CMF Phone 1 by Nothing review

Design, build quality, handling

The CMF Phone 1 has nothing short of a standout design. That part is undeniable. At least from the back, that is.

Still, the rounded corners of the CMF Phone 1 make for an elegant and natural silhouette. Yet, the design also looks quite industrial, especially with the visible stainless steel screws on the back. CMF refers to it as "engineer's aesthetics" and we would agree.

The choice of colors and the plastics used suggest a phone that doesn't take itself too seriously, and if it's a style statement, it's certainly a playful one.

The whole deal with the screws is that, indeed, they are not only there for show but are actually functional and hold the removable back panel in place. Unscrew them, and you can swap out the back plate. This is being taunted as both a great customizability option and a step towards sustainability and repairability since any damage to the rear or sides of the phone is easily addressable. Shoutout to anyone old enough to remember when this was basically a given on all phones.

In case you were wondering, though, just because the back cover is swappable does not mean the battery is also easily removable. There are some protective layers on top of the battery pack and a warning label not to attempt battery disassembly unless you are "authorized". Even so, we imagine battery replacements should be a bit easier on the CMF Phone 1 than most other modern smartphones.

Anyway, you get a total of four back panel choices. At least first-party ones, since we imagine that at least some company out there will try to offer its own custom panels at some point.

The currently available back cover options include Black, Light Green, Orange and Blue. The Blue one is exclusive to the Indian market.

Nothing CMF Phone 1 colors

There is more than just a color difference between the panels. Black and Light Green have a subtle texture formed directly into the plastic itself, while Blue and Orange have an elegant vegan leather layer embedded on top.

Both styles of finish look and feel lovely, offer plenty of grip and don't attract too much dirt or fingerprints. The screws, however, gather plenty of particles and also catch on stuff constantly and can get very grimy. The manufacturer claims the finishes have been carefully selected for longevity, but only time will tell, especially for the leather options. Our review unit came in the somewhat boring Black finish. The signature color is definitely Orange.

What really stands out about the back of the CMF Phone 1 is the circular element near the rear of the back panel. It really looks like a potentiometer, which is what most, including us, assumed it would be. However, it turns out it is called the "Accessory Point" and there is not electronics connected to it. You pop out the round plastic cover to reveal an attachment point for additional accessories.

Currently, there are a total of three accessories up on offer for the Accessory Point. The lanyard and stand are both very self-explanatory and easy to use. Both are quite convenient, with the lanyard in particular being yet another nice throwback to simpler times.

The card case is a bit more elaborate in its design. It's not that it is all that complicated as a whole, but the concept of a phone-attachable card case is arguably a more modern one. The card holder accessory is actually made of two parts - a magnetic plate that attaches securely to the back of the phone and the wallet part itself, which is easily detachable. It's a very Apple-inspired take on the concept.

Accessories

Nothing does not officially disclose the bill of materials on the CMF Phone 1. From what we can tell, the replaceable back, which is more of a unibody that also includes the sides of the phone, is made of plastic, except for a reinforced metal camera island. The front of the phone has some sort of glass finish, but there is no information on exactly what kind it is.

Due to how the CMF Phone 1 is designed and put together, it only offers IP52 ingress protection. That is basically just splash resistance.

On a more practical level, the CMF Phone 1 feels very solid in the hand with practically no flex or hollowness to the chassis.

As mentioned, the CMF Phone 1 feels snug and comfortable in the hand, thanks to its nicely curved edges. We wouldn't exactly call its control layout traditional, mostly since the volume rocker is on the left side of the phone, opposite the power button on the right side. On the plus side, all of the buttons are nice and clicky, with good tactile feedback.

CMF Phone 1 from all angles

The CMF Phone 1 only has a single bottom-firing loudspeaker. There is no 3.5mm audio jack or anything else like an IR blaster on board.

The SIM tray is a hybrid affair. That means you have to choose between a second nano-SIM card or a microSD.

It does have an under-display optical fingerprint reader. We found it both snappy and accurate, so we have no complaints about it.

Other than that, some sensors are above the display on the front. The front bezels are not what we would call small, but they aren't excessive in any way.