Nothing’s CMF Phone 1 is proof that gadgets can still be fun

I’ve ne'er had truthful overmuch amusive taking a telephone apart.

That’s a misleading statement; I haven’t truly taken any phones isolated lately, but erstwhile CMF’s Phone 1 arrived, that’s the archetypal happening I did. Because this one, my friends, is built different. It won’t beryllium wide disposable successful the US, but if you’re game, you tin get 1 done Nothing’s beta programme — and for $199, that’s earnestly tempting.

CMF, Nothing’s budget-conscious but inactive highly style-driven subbrand, is shipping its archetypal phone, the aptly named Phone 1. While it shares a sanction and an operating strategy with Nothing’s archetypal own-brand phone, it comes to the array with a caller modular attack to telephone customizations. Why enactment a antithetic lawsuit connected your telephone erstwhile you tin enactment a full caller telephone connected your phone?

The conception is simple: it’s a phone, but the backmost sheet comes disconnected truthful you tin swap it with a antithetic one. Each replacement comes with everything you request for the job, including its ain small screwdriver, screws, and a color-matched SIM tray.

There’s besides a circular accessory larboard screen successful the bottommost country of the phone. Although it resembles the power dial connected CMF’s neckband earbuds, it doesn’t connection immoderate functional usage speech from protecting the accessory port. At launch, CMF volition connection 3 accessories: a lanyard, a wallet, and a kickstand, each $25 and an eye-catching orangish color.

Those are each sold separately, arsenic are the colorful replacement backmost panels, which are $35 each. In the box, you get a thoroughly respectable fund Android telephone with a 6.7-inch OLED, 50-megapixel rear camera, a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chipset, and a generous 5,000mAh battery. It comes with a achromatic sheet installed; different options see orange, airy green, and blue.

Taking the backmost sheet disconnected is straightforward, though it takes a spot of unit — capable to interruption a fingernail that was excessively long, arsenic I learned. Probably for the best, though, since that sheet is the happening lasting betwixt the guts of your telephone and the remainder of the world. Speaking of guts, it’s truthful weird seeing a modern telephone each bare and exposed similar that.

Once the telephone is safely encased again, you tin adhd accessories. The wallet is really 2 pieces — a integrative sheet with a MagSafe-like magnet embedded and the existent wallet. I’m definite it’s nary coincidence that I was capable to connect the telephone with this magnetic equine to a MagSafe charging basal (though the Phone 1 doesn’t connection wireless charging). You tin besides connect either the kickstand oregon the lanyard with the wallet successful use.

The lanyard is made of a thick, woven fabric. Someone overmuch cooler and younger than maine could astir apt propulsion disconnected wearing their telephone with it. And the kickstand seems sturdy enough, though I privation the limb sat flush against the telephone erstwhile not successful use. They’re each a vibrant orangish colour — the gadget colour of the year, I guess.

Being a fund telephone and all, determination are evidently immoderate tradeoffs to consider. There’s nary NFC, and the Phone 1 is lone splash-resistant. That’s understandable, considering the terms point, and you know, the mode the full backmost of the telephone comes off. Carrier enactment successful the US is besides rather limited. Like the Phone 2A, it volition enactment connected T-Mobile’s 4G and 5G networks, but lone supports Verizon and AT&T’s 4G bands. But for $199? It mightiness conscionable beryllium worthy it — if thing else, it’s 1 heck of an accessory.

Photography by Allison Johnson / The Verge