CMF Phone 1 Review: An innovative Apple in mid-segment oranges

There is a trick question in many MBA examinations and even some corporate interviews: “How do you beat Lionel Messi?” At first glance, the question seems ridiculous. Messi is, after all, one of the best football players of all time. How can a normal Indian executive or student even dream of beating him? The answer is common sense – “Play cricket/ hockey with him!” The moral of the story: you can be great in one sphere of life but that greatness (no matter how overwhelming) will not get you victory in others. The reason we are going all sport in a tech review is because the CMF Phone 1 gives us similar vibes. Like Messi, it is brilliant. Like Messi on a cricket pitch, it sometimes seems out of place.

That might seem like an odd statement to make. After all, if a good phone is a good phone, it should be good for everyone, right? If only it were that simple. The CMF Phone 1 is easily one of the most innovative phones we have seen in its segment for a while. The question is really whether it belongs in the segment in which it has been placed. Is it an Englishman in New York? Or, to be more techie, an Apple in mid-segment oranges? Pun intended.

CMF Phone 1 Design and Looks: Edgy looks right out of a lab, and like nothing in the market (even from Nothing!)

Two years ago, Carl Pei’s new initiative, Nothing, surprised us with the Nothing Phone (1), which looked like, well, Nothing else in the market, with its transparent-ish back and LED lights that lit up in different patterns. The brand, through its sub-brand, CMF, has now done the same with the CMF Phone 1, the first phone to come with CMF branding. We got the blue variant of the phone (there is also light green, black, and the much-hyped orange), and placing it face down on any table was akin to giving every person in the vicinity a license to stare.

The reason for this is the back of the phone, which is a blend of steel screws, a metallic-looking camera unit, and a dial. The screws and dial are not decorative – they enable you to change the back cover of the phone, giving it a totally new look and even adding some new functionality to it – slightly modular elements that we shall discuss later.

Our blue unit had a slightly textured vegan leather finish, which did not pick up scratches and smudges. While largely flat, it was uneven at the edges where the screws had been placed, and both the camera unit and the disc jutted out a little. The sides are straight but a little even at the places where the screws have been placed and have metallic buttons. The front is the only normal part of the phone, with a tall AMOLED display with a punch hole notch.

The CMF Phone 1 is a big phone – it is 164 mm tall (the Galaxy S24 Ultra is 162.3 mm, for context) and, although reasonably slim at 8.2 mm, is on the heavier side at close to 200 grams. The phone has a solid feel to it and comes with IP52 dust and splash resistance, but there is no mention of any protection on the display (our unit did not even have the basic screen protector, which is often seen at this price).

Those screws and unevenness give the CMF Phone 1 an edgy prototype-ish kind of feel (Nothing calls it Engineering Aesthetics), very different from the smooth and sleek backs we are used to in the price segment. This ensures that CMF Phone 1 will attract attention whenever seen. Whether that attention is positive or negative, however, is a matter of taste – we rather like the different look of the phone, but quite a few felt it was not classy or elegant. We feel that the experimentative, slightly geek crowd will love it, but those who want something more routine will find it too rough at the edges or too edgy and rough.

CMF Phone 1 Specs: Some good hits, some routine messes

The CMF Phone 1 spec sheet is a mix of impressive presence and routine absence. The phone comes with a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh and runs on the very capable mid-segment MediaTek Dimensity 7300 processor, accompanied by 6 GB or 8 GB of RAM and storage of 128 GB, expandable to 2 TB using a memory card. It also comes with a 50-megapixel Sony main camera with a 2-megapixel portrait sensor and a 16-megapixel selfie camera. The phone runs on a 5000 mAh battery and comes with support for 33W charging. And like all Nothing phones, this one, too, runs on the clean, uncluttered, bloatware-free NothingOS interface on top of Android 14.

Those are reasonably impressive specs for its price point (especially the display and camera), but the CMF Phone 1 misses out on some basics – it has no 3.5 mm audio jack (which is alive and kicking at this price), lacks stereo speakers (which are becoming popular) and in what could be a potential deal-breaker for many, comes with no charger in the box. Nothing has also opted not to include any back covers in the box, which we think is a mistake, given that the option to change back covers and change the entire appearance and even functionality of the phone is perhaps its biggest USP. The spec sheet of the CMF Phone 1 is as polarising as its design – the geeks will like what’s there, but mainstream users will complain about what’s missing.

CMF Phone 1 Performance: Good main camera, clean UI with frequent updates

In terms of performance, the CMF Phone 1 is generally a smooth performer. Like other Nothing phones, it, too, had a few glitches initially. For instance, the notification tray and camera would freeze, and the in-display fingerprint sensor could be erratic and laggy. Like other Nothing phones, the CMF Phone 1, too, has received a shower of updates, which have improved its performance considerably.

The star of the CMF Phone 1 is its 50-megapixel main camera, which lacks OIS (which some phones in the segment have), but, following a few updates, takes some very good snaps in terms of detail and color, even in relatively low light conditions. We do not know if that 2-megapixel depth sensor actually makes a difference, but the phone delivers decent portrait snaps as well, especially after being updated. The front camera is a little inconsistent, but if you are patient enough, you will be rewarded with some good selfies. The videos are reasonably good, too.

The 6.67-inch AMOLED display serves up some very punchy colors. While not super bright, it is very good for viewing videos and other content. It is also good for gaming, although we did miss the audio impact stereo speakers would have added to the experience – the single speaker is loud and has good audio quality. Still, the experience is not quite as immersive. On the subject of gaming, the CMF Phone 1 performs very well for its price – you can get good Call of Duty and Asphalt sessions on it, provided you turn the graphics down. The phone gets a little warm like others in the segment do, but never uncomfortably so.

NothingOS runs smoothly on the CMF Phone 1, with updates having fixed most early jitters. It remains one of the cleanest Android interfaces around and makes the phone one of the few in its segment to come with absolutely no bloatware at all. Battery life was a little underwhelming – we got through a day comfortably, but not more than that, unlike many phones in this segment. A 33W charger fully charged the phone in about an hour and forty minutes, which is reasonable. The CMF Phone 1 is a very good daily driver mid-segment phone, but its performance is way more mainstream than its appearance.

CMF Phone 1 Accessories: Screw on backs and add-ons for those who love tinkering…and have patience and cash to spare

It has a decent spec sheet and is a smooth performer, but what makes the CMF Phone 1 really different is its screw and dial-laden design. The rationale given for all the screws and the dial on the back is that they enable you to change the back of the phone and attach accessories that add functionalities to the phone. There are four removable back covers for the CMF Phone 1, and they come in the colors of the phone – blue, light green, black, and orange. There are also a stand, a lanyard, and a card case that can be attached to the phone.

Using the covers and the accessories is either fun or fussy, depending on your inclination. To change covers, you will need to remove all the screws (there are four), the dial, and even the SIM card tray, and then place the new cover, replace the screws, the dial, and the SIM tray to change the back. You do this with a special screwdriver that comes with each cover. The process takes 4-5 minutes, and while it seems fun initially, it can get to be a little irritating as the tiny screws can roll away (they are not magnetic).

The stand and lanyard can be attached by just removing the disk, but the card case has to be screwed on using three of the four screws on the back. It all sometimes feels a little tedious in a world where one can simply snap on a back cover on a phone – even in the past when removable backs were the rule, removing a phone’s back was as simple as just pulling it off – or can attach card folders magnetically. The covers totally transform the phone, and the accessories are handy, but we wonder if Nothing has got a little over elaborate in their installation. For those interested, you cannot remove the battery when you remove the back of the CMF Phone 1.

Each of the covers and accessories has to be purchased separately, which we think is a missed opportunity for CMF, as consumers will not be able to use the most innovative feature of the phone out of the box.

CMF Phone 1 Price: Very mid-segment, but with expensive accessories

The CMF Phone 1 comes in these RAM and storage variants at the following prices:

• 6 GB/ 128 GB: Rs 15,999
• 8 GB/ 128 GB: Rs 17,999

At those prices, the CMF Phone 1 finds itself in the lower part of the mid-segment of the smartphone market. It is a zone crowded with competition. None of its competitors come with the CMF Phone 1’s innovative design, but they do come with other features like 3.5 mm audio jacks, stereo speakers, and, rather crucially, chargers in the box.

Leading the challenge is the Redmi Note 13, which runs on a less powerful MediaTek Dimensity 6080 chip but comes with an AMOLED display with Gorilla Glass 5 protection, a 108-megapixel main sensor, 3.5 audio jack, and a 33W charger in the box for Rs 16,999. There is also the Motorola G54 at Rs 14,999, which has a smaller LCD display and runs on the MediaTek Dimensity 7020 but compensates with a 50-megapixel main sensor with OIS, stereo speakers, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a massive 6000 mAh battery with 33W charging (and a charger in the box). Lurking with competitive intent is also the Vivo T3x, which again has an LCD display but comes with a senior but still super for the segment Qualcomm Snapdragon 6 Gen 1 chip, stereo speakers, a 3.5 mm audio jack, and a massive 6000 mAh battery with a 44W charger.

The CMF Phone 1’s accessories, which are actually its USP, come with price tags too. Each back panel that you purchase will set you back by Rs 1499, and the lariat, stand, and cardholder are priced at Rs 799 apiece. Add the price of a 33W charger to the mix, and the price of the full CMF Phone 1 experience is closer to Rs 20,000 than Rs 15,000. Which is a totally different zone, inhabited by better-specced devices.

CMF Phone 1 Review Verdict: Want different? Go for it, but keep some cash handy!

So, should you go for the CMF Phone 1? The phone does very well on the camera, performance, and software fronts (bugs aside), but its real strength is its design and that removable back. So if you are mainly looking for seriously edgy design and the ability to tinker around with back covers and modular elements at a relatively affordable price, and also have the patience to unscrew that back panel and replace it, then the CMF Phone 1 is perfect for you.

However, if you are looking for serious value for money and mainstream phone features, then the absence of a charger in the box and even a 3.5 mm audio jack could be potential deal breakers. There is no doubt that the CMF Phone 1 is the most different phone in its segment. But that is its blessing and its curse, depending on your perspective. It is an innovative apple among mid-segment oranges – great if you Think Different, not that great if you Think Regular. Pun intended? We are saying Nothing!

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