CMF Phone 1 Review: The Almost Perfect Budget Smartphone

“Cheap phones are getting good, and good phones are getting cheap” is a statement we’ve heard several times from our friend MKBHD. However, even today, I see a divide between budget and mid-range smartphones, often marked by the UI and cameras. So when CMF, the sister brand of Nothing, sent their new CMF Phone 1 for a review, I was pretty skeptical. I thought it might be just another budget phone with the gimmick of removable backplates. However, after testing the phone for over two weeks, I believe the CMF Phone 1 could be the best budget smartphone of all time. Stick around to find out why in my review of the CMF Phone 1.

CMF Phone 1 Review: Design & Hardware

When we imagine a sub-$200 budget phone, we typically think of a device where design isn’t a priority. But in classic Nothing fashion, the company has gone all out in this department. The phone has an industrial look, as if it were meant for business. The exposed screws, the vegan leather back panel, the plastic sides, and the knob at the bottom make the smartphone unique—a significant selling point among younger users.

While I’d have been content if the design served only an aesthetic purpose, CMF has done much more. The box includes a screwdriver, allowing you to unscrew the back panel and change it to a different color. Unfortunately, this doesn’t improve repairability, as the battery remains non-user-replaceable.

However, the phone has another trick up its sleeve—accessories. You can unscrew the wheel at the bottom and attach various accessories, including a phone kickstand, a wallet, and a lanyard. Moreover, the fact that Nothing has made the schematics of the CMF Phone 1 available for everyone means you can theoretically 3D print any accessory you want.

CMF Phone 1 Review: Display

The CMF Phone 1 features a 6.67-inch FHD+ Super AMOLED 120Hz display with a peak brightness of 2000 nits. I tested the phone in direct sunlight, and the content remained easily visible. Additionally, the display supports 960Hz PWM dimming and HDR10+.

Considering the price, the panel’s quality is exceptional. It offers excellent color accuracy, HDR reproduction, and sharp visuals, making it one of my best content-watching experiences on a budget smartphone. Moreover, the device comes with two color profiles: Alive and Standard. I found the Standard profile better, providing a more balanced experience. However, it’s important to note that the display isn’t LTPO, meaning it can only run at 60Hz or 120Hz.

CMF Phone 1 Review: Performance & Software

Usually, I cover a smartphone’s performance and software experience in separate sections. However, with the CMF Phone 1, these elements are closely intertwined. Before diving deeper, the phone is powered by the mid-range MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip, which contains four Cortex-A78 cores running at 2.5GHz and four Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0GHz, along with the Mali-G615 MP2 GPU. Additionally, the device offers up to 8GB of RAM and 128GB of internal storage.

Judging by the processor, one might assume that the CMF Phone 1 is just like any other budget smartphone. But this is not true. Thanks to Nothing’s optimization, I didn’t experience any lag or stutter when opening applications. It feels like you’re using a much more expensive phone with snappy loading times and smooth animations. Of course, some apps and games take a little longer to open, but you won’t even notice it if you haven’t been using flagship devices like me. In terms of software support, Nothing has promised two years of software updates and three years of security patches.

I also ran the CMF Phone 1 through several benchmarks to test its maximum performance, and it did not disappoint. In Geekbench’s single-core and multi-core tests, the phone scored 1,039 and 2,920, respectively. On the AnTuTu benchmark test, the device scored 644,453 points. Finally, I ran the infamous 30-thread, 30-minute stress test, and the CMF Phone 1 throttled to 82% of its peak performance.

Regarding gaming, I tested games like CODM and BGMI, and the CMF Phone 1 handled them very well, delivering consistent frame rates. Note that I tested BGMI on “Smooth” and “Extreme” settings.

Battery life

With a massive 5,000mAh battery paired with a mid-range chipset, I had high expectations for the CMF Phone 1’s battery life and wasn’t disappointed. The phone easily lasted a full day of camera testing, playing BGMI, and watching YouTube videos. For reference, you can expect around 8-9 hours of screen-on time (SOT) with similar usage.

CMF Phone 1 Review: Cameras

One area where budget smartphones often struggle is the camera department, as brands usually lack the resources to fine-tune their image processing or install high-quality sensors. However, the CMF Phone 1 punches well above its weight in this area. The phone features a dual-camera setup on the back, with a 50MP Sony primary camera sensor and a 2MP depth sensor.

Although the handset doesn’t have the versatility of an ultra-wide sensor, it makes up for it with the photo quality. The photos are pleasing in daylight, with excellent details, accurate color reproduction, and a surprisingly good dynamic range.

Since the phone lacks a telephoto sensor, the primary camera also functions as a portrait lens. The shots were surprisingly impressive, with accurate colors, a pleasing depth of field, and spot-on edge detection in both daylight and indoor lighting conditions. However, I did notice significant graininess in low-light portrait shots, which is to be expected at this price point.

Nighttime Photos

Nighttime photography is often the Achilles’ heel of budget smartphones, but the CMF Phone 1 delivers some of the best nighttime photos I’ve seen from a budget device. Do the shots contain noise and lack sharpness sometimes? Yes, they do. However, they are still very usable, and I would confidently post these photos on Instagram or share them with friends and family.

Selfies & Videos

The 16MP selfie camera also performed well in my testing, producing natural skin tones and sharp images without applying unnecessary beauty filters.

The video quality was equally impressive, capturing video at up to 4K@30FPS with good stabilization in well-lit conditions. However, the quality does deteriorate significantly in low-light scenarios, with a noticeable increase in grain.

Should you buy the CMF Phone 1?

Starting at Rs. 15,999 or $199, the CMF Phone 1 is one of the few budget phones that ticks all the boxes. Is it perfect? No, it isn’t. However, the phone offers a unique design, excellent software optimization, and cameras that perform exceptionally well for its price range. If you’re shopping for a handset in this segment, the CMF Phone 1 is a no-brainer.