Budget gadgets are usually stuck with drab designs and lackluster specs, a challenge Nothing’s sub-brand CMF has decided to take on. The relatively new offshoot from Nothing focuses on the relatively new offshoot from Nothing focuses on the extreme lower end of the market and has until now sold a smartwatch, wireless earbuds, and chargers, Wired reported.
Today marks its first smartphone, the CMF Phone 1, becoming available in the US through a beta program. It’s accompanied by unique accessories, plus the new Buds Pro 2 and Watch Pro 2.
According to Wired, a Nothing spokesperson said: “We do not provide battery parts to users and do not encourage users to remove the battery. We have marked warnings on the PET film reminding users not to remove the battery.”
The Verge reported CMF, Nothing’s budget-conscious but still extremely style-driven sub brand is shipping its first phone, the aptly named Phone 1. While it shares a name and an operating system with Nothing’s first own-brand phone, it comes to the table with a new modular approach to phone customizations.
The concept is simple: It’s a phone, but the back panel comes off so you can swap it with a different one. Each replacement comes with everything you need for the job, including its own little screwdriver, screws, and a color-matched SIM tray.
There’s also a round accessory port cover in the bottom corner of the phone. Although it resembles the control dial in CMF’s neckband earbuds, it doesn’t offer any functional use aside from protecting the accessory port. At launch, CMF will offer three accessories: a lanyard, a wallet, and a kickstand, each $25 and an eye-catching orange color.
Those are all sold separately, as are the colorful replacement back panels, which are $35 each. In the box, you get a thoroughly respective budget Android phone 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 black panel installed; other options include orange, light green, and blue.
9to5 Google reported: Alongside its $199 CMF Phone 1, Nothing today launched two new wearables — the $69 CMF Watch Pro 2 and the $59 CMF Buds Pro 2.
CMF by Nothing is a design and budget-focused sub-brand of the Carl Pei-led startup. The brand debuted last year, primarily showcasing a pair of earbuds and a smartwatch. Now, we’re getting sequels to those products.
The CMF Buds Pro 2 are direct sequels to the Buds Pro. The updated product delivers upgrades Active Noise Cancellation at up to 50db as well as a better sound quality. The physical design is very similar, but with a new case that includes a physical dial. The dial is able to control the volume of the earbuds, activate a voice assistant, and control noise cancellation too.
Like their predecessors, these come at an affordable cost, launching for $59 in the US. They’ll be sold via Amazon eventually, but are shipping first from CMF’s website starting July 12.
In my opinion, the Nothing company appears to be trying to give consumers smartphones that they are in an affordable price range. It’s nice to see a company make phones that are less expensive.