Nothing Unveils Modular Phone 1 With 120Hz OLED At A Shockingly Low $199

Nothing's budget brand CMF (Color, Material, Finish) has announced a phone that's priced so low that it seems too good to be true. If the not-at-all shabby CPU, display, and design doesn't bowl you over, maybe the $199 asking price might. However, as with most Nothing phone announcements here in the U.S., fans have to taper their optimism because the CMF Phone (1) will only be available via the limited "Beta Program".

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Of course, for those who don't mind the Beta Program's drawbacks (such as limited U.S. cell network support) or live in markets where the CMF Phone (1) will be widely available, like Europe and India, the phone presents a crazy strong case for itself. 

Right off the bat, the design is unique and modern. The rear cover has exposed screws for a reason: the back plate can be replaced with other colors, the disk on the bottom corner can be swapped out for different colors or replaced altogether with a lanyard loop or kickstand accessory, or users can slap a card case holder onto the back if wanted as well. If third-party manufacturers eat this idea up, these few accessory options may just be the tip of the iceberg. 

To meet the aggressive price point, certain corners were cut, with some more severe than others. Most drastic is probably the low IP52 dust-water resistance rating, followed by lack of NFC support. The Mediatek Dimensity 7300 5G processor is actually quite good, though, usually benchmarking stronger than the Snapdragon 7s Gen 2. CMF's Phone (1) does come with a small-ish 8GB of RAM (in both 128/256 GB storage configurations), but should be more than up to task for this kind of device.


Something not often found at this price is the 6.7-inch 120Hz Super AMOLED panel with 2000 max nits (700 nits typical). Sure, the refresh rate isn't fully dynamic, merely switching between 60HZ or 120Hz., but overall the 1080x2400 display is solid. 

The main camera is (ahem) nothing fancy, just a single f/1.8 Sony sensor coupled with a portrait depth sensor. At least there's 4K/30 fps video recording with EIS stabilization.

In terms of availability, the CMF Phone (1) is currently only sold in the 8/128 GB configuration for $200, along with two accessories add-ons: the case ($35) and stand ($25). Again, this is a Beta testing device, therefore there are limitations to network use. For example, CDMA and Verizon 5G aren't supported.