Showing no signs of slowing down, British tech company Nothing has been the talk of the town with its flagship smartphone and earbuds and has shown no signs of slowing down either. Last year, it launched stylish yet affordable new products — a smartwatch and earbuds — in its new budget-friendly sub-label, CMF (an acronym for Colors, Materials, and Finishes). And now, CMF is expanding again with its very first smartphone…for $199!

Nothing to Talk About

Apple and Samsung may dominate the smartphone market share but if you know where to look, you can find offerings from smaller, arguably more interesting names in the tech world. Unveiling its inaugural smartphone back in 2022, Nothing isn’t just a promising newcomer seeking to revolutionize the smartphone space but makes its products fun. Blending form, function, and practicality, its Phone (1) and Phone (2) models come with simplified interfaces and bespoke widgets like a voice recorder with a fun reel-to-reel feature. Meanwhile, the latest iteration of its Ear (2) Buds not only has superior studio-grade audio quality but also ChatGPT integration. 

CMF Phone 1 Basics

Whereas the Nothing Phone (2) starts as low as $549, the sub-$200 CMF Phone 1 will still get you many of the same bespoke features and even the Sony 50MP rear camera (along with the 16MP camera in front). However, the budget smartphone sports a modular design that makes it (semi-)easy to swap out the case back for one of three different colors — sold separately for $35 — with the help of accompanying tools that come with each new panel. Other swappable accessories include a lanyard strap, a card case, and a kickstand for $25 each. 

Sporting a 6.67-inch Super AMOLED LTPS display, the Android-powered operating system is powered by a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G 8-core processor with a 256-GB hard drive and 16GB of RAM. Storage can be expanded to 2TB with a micro SD. Inside the phone is a 5,000mAh battery capable of up to 23 hours of video playback. On the other hand, the CMF Phone 1 will only be IP52 rated against water and dust (the Nothing Phone (2) is IP54 rated) and won’t have NFC connectivity.

​Spec Sheet

Pricing & Availability

Available in the U.S. through Nothing’s beta program, the CMF Phone 1 is priced at just $199, with accessories sold separately for $25 or $35. To learn more about pre-ordering one for yourself, head over to Nothing’s website now.