One of the best cheap Android phones I’ve tested isn’t made by Motorola or Samsung

Key points of ZDNET

• The CMF Phone 1 by Nothing, which starts at $239, is the best budget phone I’ve tested this year.
• Interchangeable cases and accessories, great battery life, and an AMOLED display stand out in a crowded market.
• For the price, downsides include the lack of NFC and wireless charging as well as a software update policy of only two years.

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As a phone reviewer, reviewing cheaper, sub-$300 handsets is always a challenge, especially after my senses have been spoiled by eye-catching, eye-catching displays. , the flexible processor can manage more than 20 tabs and the camera can capture the birds in it. sky.

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But CMF phone 1developed by Nothing’s sub-brand, made things easier than I expected. Given its price, which ranges from $239 to $289 depending on whether you get it through Nothing’s or not US Beta Program or AmazonThis is the best budget phone I’ve tested this year – and overall.

CMF, which stands for “Colors, Materials and Finishes” in the industrial design world, is a fitting name for the company. With the Phone 1, the attention to detail and thoughtful design choices are remarkable. Here’s a quick list of things that immediately stood out to me:

• The power and volume buttons are separated on each side, making it easy to know which key you’re pressing.
• The bezels, while thicker than what you’d find on more expensive handsets, are admirably symmetrical.
• During setup, you’re given a choice between Nothing’s dot-matrix launcher and stock Android, a freedom that’s often buried in phone settings.
• Dark mode is enabled by default, helping to reduce battery consumption and eye strain.
• Instead of padding the specs with unnecessary camera sensors, there are just two sensors on the back, a 50-megapixel main camera and 2x zoom.

Most consumers probably won’t notice these design elements, but they all contribute to a hardware/software package that feels more premium than it needs to be.

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One thing you’ll definitely notice is the DIY nature of the CMF Phone 1, with four screws and one screw on the back that keeps the default cover intact. If you want to change the color, CMF will sell you replaceable covers for $35 in orange, light green, and blue. The whole process only takes a few minutes to do, and I highly recommend choosing the orange or blue finishes as they’re made of a leather-like, grippy texture. I had no trouble getting around NYC without any cases.

Screws can also be replaced with functional accessories, such as lanyards, card slot holders, and stands. Since the CMF Phone 1 is quite large with a 6.67-inch screen, I found that the bulkiness of some accessories made the phone uncomfortable to hold. But if ergonomics are the least of your concerns, then there’s the world 3D printed back plate for you to play. Here’s hoping someone makes back panels that give the phone NFC (for tap to pay) or wireless charging support, since both are omitted.

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Display is another area that CMF has taken out of the game. You get a vibrant AMOLED panel with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, a visual combination that’s hard to find in the $200 price range. Brightness also increased to 2,000 nits, which made navigating a suburban hike last weekend a little less stressful. Just make sure you remove the default plastic screen protector or replace it when using the phone; The layers retain fingerprints and smudges very easily and require the strongest microfiber cloth to wipe them off.

The software experience of CMF Phone 1 is almost identical to that of a phone No phonemeaning there are several ways to style icons and home screens, useful widgets, and navigation paths similar to stock Android. The lack of bloatware and duplicate features works well with the CMF Phone 1’s MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G processor, which is geared towards extended usage and short power usage efficiency (like on the Qualcomm chipset). its Snapdragon 7s Gen 2 rival).

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Sure, the YouTube app takes a few extra seconds to load thumbnails and videos, and I noticed the occasional stutter when swiping back to the home screen, but the CMF Phone 1 throttles much less than competitors like Samsung Galaxy A15 5G And Motorola Moto G Power 5G. I just wish CMF had committed to updating the software for more than two years. With Android 15 coming soon and Released earlier than expected for Android 16 next year, the Phone 1 will theoretically still have relevant features until the end of 2025.

Cameras on cheaper phones are often a mixed bag, with the best images requiring an abundant light source (read: sun on a bright day or ceiling lights in an office space). Otherwise, you’ll be left with photos that are grainy, have unrealistic colors, and lack noticeable depth. That’s true for the CMF Phone 1; Subjects tend to be blurry, and shutter lag makes capturing fast-moving subjects difficult. But if you remember that this is a $200 phone, the output is acceptable.

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It helps CMF Phone 1 every sip battery, lasting up to a second day on each charge. The combination of clean software, an energy-efficient MediaTek processor, and an adaptive refresh rate display makes the device an endurance champion, even putting it on par with phones that cost twice as much. three or four times.

ZDNET Buying Tips

the CMF phone 1 is one of the few phones this year that I can confidently say gives you more value for your money. With a starting price of $239, this phone meets the essential needs of any budget shopper, from its large and vibrant display to its two-day battery life. Add in the back cover and replaceable accessories, polished Nothing OS software, and CMF’s power-packed smaller accessories, and you’ve got a winning formula.

Finally, I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t mention connectivity and mobile compatibility. While the CMF Phone 1 pulled data from my T-Mobile SIM card, including when I was hiking in the mountains and commuting on the subway, it lacked the bandwidth to support 5G on AT&T and LTE on Verizon. So I advise Verizon users to consider other options Choose cheap phones and those of the service providers competing to scan the list Bands are supported before making the conversion.