I Switched to Nothing's CMF Phone 1 for 7 Days: Is it Worth It? 🤔

Hi everybody, welcome back to the channel! Today is an exciting day, and I know many of you are eager to hear about this particular device—the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing. I've been using this phone for exactly a week, so today's video will be a review where I’ll share the good and not-so-great aspects of the device.

Let’s jump right into it! The CMF Phone 1 is priced at RM199 here in Malaysia, and it comes with 256GB of storage right out of the box, which is fantastic, especially since there isn’t a 128GB version available. Now, let’s talk about the design. When I first unboxed the phone, I was immediately impressed by its sleek look. The design concept revolves around modularity, which allows you to swap out attachments and even change the back cover. This is made easy with a few screws at the back, giving users the option to choose from four different colorways. While the default color is black, there are also dark blue, light blue, and orange options, with the orange model being the one I have.

What’s great about the interchangeable back panels is that you can fully customize the look of your phone. If you mix and match the colors, you can create some interesting combinations that give the phone a fun and unique appearance. Another nice touch is that the black and light blue panels have a matte finish, while the orange and dark blue feature a vegan leather texture, which feels great and provides better grip.

Now that we’ve covered the design, let’s move on to how the phone performs. The CMF Phone 1 is powered by the Dimensity 730 processor. While the single-core score isn’t quite as high as the 7200 chip, the multicore score makes up for it. In everyday use, the phone is smooth and snappy, thanks to the lightweight Nothing OS. Navigating through apps feels seamless, though it’s important to remember that this is an entry-level to mid-range processor, so you won’t get flagship-level performance. However, for general tasks, it’s more than sufficient.

When it comes to gaming, the phone does surprisingly well. I was impressed when I played Mobile Legends, which supported ultra frame rates and high graphics settings—something not all phones in this price range can manage. Overall, the performance is decent for its category, but don’t expect it to handle the most intensive tasks flawlessly.

Let’s talk about the cameras. The CMF Phone 1 has a dual-sensor setup, but unlike previous Nothing models that featured a main sensor and an ultrawide, this one has a 50MP main sensor by Sony and a depth sensor for portrait shots. The 50MP main sensor is quite impressive, delivering detailed and accurate color reproduction, especially in well-lit conditions. I took the phone with me on a trip to Bangkok and was pleasantly surprised by the quality of the photos, particularly those taken in daylight.

However, when it comes to capturing people, the phone struggles a bit with skin tones. In regular photo mode, the skin tones appear slightly darker than they should. But when switching to portrait mode, the tones become more accurate. So, if you plan to take portraits, I recommend using the portrait mode for better results. Overall, the main sensor is great for landscapes and objects, but it’s not as strong for photos of people.

Now, let’s move on to battery life. The CMF Phone 1 comes with a 5,000mAh battery that supports 33W fast charging. Unfortunately, the phone doesn't come with a charger in the box, just the cable. Based on my experience, the battery delivers about 5 hours of screen-on time. From 100% to 30%, I was able to get around 4 hours, which I think is decent but fairly average. Charging from 30% to 100% took about 50 to 60 minutes using my own charger, which isn’t the fastest but still reasonable.

In conclusion, is the CMF Phone 1 worth buying at RM199? My answer is a resounding yes, for a few key reasons. First, its unique design and customizable back panels make it stand out from the competition. You can personalize the look of your phone in ways that other brands don’t offer. Second, the camera and processor offer great value for the price, with other brands charging much more for similar specifications.

The only downside I found is the display. While it boasts a 120Hz AMOLED screen, the colors and contrast aren’t as vibrant as other mid-range phones. The whites in particular could be a bit brighter. However, for RM199, this is a small issue and one I can easily forgive.

That’s my review of the CMF Phone 1 by Nothing. If you have any questions, feel free to drop a comment below. Let me know which colorway you prefer! Thanks for watching, and I’ll see you in the next video. Stay safe and take care—bye-bye!