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

CMF Phone 1 review: Design and hardware

When we imagine a budget phone under $200, we usually think of a device where design is not a priority. But in classic Nothing fashion, the company has gone all out in this regard. The phone has an industrial look, as if it was meant for business use. The visible screws, vegan leather back, plastic side panels and the button at the bottom make the smartphone unique – a major selling point for younger users.

While I wouldn’t have cared if the design had only served an aesthetic purpose, CMF has done much more than that. It comes with a screwdriver that allows you to unscrew the back panel and change it to a different color. Unfortunately, this doesn’t improve repairability as the battery is still not user-replaceable.

However, the phone has another trick up its sleeve – accessories. You can unscrew the wheel on the bottom and attach various accessories, including a phone stand, wallet and lanyard. What’s more, the fact that Nothing has made the CMF Phone 1’s schematics available to everyone means that you could 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 clearly visible. In addition, the display supports 960Hz PWM dimming and HDR10+.

Considering the price, the quality of the panel is exceptional. It offers excellent color accuracy, HDR playback, and sharp images, making it one of my best experiences when watching content on a budget smartphone. Additionally, the device comes with two color profiles: Alive and Standard. I found the Standard profile better as it offers a more balanced experience. However, it is important to note that the display is not LTPO, which means it can only run at 60Hz or 120Hz.

CMF Phone 1 review: Performance and software

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

Judging by the processor, you might assume that the CMF Phone 1 is like any other budget smartphone. But that’s not true. Thanks to Nothing’s optimization, I didn’t experience any lag or stuttering when opening applications. It feels like you’re using a much more expensive phone with fast loading times and smooth animations. Of course, some apps and games take a little longer to open, but you won’t even notice unless you’ve used 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 put 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 points respectively. In the AnTuTu benchmark test, the device scored 644,453 points. Finally, I ran the infamous 30-thread stress test for over 30 minutes and the CMF Phone 1 throttled its peak performance to 82%.

As for 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 using the Smooth and Extreme settings.

Battery life

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

CMF Phone 1 review: Cameras

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

Although the handset lacks the versatility of an ultra-wide-angle sensor, it makes up for it with photo quality. Photos are pleasing in daylight, with excellent detail, accurate color reproduction, and a surprisingly good dynamic range.

Since the phone doesn’t have a telephoto sensor, the main camera also doubles as a portrait lens. Shots were surprisingly impressive, with accurate colors, a pleasing depth of field, and pinpoint edge detection in both daylight and indoor lighting. However, I did notice some noticeable graininess when taking portrait shots in low light, which is to be expected at this price.

Night shots

Night shots are often the Achilles heel of budget smartphones, but the CMF Phone 1 produces some of the best night shots I’ve seen from a budget device. Do the shots sometimes contain noise and lack sharpness? Yes, they do. However, they are still very usable and I would be comfortable posting these photos on Instagram or sharing them with friends and family.

Selfies and videos

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

Video quality was equally impressive, with videos recorded at up to 4K@30FPS in good lighting conditions with good stabilization. However, in low light conditions, the quality deteriorates significantly and there is a noticeable increase in graininess.

Should you buy the CMF Phone 1?

Priced 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’s not. However, the phone offers a unique design, excellent software optimization, and cameras that work exceptionally well for its price range. If you’re looking to buy a mobile phone in this segment, the CMF Phone 1 is a no-brainer.