Why am I so Excited About a Budget Phone Launch?

Something strange has happened. For the first time probably ever, I’m genuinely excited about the upcoming launch of a budget smartphone.

The device in question is the CMF Phone 1 and I’m more intrigued by it than Samsung’s imminent Galaxy Z Flip 6 and Galaxy Z Fold 6 – I’ll tell you why.

To set the scene, CMF is the sub-brand of Nothing, a young challenger brand headed up by Carl Pei, a co-founder of OnePlus. Under the CMF by Nothing name, the firm offers cheaper and more colourful versions of its devices.

So far, we’ve seen devices including the CMF Watch Pro, a seriously cheap smartwatch, but the Phone 1 will be its first smartphone.

As far as specs go, the handset is rumoured to be like the Nothing Phone (2a), which means it will compete with the top cheap handsets with features like a 120Hz AMOLED screen, 50Mp camera and 33W charging, but it’s the design that’s caught my eye.

Budget smartphones, let’s face it, are boring, even though they serve an important purpose. However, the CMF Phone 1 looks set to be unlike any cheap blowers from the likes of Motorola, Samsung or otherwise.

We already know the Phone 1 will come in a bright orange design which in itself will help it stand out from the crowd. And the textured rear cover should be both grippier and avoid fingerprints compared to plastic or glass alternatives.

Most intriguing of all, though, is the dial on the corner, which the firm has given no hint to its use. “What does it do?” I wonder as I’m lying awake at night.

It could be for adjusting the volume, a way to scroll social media or web pages, or to zoom in when using the camera. It could be for all of these things and more, or it could potentially be for, ironically, nothing.

Maybe just something fun to play with like a built-in fidget spinner. Similar things have been seen in CMF designs already like the earbuds case and I personally love mindlessly spinning the case on the Nothing Ear (Stick).

CMF has confirmed that the dial on the CMF Buds Pro 2 case is “A customisable Smart Dial for intuitive sound control”, so fingers crossed the phone’s dial is something similar. The third circle in the middle of the teaser above, by the way, is for the CMF Watch Pro 2.

Although the back will understandably be lacking the glyph lights of the Nothing phones, it appears that the cover will be removable by way of a screw. As someone who loves to tinker, take things apart and see how they work, this brings me great joy.

It could also mean you can swap different colour rear covers (a black model has been teased) like the old days of the Nokia 3210 and even the possibility of a removable battery.

Whatever Nothing has in store for us with the CMF Phone 1, we don’t have long to find out. The smartphone will be unveiled on 8 July alongside the CMF Watch Pro 2 and CMF Buds Pro 2.