Nothing Debuts CMF Phone 1 With Modular Design Starting at $199

CMF, a London-based sub-brand of Nothing, has officially announced the CMF Phone 1, boasting a highly customizable modular design and featuring some decent hardware specs for an Android smartphone that starts at just $199.

nothing cmf phone 1
The CMF Phone (1) is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and features a 6.67-inch FHD, 120Hz AMOLED display. There's a 50MP Sony camera on the back, accompanied by a second depth sensor for portraits, and a 16MP front-facing camera.

A 5,000 mAh battery offers up to two days of power on a single charge, and the base model comes with 8GB of RAM and 128GB of storage. It also supports Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3 and 9-band Dual 5G. As it's a budget device, there are a few tradeoffs – there's no NFC, for example, and the device is only splash-resistant. There's also no wireless charging.

Look beyond the specs though, and the Android phone's big selling point is its unique screw-based system of interchangeable backplates and accessories. CMF Phone (1) users can switch out different colored shells (black, orange, blue, and light green, costing $35 each) using a supplied flathead screwdriver and screws, resulting in a completely different look, right down to a color-matched SIM tray.

One of the screw points includes a dial-style pop-out for mounting optional accessories, including a kickstand, a MagSafe-style wallet case, and lanyard, each costing $25. Accompanying the release of the phone are new CMF Buds Pro 2 wireless earbuds and a CMF Watch Pro 2 smartwatch.

nothing cmf phone
Nothing's CMF Phone (1) is launching in the UK and the EU this week, with a launch in the US scheduled for later in July under a "Beta Program," so expect high demand and a possible waitlist. The device costs $199 in the US, £209 in the UK, and €239 in the EU.

Tag: Nothing

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Top Rated Comments

mystery hill Avatar
9 months ago
A phone with a 6.7-inch FHD 120Hz OLED 2000 nits peak brightness for $199.

Apple charge $200 just to increase the RAM by 8GB on Macs.
Score: 27 Votes (Like | Disagree)
MilaM Avatar
9 months ago
Don't know what it is, but I really like the design language of this budget phone. Reminds me of the Teenage Engineering gear. Have to agree though, no NFC is a bummer. Otherwise, decent specs.
Score: 22 Votes (Like | Disagree)
JuicyGoomba Avatar
9 months ago
£209 for a phone that has a 120hz 6.7" OLED display?

Why bother with that when you can have 60hz super retina ABCDXYZ extreme XDR edition for "only" £799 (iPhone 15 Plus).

In all seriousness though, while I prefer Pixel to Nothing, the Nothing devices are essentially Apple hardware design with some modern twists. They're excellent devices, and the highest end model is basically a £500 iPhone 15 Pro Max in all but name.

Ditching NFC for this CMF Phone though is ludicrous in the age of Apple/Google Pay, and means this device is dead in the water for a significant majority of people.

Nothing to see here.
Score: 18 Votes (Like | Disagree)
neuropsychguy Avatar
9 months ago
Is it modular in the sense of only changing appearance, or can you actually replace or upgrade hardware components? Could you put in a better CPU or camera? Can the screen be easily replaced with something better? Or is this just surface modularity?
Score: 15 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dumastudetto Avatar
9 months ago

Its cheap for a reason, don't expect long support or fast releases when it comes to security and bugfixes.
Nothing is a cool brand with nice gadgets, but the are always behind Samsung and Pixel when it comes updates.
3 years of major Android updates and 4 years of security updates
Score: 12 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Six0Four Avatar
9 months ago
I honestly can barely tell between 60hz and 120hz so I dont care, plus I think people whine about it way too much but I do care that apple can charge 1k CAD for a device with only a 60hz screen.

60hz or 8gb ram on a 1000 CAD device should be cRiminal.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)