CMF by Nothing proves it’s the IKEA of tech with new Phone 1, Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2

Cheap but cheerful, just like the Swedish brand

News By Mark Wilson published 8 July 2024

CMF by Nothing has again proved that it's the IKEA of gadgets with the new Phone 1, Watch Pro 2, and Buds Pro 2 – all of which have fun designs matched with temptingly affordable price tags.

Nothing's sub-brand CMF, which launched in 2023, continues its cheap-but-cheerful theme with this new trio of launches. The Phone 1, in particular, offers a lot (on paper) for its $199 / £179 / AU$399 price tag, making it a strong contender for our guide to the best cheap phones.

On the specs front, the Phone (1) has a 6.67-inch AMOLED screen (with 120Hz refresh rate) and runs Android 14, which is skinned by Nothing OS. The camera setup is also promising for the price, with a main 50MP f/1.8 camera packing a depth sensor for portrait shots and joined by a 16MP selfie camera.

Elsewhere, the performance shouldn't differ radically from the Nothing Phone 2a, thanks to a MediaTek Dimensity 7300 chip and a 5,000mAh battery. The base storage is also 128GB, and it has IP52 water resistance, which means it'll be able to cope with the odd splash.

Perhaps most interestingly, the CMF Phone 1 also has a removable back cover. This means you can unscrew the stock one and replace it with other covers to give it a new look. Unfortunately, you can't swap out components like the battery, which means the Phone 1 doesn't go as far as the Fairphone, but it's a neat feature all the same.

You can pre-order the CMF Phone 1 from Nothing's website now in black, orange, or light green for $199 / £179 / AU$399 (for the 128GB / 8GB RAM version), with shipping expected from July 12. However, it's worth noting that the phone is being sold via a "beta program" in the US as it isn't yet fully optimized for US cellular networks.

If you're in the market for an affordable smartwatch or set of wireless earbuds, Nothing's CMF sub-brand might have you covered there, too. The CMF Watch Pro 2 is the sequel to last year's debut model. For reference, our CMF Watch Pro review concluded that it was "a great value smartwatch, but not perfect."

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