there are compromises at this worth level. There’s no NFC, which implies no Google Pay, and that might be a dealbreaker for some. The cameras are effective, but it surely’s not laborious to seek out comparable high quality and extra lenses, at an analogous worth.

It’s essential to contemplate the competitors, too. The Redmi Notice 13 5G will be discovered at an analogous worth and packs a 108Mp most important digicam and an ultrawide lens, there’s additionally the Poco X6, which is a much better selection for gaming on a finances. Neither are as cool because the CMF providing, although, and Xiaomi’s software program isn’t for everybody.

When you’re in search of a trendy finances telephone with nice software program and clean efficiency, the CMF Telephone 1 is difficult to beat. It’s a really thrilling design, and within the finances market, that’s not one thing you discover fairly often.

Specs

• Nothing OS 2.6, based mostly on Android 14
• 6.67-inch, 2400×1080, OLED, 120Hz
• In-display fingerprint sensor
• MediaTek Dimensity 7300
• 8GB RAM
• 128GB / 256GB storage
• Cameras:
  • 50Mp most important sensor
  • 16Mp selfie digicam
• As much as 4K @ 30fps rear video
• Mono speaker
• Twin-SIM
• MicroSD card slot
• Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/ax
• Bluetooth 5.3
• 5000mAh battery
• 33W charging
• 164 x 77 x 8 mm
• IP52 licensed
• 197g
• Colors: Black, Gentle Inexperienced, Orange