Nothing’s CMF Phone 1 is the king of budget phones

When it comes to the best budget smartphones, the market is dominated by brands like Samsung, TCL, and Motorola, at least in the US. However, in regions like Europe and Asia, consumers have additional options from brands such as vivo, Xiaomi, and OPPO. Unfortunately, most smartphones in this segment look boring, with similar, unexciting designs.

When Carl Pei launched Nothing’s sub-brand, CMF, last year, he aimed to bring Nothing’s unique design language to the budget segment. After weeks of teasers, the CMF Phone 1 finally debuted, coming in at $200 in the US (Rs. 15,999 in India, £179.99 in the UK), offering a refreshingly different design compared to the competition in this price range. And after using it, I believe it deserves attention for more than just its pretty backplates.

What makes Nothing’s CMF Phone 1 stand out?

You probably know what it is

First, let’s take a look at the “X Factor” of the CMF Phone 1, which is its back design. While it looks nothing like the Phone 2 or Phone 2a that CMF’s parent company launched a few months ago, CMF has opted to continue with an industrial design for the Phone 1. The phone features visible screws on the back, and there’s even a rotatable thumbscrew at the bottom, which Nothing refers to as the phone’s “accessory point.”

The blue color variant I have features a faux leather finish. The phone is also available in orange (with the same faux leather finish) and mint and black colors with a smooth finish.

I’m a fan of how the phone feels. It’s very lightweight — especially compared to my iPhone 14 Pro Max — despite having a large battery, and the leather finish provides a great grip. Another thing to note here is that, while the back is mostly made out of plastic, Nothing gave the camera module a metal covering for some durability.

The whole point of this industrial design and visible screws is that the back of the phone is user-replaceable. Nothing officially sells standalone backplates for this device, so if you damage the original backplate or just want a new look, you can easily do it using the screwdriver included in the box.

On the other hand, the thumbscrew at the bottom serves as an accessory point, allowing you to attach various first-party accessories and, hopefully, some future third-party options. My favorite is the kickstand, which you can screw directly onto the phone to easily watch content in landscape mode. It not only makes it convenient to watch videos but also improves the phone’s overall grip.

But enough about the design. While the interchangeable backplates are great, what truly made me appreciate the CMF Phone 1 is the experience it offers, especially for a smartphone that costs just $200.

It’s more than just the fancy back

Clean software, great battery, decent-ish cameras — there’s a lot to love

The best part about the CMF Phone 1 is that Nothing didn’t cut corners on the specs. It’s powered by the highly-capable MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and offers up to 256GB of storage and 8GB of RAM. For comparison, this is the same chipset (more or less) found in the $700 Moto Razr 50. Yet, CMF managed to pack it into a smartphone that costs less than half that price.

As expected, the performance is excellent once things settle down. After the initial boot, it takes a moment to adjust, but once set up and updated, it doesn’t feel like a budget smartphone. Apps open quickly, animations are smooth, and everything feels snappy.

You also get a clean, stock-like Android experience with Nothing OS 2.6, based on Android 14. This is the same software experience as the high-end Nothing Phone 2, minus the glyph light features. You get a highly customizable home screen with larger app icons, useful widgets, icon theming, and other features not typically found in a $200 smartphone.

The battery life is also solid. I could easily get through a day without a midday charge — Nothing and MediaTek have done some excellent optimizations with the software. When you do need to charge, the phone supports 33W wired charging, which is, in fact, faster than what you get on some flagship devices, such as the Samsung Galaxy S24. However, you’ll need to spend a bit more since there’s no charger included in the box.

On the back, you’ll find a 50MP primary camera with an f/1.8 aperture and phase detection autofocus, along with a 2MP depth sensor. The photos from the 50MP camera won’t blow you away, as expected for a budget device, but they’re decent for a $200 camera and should satisfy most users — although the white balance could use some improvement. Take a look at some shots below.

With that said the Nothing CMF Phone 1 delivered more than I expected. The phone doesn’t feel like a budget device at all, aside from a slightly flimsy build. I love the direction CMF is taking, packing a unique design, solid specs, features, and software at an affordable price. But, as is with every smartphone out there, the CMF Phone 1 isn’t without its flaws.

There are some things Nothing could’ve done better

CMF Phone 1 isn’t perfect, and here are some shortcomings I’ve found

Considering this is a budget device, I had my expectations in check. However, there are some areas I’d love to see improved on the CMF Phone 2. Take, for example, the phone’s vibration motor, which feels annoyingly loud and strong, and I wish the company had chosen a better one.

Another area where it falls short is the speaker. It has only one mono speaker on the bottom, and it’s not very good. While the volume can get quite loud, it sounds flat with almost no bass. Some videos I watched made the speakers sound robotic, so I hope the next generation features a stereo setup or at least an improved mono speaker.

Then there’s the IP52 rating. Although the back is user-replaceable, the CMF Phone 1 does feature an IP resistance rating — that in itself is quite a marvel — but it only offers basic splash resistance. I would prefer a higher rating for added peace of mind for the next generation — if you’re going to certify it, why not do it right?

But that’s about it. Those are the main drawbacks I noticed, but for the price, the CMF Phone 1 delivers excellent value. Even though not all 5G bands work properly in the US, it’s probably the best budget device on the market, especially for non-5G users.