CMF Phone 1 review: Shockingly good for $239

Today’s best phones try to pride themselves on how they look, but you don’t typically find that with some of the best cheap phones. Oftentimes, the first thing that's compromised in order to get to a low price point is how they’re designed and constructed — but that’s not the case at all for the CMF Phone 1.

The Nothing sub-brand is entering the space with a refreshingly different kind of Android phone, one that takes a new spin on having a modular design. That’s because this 6.7-inch Android phone features an adaptable design that lets you easily swap out its rear casing, as well as being able to fashion other functional accessories to it; like a kickstand or lanyard.

The combinations are endless with the CMF Phone 1, but what’s even more astounding is that you get this level of customization for $239. In my CMF Phone 1 review, I’ll tell you if this approach is enough to be a standout among budget phones.

CMF Phone 1 review: Specifications

CMF Phone 1 review: Price and release date

The CMF Phone 1 went on sale starting on July 12, 2024, with a starting cost of $239 for a single model that comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. You get three colors to choose from: black, orange, and light green.

Thankfully, you’re not locked into one color because its adaptable design lets you easily swap it out for another color, requiring nothing more than unscrewing a few screws and installing the new one. CMF also sells additional accessories for the Phone 1, such as a kickstand, lanyard and a wallet case.

CMF Phone 1 review: Design

Due to its low cost, the CMF Phone 1 is constructed primarily out of plastic. I’m not terribly surprised by this because all of the small design choices Nothing makes give it an original look that’s unlike anything else out there.

For starters, the plastic body of my light green review unit has a smooth finish to it — which gives it a clean look no matter how greasy my fingers get. Small accents like the silver cover that wraps around the cameras on the back, as well as all of the micro screws on its back, further gives the CMF Phone 1 a unique identity. And unlike the other ginormous phones I carry around that's equally as big, the CMF Phone 1 is unbelievably lightweight at 6.94 ounces.

But that’s not all. For a phone of this caliber, you won’t find anything else that matches this level of customization. I also love how I can easily install any of the additional accessories for the CMF Phone 1 with ease, which also changes its looks in the process.

Even with its modular design, it somehow still retains an IP52 rating for some water and dust resistance. It won’t survive a full submersion for a period of time, but I’m glad at least that I can confidently use it while it’s lightly raining outside.

CMF Phone 1 review: Display

At first glance, I have no issues whatsoever with the 6.7-inch (1084 x 2412) AMOLED display. It shines at the same brilliance as the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE I most recently reviewed, delivering lush colors that make the screen pop whenever I load a video on YouTube. It also helps that it features a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate that makes all of the animations with the software look buttery smooth.

When it comes to brightness, this AMOLED panel manages to muster up a respectable peak of 1,129 nits. That’s undeniably brighter than other budget phones I’ve tested, so it’s strong enough for me to see it clearly on a sunny day.

Again, I can’t stress enough that other phones usually compromise in this area, but the CMF Phone 1 doesn’t — and this only proves how it’s much more serious about giving people the most bang-for-the-buck value.

CMF Phone 1 review: Cameras

In my experience of reviewing budget phones for a living, the single biggest letdown is usually the camera’s performance.

On the back, there appears to be a dual camera setup, but it’s in fact just the main 50MP camera and a second lens that acts as the depth sensor for portrait photos. Meanwhile, a 16MP camera serves as its selfie shooter.

The camera app is as basic as it gets, with access to usual shooting modes like portrait, time-lapse and panoramic. For a budget phone, I’m surprised to find an ‘expert’ mode that gives enthusiasts like myself access to parameters like the shutter speed, color temperature, ISO, focus and more. However, this manual mode is only reserved for taking photos.

The 50MP camera can get the job done with most things, but I find that the end results tend to look a bit more low contrast. In the photo above of the colorful backdrop against the Citibikes, the highlights get crushed in the areas where there’s strong light — resulting in those areas coming out overexposed.

Dynamic range performance is a struggle for the CMF Phone 1, especially when it’s a high-contrast scene like the shots I captured in-and-around Bryant Park in New York City. The image of the New York Radiator building is a perfect example of this because it loses a lot of contrast trying to even out the exposure throughout the scene.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Even though it doesn’t have a dedicated macro mode, the CMF Phone 1 does a nice job of taking closeups — like the flowers above in Whole Foods. Notice the amount of detail in the white flower, which manages to maintain its sharpness throughout most of the flower.

Selfies from its 16MP camera struggle when there’s contrasting light sources. From what I can tell, it attempts to boost the exposure of my face due to how I’m in the shade, but the areas where the sun’s hitting the building in the back are blown out.

Portrait photos also suffer from the same qualities, as it overcompensates the shadows by boosting the entire exposure of the shot — resulting in a washed out, overexposed composition.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Don't expect much from the zooming capabilities of the CMF Phone 1. I wouldn’t recommend using it if you absolutely need to because it’s nothing more than a digital zoom with the main camera. As a result, the detail loss becomes magnified the more you zoom.

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

(Image credit: Future)

Not surprisingly, the CMF Phone 1 is a disappointment for low-light photography. To be fair, most cheap phones tend to underperform in this area. All of the shots I captured in low light above with the CMF Phone 1 are proof of this, as they are mostly dark and smudgy with the details.

Recording video isn’t a strong point either for the CMF Phone 1, since it’s marred by the same qualities I see with taking photos. Most notably, it’s noisy in the shadows and the dynamic range performance can’t compensate for contrasts in light within the scene — while the electronic image stabilization can’t remove all the shakes from just walking.

Don’t get the CMF Phone 1 if you’re really particular about the camera because it’s clear that this budget phone struggles heavily in this area. Although, I can vouch that any phone under $300 will offer similar results.

CMF Phone 1 review: Performance

You wouldn’t notice it doing all of the usual things you do on your phone, but the CMF Phone 1 is hardly a speed demon based on its benchmark performance scores. The MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip and 8GB of RAM it’s packing do very little to live up to the level that flagship phones perform, but it’s actually a step ahead of its budget peers.

In Geekbench 6, the CMF Phone 1 delivers average single and multi core scores of 1,028 and 2,971, respectively. They’re clearly not results worth writing home about, but they beat out other phones in its price range — like the Moto G (2024) and OnePlus Nord N30.

I’m not terribly concerned by these scores because the phone is fluid and responsive with all of the usual stuff. Scrolling web pages is silky smooth, while apps open in an instant. Plus, its performance doesn’t stutter when I’m frenetically switching between apps.

However, there’s a lot more to be desired with the CMF Phone 1's graphics processing performance. Frankly, it struggles in keeping a playable frame rate with some of the games I played. Its 3DMark Wild Life Unlimited test yields an average frame rate of 18.84 frames per second, which is really choppy. I notice that this phone struggles whenever I get into an intense battle sequence in Age of Origins — or when I’m scrolling the map while there’s a lot of action happening.

CMF Phone 1 review: Battery

As much as I’ve been swayed by its adaptable design, another standout quality about the CMF Phone 1 is its incredible battery life. The 5,000 mAh battery inside of it is undoubtedly beefy in terms of size, which allows it to reach a best time of 15 hours and 19 minutes in Tom’s Guide’s battery benchmark test. Overall, it averaged 15 hours and 2 minutes in our testing.

That’s longer than what other pricier phones, like the Galaxy S24 Plus, achieves with their battery life. In my day-to-day usage, I also noticed that the CMF Phone 1 offers just as good endurance as my iPhone 15 Pro and Galaxy Z Fold 6. Usually it’s at about 15% battery life right before bedtime if I’m not too heavy on using it throughout the day.

Over on the recharge side, 33W wired charging gets the CMF Phone 1 to 62% with 30 minutes of charging. That’s a speedy time I can gladly accept given how it doesn’t offer wireless charging.

CMF Phone 1 review: Software

Nothing brings its signature interface to the CMF Phone 1, which is a delight of its own because it’s one of the more unique looking customized experiences out there. In fact, I’d go as far to say it’s the best Android skin — thanks in part to the dot-matrix style it employs throughout the interface, including Nothing’s own set of widgets.

Functionally, Nothing OS 2.6 on top of Android 14 runs just like most Android phones I’ve tested. There’s a great deal of customization in how it looks, but I’m happy it’s not as heavy with the extra features. Simplicity is a strong focus with Nothing OS 2.6 and that’s exactly how I prefer it.

What’s missing, though, are the robust set of AI features that many of the best Android phones offer. ChatGPT integration is available only when you pair the phone to a CMF or Nothing wireless earbuds. However, I installed Google Gemini to have access to an AI-assistant at any time by just long pressing the power button. But again, this is widely accessible to any Android phone.

I’m not terribly heartbroken that the CMF Phone 1 doesn’t have any cool AI tools I could use, but at this price point, I wouldn’t expect them. Although AI features aren’t widely used by everyone, I will say that having them can add a tremendous boost to your workflow — just as long as you actually use them. Only time will tell if Nothing will also join the AI revolution, but it’s clearly not happening here with the CMF Phone 1.

I also want to point out the short 2 years of major Android updates and 3 years of security updates. That's rough if you intend on keeping the CMF Phone 1 for longer than 3 years.

CMF Phone 1 review: Verdict

I’ve got to hand it to Nothing because the CMF Phone 1 is a refreshing take on what a budget phone should offer. For less than $250, its adaptable design, colorful screen, long battery life and fast charging sets the tone for all other budget phones in this price range.

The only area I’m really disappointed about is its camera performance, which for some could be a dealbreaker. I can’t expect CMF Phone 1 to reach iPhone 16 Pro Max or Galaxy S24 Ultra levels, but at least get closer to what the Pixel 8a delivers at its price point. This is the one compromise you’re going to need to make. Otherwise, it’s an excellent phone that ticks off a lot of the boxes of what I want in a phone.

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