CHENNAI: Most discussions around the Rs 15,000 smartphone segment usually centre around price or bang for your buck. The CMF Phone 1 from Nothing looks set to change that discourse. CMF stands for Colour, Material and Finish. Design elements that Nothing’s more affordable brand has used to differentiate its line of audio products. And now CMF has added its first smartphone to this line-up; it’s easily one of the most interesting offerings we’ve seen in the budget smartphone segment this year.
There’s almost a cool DIY (Do it yourself) charm in the CMF Phone 1. You can swap the back panel and change the colour template of your phone but it’s not as easy as adding a back cover. This one involves a process of unscrewing the bundled panel and fixing one of your choice. We like the funky rotating dial on the back of the device and cool accessories like a card wallet and kick stand that you can fix to the device. We could see more third party accessories being added to this ecosystem. CMF keeps the heft around 200 gm; the device feels good in your hand.
Aside from a clutter-breaking design, the CMF Phone 1 does quite a few other things right. The binge-proof 6.67-inch AMOLED display (1080 x 2400 pixels) is one of the headline features. It hits a peak brightness of 2000 nits and features a 120Hz refresh rate. The rear cam is driven by a 50MP primary lens. Camera performance is quite solid but we would have preferred an ultra-wide lens to the 2MP depth sensor that completes the dual rear cam set-up. The phone is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset and won’t let you down. The device comes in a 6GB/128GB and an 8GB/128GB option. The 5000 mAh battery (that supports 33W charging) keeps going all day, there’s no charging brick in the box.
The CMF Phone 1 isn’t just one of the most interesting options at its price point, it’s also one of the most innovative, design-led smartphones we’ve seen this year. It doesn’t compromise on everyday essentials and adds a unique dimension to the budget smartphone segment. (Rs 15,999 onwards)