TUE, JUL 16
NimishAndAkriti
Whatever you can accuse Carl Pei's new enterprise, Nothing, of, it is certainly not predictability. The brand has been coming out with designs that grab attention, whether it is in terms of transparent backs, with LEDs beneath them, or transparent TWS, or orange coloured chargers. And now Nothing has come out with the first phone from its sub-brand, CMF. Of course it is nothing like we have ever seen. OF COURSE. Here's looking at the CMF Phone 1!
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The first thought we got when we saw the CMF Phone 1 was that it had been stolen from some tech lab. It has a very prototype-ish look to it, what Nothing likes to call an Engineer's approach to designing. The phone is totally plastic on the back with a very light grainy texture, but has a metallic looking camera unit and tiny metallic screws (!) on the back, with a dial on the lower part. We got the blue shade, but you also get orange and black. Orange is the eye-catching one!
The CMF Phone 1 is a large-ish phone (taller than the iPhone 15 Pro Max) and at 197 grams, it is not exactly light, although it seems light for its size. The screws on the back are not just for design, but actually enable you to remove the back and replace it with another panel of a different colour. The dial on the base has a tiny screw beneath it which allows you to attach accessories like a stand and a wallet to it. So yes, there is an element of modularity there, Mind you, you would need a special screwdriver for it, which does not come in the box!
Does it look good? Well, opinions will be utterly divided about it. Those who like a certain edge-y look about their devices will definitely like the CMF Phone 1, while those with a more convention line of thought might find it almost ugly and unfinished. We give Nothing full marks for coming out with a design that catches attention in a segment where design has got as predictable as a politician's electoral speech.
That edgy design apart, the CMF Phone 1 packs some very mid-segment specs. You get a 6.67 inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 120 Hz refresh rate, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip (decent enough as long as you do not go crazy gaming), 6 GB/ 128 B and 8 GB/ 256 GB RAM and storage variants (with expandable storage!) and Android 14 with Nothing's own clean UI on top of it.
In the camera department, you get a 50 megapixel main sensor on the back with a 2 megapixel "depth" sensor (ugh, why!). You also get a 16 megapixel selfie camera in front. The phone packs in a 5000 mAh battery, with support for 33W charging, but like its predecessors, has an allergy to chargers - there is none in the box.
The most interesting part of the CMF Phone 1 other than that 'love it or hate it' design is its price - the 6 GB/ 128 GB variant comes for Rs 15,999, while the 8 GB/ 256 GB one will set you back by Rs 17,999. That makes it the most affordable phone from Nothing by some distance. However, while we can see geeks loving its removable back covers and modularity, and also that clean interface, mainstream users who are more accustomed to devices like the Redmi Note and the Moto G in this range might not appreciate the absence of a 3.5 mm audio jack (yep, it still exists in this segment), stereo speakers and a charger. We also think Nothing missed a trick by not including a back panel with a special screwdriver in the box - expecting people to purchase a USP of the product separately is stretching optimism a little.
So should you be going for the CMF Phone 1? A lot depends on just how much you like something different and the sort of patience you have - to get those back panels and install them (judging from the videos we have seen, it is a rather elaborate task). We are quite sure that the CMF Phone 1 will have its takers, but whether it can make a significant dent in a segment where value for money rather than innovation calls the shots, will be revealed in the coming days.
As always, we would be more than delighted to answer any queries you might have about the device. Shoot us your queries and we promise to do our best to answer.