One of the biggest questions everyone needs to answer when buying a new phone is which color to pick. I know I spend a lot of time debating on which one I’d choose, but when I do make a decision, I realize I’ve wasted time trying to convince myself of going naked because I always end up getting a wallet case.
With the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing, it puts phone designs back into the conversation because of how it features one that lets you change its back cover. But it doesn’t end at just choosing a color for the phone since there are more add-on accessories to personalize the Android phone.
Everything about it reminds me of the Moto X, which gave people an unprecedented level of customizing the design — down to the color of the casing and its accents. But that implementation still forced users to stick with one color, whereas Nothing gives you more control of it with the CMF Phone 1.
And best of all, it costs less than $250 and is a strong contender in our best cheap phones guide. We really need more phones like it.
Settling is not an option anymore
Whenever I come across phones under the $500 threshold, they’re rarely offered in multiple color options — and color variety is rarely a luxury for some of the best phones under $300. Typically I expect two color options, black and white, but what’s special about the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing is that you don’t have to settle on just one.
When I first took it out of the box, the first thing I realized was how it kept to a mostly plastic construction. It’s far from the glass meets metal constructions we see in most of the best phones today, but it’s befitting for its price point. Yet, there’s something special here because I’m able to swap out the color for another.
Instead of settling for the boring black casing, I ended up replacing it with the light green one. But I didn’t stop there because I replaced its usual silver colored screws for black ones, as well as replacing the light green corner cover to an orange one. This kind of customization is rare among phones today, but Nothing deserves credit for making it happen on a budget phone.
It’s still water-resistant to an extent
Since the casing is held together by screws, one of my big concerns is that it wouldn’t be able to deal with getting wet. I’m not talking about plunging into a pool with the phone in hand, but rather, just out for a stroll with it lightly drizzling outside. I’m not alone about this one, especially when other people are genuinely interested in this ‘compromise.’
Thankfully, the CMF Phone 1 features an IP52 rating, and while it’s nowhere to the degree that flagship phones get, it’s better than none at all. Meaning, it's safeguarded against water splashes less than 15 degree from vertical. And while it’s technically not constructed to be dust tight, it’s designed to keep most of it out.
Considering that I’m unlikely to take photos or video underwater, I’m perfectly willing to settle with an IP52 construction — especially if it means I can easily customize the design.
A thoughtfully designed cheap phone
I still cannot stress that you’re getting a customizable design with a phone that costs less than the majority of phones out there. Small details like the corner cover on the back show how it’s been thoughtfully designed to give off that charm factor that few phones offer.
I only need to walk outside onto the busy streets of New York City to see how ubiquitous iPhones and Samsung Galaxy phones have become. The only time my interest is piqued is whenever I see an oddball, like a Pixel or some kind of foldable phone.
The CMF Phone 1 has a lot going for it when it comes to phone designs. It’s a refreshing change that proves to me that attractive designs can come in all sorts of packages. What’s even more compelling here is how a customizable design such as this comes in at $239, excluding the cost of buying other colored cases and accessories. I’m just hopeful that it can convince me in other areas, like its camera performance and battery life, since those are two critical areas that can make or break a phone.
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