CMF, a sub-brand by Nothing (founded by Carl Pei of OnePlus fame), has been creating budget-friendly devices like smartwatches and earbuds, but the CMF Phone 1 is their first Android phone. Priced at just $199, it’s an incredible deal.
Phenomenal Value
The design of the CMF Phone 1 is its first big win. It’s much more visually appealing than any other $199 phone in the US. The industrial look gets even better with $35 swappable back covers. Using the included screwdriver, you can change the back cover to a different color. I chose orange for mine.
The screwdriver is a bit short, making it tricky to remove the screws, so frequent changes aren’t practical. You won’t be able to repair things yourself or swap out the battery either—CMF advises against removing the battery without authorization (there’s a warning label on it). Unfortunately, it doesn’t offer easy repair options like HMD’s new Skyline.
One fun feature is the Accessory Point, a little wheel on the right corner of the phone. By removing the thumbscrew, you can attach accessories like a lanyard, kickstand, or wallet. My favorite is the kickstand, which can also double as a fidget spinner. It’s functional, fun, and nifty! CMF even encourages customers to 3D print accessories for it.
But what really makes the CMF Phone 1 special isn’t the design tricks—it’s the hardware, build, and specs. From the moment it booted, it was impressive by its speed. Didn’t notice any lag or stutters, which is rare for a $199 smartphone.
No Lag and Impressive Battery Life The battery life is another highlight. When used the CMF Phone 1 as my primary device while traveling to Paris for Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, and often went to bed with 50% battery left, even after a day of navigation, music streaming via Bluetooth, messaging, and taking photos. Pushed the 5,000-mAh battery with heavy use, bringing it down to 30% by the end of the day, but with average use, it regularly lasted two days.
CMF Phone 1 Rating: 9/10
$199 at Nothing
$259 at Amazon (256 GB)
CMF is selling this phone in the US through a beta program, so you need to sign up and be accepted before purchasing. Band support is limited, and it works best on T-Mobile, though not all 5G bands are supported, leading to possible spotty service.
The 6.67-inch Full HD AMOLED screen is fantastic. It’s sharp, reaches up to 2,000 nits in brightness, and is super smooth with a 120-Hz refresh rate. On sunny days, I had to squint a bit, but it’s the best display I’ve seen on a cheap phone.
You can expand storage up to 2 terabytes via the microSD card slot, with 128 GB provided by default. The under-display fingerprint sensor is quick and reliable. Charging is fast, but there’s no wireless charging support. There’s also no near-field communication (NFC) sensor, so you can’t use tap-to-pay.
CMF Phone 1 Rating: 9/10
$199 at Nothing
$259 at Amazon (256 GB)
It doesn’t match Samsung’s long software update policy, but CMF promises two OS upgrades and three years of security updates, which is better than most devices under $400.
A Nice Camera The 50-megapixel rear camera exceeded my expectations. It’s impressive that there’s minimal delay when launching the camera app and taking photos—it’s smooth and responsive.
