Nothing's CMF Phone 1 debuts and you can easily swap its back

08 July 2024

Today Nothing introduced its first smartphone under the affordable CMF brand. Say hello to the CMF Phone 1, a device with a user-swappable back panel and a Mediatek 7300 chipset.

This Phone 1 has a 6.67" Super AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution and up to 2,000 nits peak brightness. The panel supports up to 120 Hz refresh rate and 240 Hz touch sampling rate. There is a single 16 MP selfie camera behind a punch hole and a fingerprint scanner under the display.

Around the back, the CMF Phone 1 features a 50 MP f/1.8 shooter and a 2 MP depth sensor.

Design is everything in the CMF lineup, and Phone 1 has some cool tricks up its sleeve. The back panel features a mounting point where you attach a number of accessories. Better yet, the panel itself is easily replaceable, so you can change the color of your phone or get a new one in case of damage.

The removable panel also facilitates other repairs, potentially expanding the phone's lifespan.

CMF Phone 1 runs Nothing OS 2.6 and Android 14 on top. It does bring some personalization features like the AI Wallpaper Generator but is mostly the same interface as on any Nothing smartphone.

The CMF Phone 1 will get 2 years of major Android updates and 3 years of security updates.

The phone comes with a 5,000 mAh battery that supports 33W wired charging and also offers 5W reverse wired charging. There is no wireless charging, though.

The phone is IPX2 certified for water resistance, which isn't much – it only guarantees to withstand dripping water. However, Nothing says it withstood being submerged in 25 cm of water for 3 seconds in its testing.

CMF Phone 1 will start from INR15,999 for a 6/128 GB version that will be exclusive to India. The 8/128 GB option will be available in every market where Nothing sells its phones and will cost INR17,999/£209/€239. Finally, the 8/256 GB top model will cost £239/€279, but it's not coming to India.

In the US the CMF Phone 1 will only be available through Nothing's "US Beta Program".

Color options out of the box are Black, Orange, Blue, and Green. A new rear panel will set you back £29. There is also a stand, a lanyard or a card case that can be attached to the mounting point – each of them is priced at £19.

The Nothing CMF Phone 1 is already for purchase on cmf.tech. Shipping of the 8/128 GB model in Black will begin on July 12, while the Green is scheduled for July 23. The same later date applies to the 8/256 GB version in Black.