CMF unveils new devices; customizable CMF Phone 1 available for $200

CMF Phone 1 is an affordable smartphone with one major difference: the ability to personalize

The CMF Phone 1 is finally here and now we’ve taken the guesswork out of telling you all about it. The first thing you need to know about this smartphone is that it only costs $200, which is definitely within the budget range. That means you should temper your expectations a bit, but it surprisingly manages to do a lot with the capital it has at that price.

Personalization and modularity have been used before. Will it be the same this time?

First, the elephant in the room. When you look at the back of the phone, you’ll see four metal screws and one large knob (actually a screw) in the lower right corner. All of these hold the back of the device in place, since you can easily remove it and swap it for a different color. This is ideal for when your phone starts to feel boring.

However, removable back panels are nothing new — although they might seem that way, considering how long they’ve been gone. What makes this device more unique is the aforementioned dial — Accessory Point — in the lower right corner.

By removing that, you gain the ability to add custom accessories to your CMF Phone 1. For now, the first-party options seem to be a kickstand, a lanyard, and a bumpy card holder on the back of the phone. I expect more options will be available, potentially from third parties. This means the device is somewhat modular, like the LG G5 and other phones I’ve tried. Maybe it’ll work better this time.

The actual hardware is very impressive for a phone in the lower price range

When it comes to specs, the CMF Phone 1 impresses me. First, one of the major drawbacks is that the device only has an IP52 rating. In this price range and with removable components, that’s not much of a shock. The second drawback is that there’s no NFC, so that won’t help with contactless payments. After that, it’s mostly fine.

You get a 6.67-inch FHD+ AMOLED display with 2,000 nits of peak brightness, HDR+ certification, a 120Hz refresh rate, and 960Hz PWM dimming. On paper, it’s an excellent display. There’s also an optical fingerprint reader underneath it. Inside, you’ll find a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G, which scores the highest in terms of performance for chips in its class, and it’s paired with 8GB of RAM, which can be paired with either 128GB or 256GB of storage. If neither of those are enough, there’s also a microSD slot. The phone is on a roll.

Let’s talk about the camera. On the back is a 50MP main sensor that can record 4K/30 video. There’s also a “portrait sensor” that I don’t consider a real camera. The big drawback is the lack of OIS, so you have to be steady when taking photos. On the front is a 16MP lens.

You get a 5,000mAh battery with 33W wired charging, which is again pretty good for the price. The software is Nothing OS 2.6 atop Android 14. You get two years of major OS updates and ChatGPT integration.

	CMF 1 Phone
Display	6.67-inch, 1080 x 2400, 120Hz, AMOLED, 2000 nits peak brightness, HDR+, 960Hz PWM dimming
Rear camera	50MP f/1.8 Wide + 2MP Portrait Sensor; 4K/30 Video Recording
Front camera	16MP
Editor	MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G graphics card
Aries	8GB
Storage	128GB, 256GB; expandable storage
Battery	5000mAh
Landing	33W wired, 5W reverse wired
Communication	5G NR, 4G LTE, 3G UMTS, 2G GSM, Wi-Fi 6, Bluetooth 5.3
Dimensions and weight	164 x 77 x 8 mm; 197 grams

Also not to be ignored are the CMF Watch Pro 2 and CMF Buds Pro 2

Of course, that’s not the only thing CMF showed off today. The Watch Pro 2 is here too, with the same focus on customization. You can swap out not only the watch bands, but also the watch bezel. In addition to the stylish design, you get IP68 certification, a 1.32-inch 466 x 466 AMOLED display, a 305mAh battery, and way too many health and fitness features to list. It comes with a shockingly affordable price tag of $69.

Also taking the stage today are the CMF Buds Pro 2. These earbuds have dual drivers: an 11mm bass driver paired with a 6mm tweeter. You get hybrid ANC, IP55 certification, Hi-Res Audio certification, ChatGPT integration, and up to 43 hours of playback when paired with the charging case. Speaking of the charging case, the smart dial on it lets you adjust the volume, noise cancellation, manage playback, and more. I really like them, and they only cost $59.