CMF Phone 1 Review: Nothing’s Affordable Modular Smartphone

The Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1 abrupt

The Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1 was formally disclosed on July 12, 2024. It is accessible via CMF’s beta curriculum on the CMF store front*. It comes in 2 setups exterior of the US (8/128 GB and 8/256 GB), although lone the 8GB RAM + 128GB difference is accessible Stateside with an asking price of $199. This can be recognized a naturally shoddy substitute to the Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a) (weigh).

Just in husk you were asking yourself, CMF is a below-brand name of Utterly nothing. It substantially targets materializing bazaars such as India and Southeast Asia. The hunch is to sell easy to understand merchandises with a testing emphasis on design. Utterly nothing doesn’t convey a boatload about this CMF array in Europe or the US. Yet, you can still enterprises up CMF merchandises if you want to. Utterly nothing appears to filch more duty for its below-brand name, which also involves a smartwatch and wireless headphones.

Architecture and display sterilize

Architecture is the main selling time of the CMF Mobile phone 1. The previously centers an compatible panel and a compact deal with to attach a array of matches.

Pros:

• Vital design.
• Cool modular or “compatible” hunch.
• Flat display sterilize with realistically thin bezels.
• 120 Hz refresh price and lay hold of luminances.

Disadvantages:

• Lone IP52 certification.
• No Gorilla Glass counterclaim for the display sterilize.
• Pricey matches and previously panels contemplating the smartphone’s price.

Cool modular design

While the transparent previously found on other Utterly nothing smartphones is absent out on listed below, the CMF Mobile phone 1’s previously panel can be unscrewed for you to swap it with different tinted panels of innumerable supplies. Utterly nothing transactions 4 colors to the discerning customer: black, eco-friendly, blue, and orange. Of program, auxiliary panels can be bagged independently.

The ideology to separate the previously panel of the CMF Mobile phone 1 is much from humble. I was on a continual basis resistant of going against the smartphone when trying to unclip it. I also owned a snippet of apprehension exterminating the screws that shielded the plate making utility of the incorporated contraption. It was much also compact for my fat fingers.

The matte plastic coating on the black and eco-friendly panels was sweet to touch and so was the artificial-leather coating on the orange and blue incongruities. They price $35 a pop which I think is a snippet high.

The previously of the CMF Mobile phone 1 also sporting activities a compact circular switch on the base correct become aware as the Contraption Juncture. By unscrewing the panel, you can attach specially made matches for the smartphone. Utterly nothing transactions a stand, a lanyard, and a card husk. Each amplify is offered independently and rates $25.

It’s smart and twinkles to my follower’s practice of snapping up unanimously the matches and covers. It also twinkles to my penchant for Lego as I can “construct” my smartphone according to my partialities. The matches themselves are horribly straightforward to mount. Apart from the card husk, none of them need any equipments to mount.

Apart from that, the CMF Mobile phone 1 is IP52-certified for aquatic and dust resistance. That’s not facetious however at least this certification is still valid when the smartphone’s previously panel is out-of-the-means.

A stark 120 Hz AMOLED display sterilize

As for the display sterilize, it’s a 6.67-inch AMOLED panel with 1800 x 2400 pixel resolution. The refresh price stands at 120 Hz with a unremarkable luminances of 500 to 700 nits, climbing up to 2,000 nits pinnacle luminances.

The CMF Mobile phone 1’s display sterilize is level, and Utterly nothing didn’t want to spend also a boatload on Corning’s Gorilla Glass license. Yet, the CMF Mobile phone 1’s display sterilize is shielded by Dragontail Pro Glass, whose functionality is claimed to be identical to that of Gorilla Glass 5.

I didn’t run into any unhappiness when reading content on the display sterilize with its respectable luminances level. Yet, the automated luminances was much also slow to react to my sceneries, resulting in me shutting off it throughout my weigh. As for the refresh price, 120 Hz isn’t superb in this price array although it is sweet to have.

I found the bezels of the CMF Mobile phone 1’s display sterilize to be instead thin. The chin of the display sterilize is a compact also hefty, making an unbalanced dilemma that aggravations me cosmetically.

Interface and OS

The CMF Mobile phone 1 inaugurates Utterly nothing OS 2.6, a skin based on Android 14. There are zero meaty neoteric centers compared to Utterly nothing OS 2.5 however Utterly nothing’s skin transactions a horribly hefty balance in between buildup Android with a couple of purposes and adjustment units. As for the software agenda simplify instruction, it’s pretty a boatload merciless.

Pros:

• Stainless, bloatware-save individual interface.
• Utterly nothing widgets are cosmetically engrossing.

Disadvantages:

• Habit software agenda simplify instruction.
• Not a boatload that is neoteric in Utterly nothing OS 2.6.

There’s not a boatload to say about Utterly nothing OS 2.6. You can read my Utterly nothing OS 2.5 weigh and my guide to the spick-and-expectations Utterly nothing OS 2.5 centers to situate out more.

The erector simply incorporated 2 neoteric widgets listed below. One for today’s day and another for “metropolitan” that I sanctuary’t found. There’s also the spick-and-expectations webcam widget that lets you preserve specific webcam postures which can be mobilized by default when you launch the webcam accomplishment via this widget.

The CMF Mobile phone 1 will most clearly retrieve 2 meaty Android updates and three years of counterclaim updates. Even for a mid-array smartphone, that’s pretty merciless. Basically, it’s the bare minimum a erector need to lend.

The generous plus time of Utterly nothing OS is the lack of bloatware. The individual interface implements unanimously Android purposes while furnishing a couple of adjustment incorporations from Utterly nothing.

Capability and SoC

The Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1 is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC. The smartphone is also outfitted with 8 GB of RAM and 128 or 256 GB of storage, counting on the difference and place. I was graciously staggered by the smartphone’s functionality.

Pros:

• Nice high temperature manipulate and soundness.
• Ample functionality for the majority of galleries at 30 FPS.

Disadvantages:

• Less effective than Dimensity 7200-powered Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a).
• No NFC embrace.

The Dimensity 7300 in CMF Mobile phone 1 need to, in theory, outperform the Dimensity 7200 Pro that powers the Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a). Both chips depend on the 4 nm production protocol. Yet, the Dimensity 7300, or more accurately its main core, owns a devalue clock pace than the Dimensity 7200 Pro.

Benchmarks disclosed it to be notably less effective than the Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a). This is realistic by itself as the Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a) is $150 more pricey at launch and Utterly nothing undeniably wants to preserve a celebrate in between its main array and its CMF below-array.

In any husk, the CMF Mobile phone 1 evidenced to be simply as effective as the Mobile phone (2a) in stipulation of high temperature manipulate and soundness. All the handset galleries I ran with their graphics amenity kit to “contraption” by default did not confuse any hiccups. At 30 FPS, I didn’t alert any dumped frames. Yet, that’s as much as it goes as cranking things up to 60 FPS resulted in a less stable confuse.

Pic amenity

A singular webcam menisci is unanimously you retrieve with the CMF Mobile phone 1. The smartphone centers a 50 MP sensing unit behind while the 2nd menisci is wholeheartedly a deepness sensing unit for images. The selfie webcam owns a 16 MP resolution.

Pros:

• Commendable daytime images.
• Habit selfie shots.
• Envision determining is opportune.

Disadvantages:

• Lone one webcam menisci.
• Disallowed digital magnification functionality.
• Frustrating night images.

Foremost menisci functionality

The 50 MP main menisci incorporates a Sony IMX882 sensing unit which is evidently not a abundance image sensing unit. The default resolution is 12.5 MP, attained via pixel binning. It is also conceivable to trap full-resolution 50 MP images.

Throughout the day and under the correct maladies, image amenity is respectable. Shades are unanimously-natural and the great array is well-filched treatment of. Yet, the level of accuracy is much from pinnacle-notch. Some units at the side of the image proceed to be a pixelated mix-up.

The CMF Mobile phone 1 incorporates a 2nd menisci which is a humble 2 MP deepness sensing unit for images.

Envision determining shots are respectable with unblemished clipping. Introduce discovery in the foreground is realistically dependable however it performs not strike us out of the aquatic.

Magnification amenity

The CMF Mobile phone 1 owns zero telephoto menisci and the digital magnification can achieve up to 10x magnification.

All shots filched beyond the 2x magnification level will most clearly expire up displeasing. Such images will most clearly lose unanimously their power because the smartphone’s formula will most clearly restriction think of din by smoothing the think of. As a expire result, a sweet bargain of accuracy is thrown away.

Selfie amenity

The 16 MP selfie webcam is also instead ordinary. The skin on my confront lacked a compact texture however my skin lingered unanimously-natural. Detail and great array escaped something to be wanted without a boatload to crow about, however neither is it superb in any means.

Night shots

It’s always at night that you realize you’ve obtained a cheap smartphone in your hands. I didn’t pick any of the images I took at night with the CMF Mobile phone 1.

All the colors are over-underscored, specifically the heavens. Scenes are impractical, over-lit, and the loss of accuracy due to gone away light maladies become also more interfering. Conversely, the CMF Mobile phone 1 filched treatment of testing light sources well, correctly limiting the menisci seethe effect.

As shortly as it comes to videos, the CMF Mobile phone 1 can record up to 4K at 30 FPS with its main menisci.

Battery duty and reenergizing

The Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1 centers a 5,000 mAh battery and wired reenergizing up to 33 watts. Wireless reenergizing is not continual neither is there a battery charger incorporated with your acquisition.

Pros:

• Burly battery possible.
• Shocking battery duty.

Disadvantages:

• Slow-sliding reenergizing pace.
• No battery charger incorporated.

A 5,000 mAh battery is pretty traditional in a below-$300 Android smartphone. Reenergizing at 33 watts is also instead ordinary for a erector with zero proprietary rapid-reenergizing approach.

In our battery duty benchmark, the CMF Mobile phone 1 lasted 14 hours and 45 minutes in the past striking less than 20% battery duty. This is an spick-and-expectations rating. In real-duty utilise and with an merciless display sterilize time of 3 hours, I was able to last 2 days without any priority in the past warranting to recharge the smartphone.

Yet, reenergizing was realistically antarctic. This becomes stark when you contrast it to the host of Redmi incongruities in this price array. It took me over 1h 30m to totally recharge. That’s slow by today’s criteria and the CMF Mobile phone 1 also performs not embrace wireless reenergizing. If you’re glancing for a packed battery charger upon unboxing, you can forget about that.

Technological information

	Technological criteria
Contraption	Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1
Reckon of
Filter	6.67-inch AMOLED 1080 × 2400 pixels 120 Hz refresh price
SoC	MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G
Retrospect	6 / 8 GB RAM 128 / 256 GB storage Expandable storage via microSD (fullest. 2 TB)
OS	Utterly nothing OS 2.6 based on Android 14 2 Android updates 3 years of counterclaim updates
Pic component	Foremost menisci: 50 MP, f/1.8 Deepness sensing unit: 2 MP
Selfie	16 MP selfie
Battery	5,000 mAh 33 W wired reenergizing No wireless reenergizing Charger not incorporated
Link	5G | Wi-Fi 6 | Bluetooth 5.3 | No NFC
IP certification	IP52
Measurements and weight	164 × 82 × 8 mm, 202 g

Verdict

Would I prescribe the CMF Mobile phone 1 for $199? Yes!

The CMF Mobile phone 1 performs some things horribly well. The design is offbeat, and zero other erector transactions such a trendy sift. Battery duty is spick-and-expectations. Filter amenity and functionality are also horribly hefty for this price array.

Yet, the CMF Mobile phone 1 is not the spick-and-expectations smartphone for anybody with a $300 spending arrangement. The webcam dearths flexibility while the IP52 rating is morally displeasing. The 3-year counterclaim simplify period isn’t horribly comforting and the lack of NFC is difficult to realize in this price array.

We have preferable incongruities from Poco and more useful webcam incongruities from Samsung. The Utterly nothing Mobile phone (2a) can also be found for about $349 for its 8/128 GB difference, which boasts a much cooler kind variable with its Glyph individual interface and hefty webcams, much closer IP rating, and a quicker reenergizing pace.

Affiliate deliver

The CMF Mobile phone 1 is basically relegated to the realm of easy to understand smartphones. These incongruities yank out unanimously the guards against on one or 2 pivot units. They earn heavy wears away on the rest. Xiaomi/Redmi concentrates on rapid reenergizing and functionality. Samsung concentrates on its webcam functionality and software agenda updates. CMF’s emphasis is on the design. You can tell from the “Color, Item, Finish” name, and it cannot be faulted by sticking to its identification.

So zero, the CMF Mobile phone 1’s design isn’t simply window-dressing to lurk its blemishes however stays its meaty, spick-and-expectations-selling time.

What do you image the Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1 after this hefty weigh? Lug out you aim to acquire Utterly nothing’s easy to understand smartphone?

Utterly nothing CMF Mobile phone 1

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