The archive · Product Ideas · Product decision · 2024
CMF Phone 1 (2024): a $199 phone made modular with screws, not electronics
Nothing's budget sub-brand CMF sells a $199 phone whose back panel screws off, so users swap covers, bolt on accessories and 3D-print their own parts.
Nothing Technology · CMF by Nothing
What it had to solve
Budget phones compete on specs alone, while earlier modular phones such as Moto Mods and Project Ara failed because their electronics made accessories expensive and fragile. CMF, Nothing's budget sub-brand, wanted a $199 device that made personalizing a phone feel fun again.
How it works
On July 8, 2024, CMF by Nothing launched the CMF Phone 1, a $199 Android phone with a radical twist: the back panel is attached with visible stainless-steel screws. Taking it off reveals the battery and internals, and each replacement cover ships with its own micro screwdriver, screws and a color-matched SIM tray.
Where earlier modular phones such as Moto Mods and Project Ara bet on magnetic or electronic add-ons, CMF deliberately went low-tech. There are no pogo pins, no bespoke connectors — just screws. The round Accessory Point in the bottom-right corner accepts a lanyard, a wallet or a kickstand, and the design keeps the phone splash-resistant while costing the same as a normal budget slab.
The cleverest move came after launch: CMF published the 3D CAD files for the rear panel, so anyone could design accessories and print them at home. Android Authority's writer used them to print a camera grip in hours, and a Maker World competition surfaced community designs ranging from Lego-brick backs to gamepad grips, a Buds holster and even a folding fan.
Reviewers framed it as the first modular phone that made sense at scale: The Verge called it "proof that gadgets can still be fun," while Android Authority argued that open-sourcing the panel design effectively guaranteed the phone a long accessory life even if CMF changed the layout later.
Why it lands
- Screws cost almost nothing and keep the phone at a $199 price, where expensive modular electronics could never survive.
- Swappable hardware gives buyers a reason to engage with the phone again, turning customization from a case purchase into a hobby.
- Shipping a screwdriver with every panel removes the fear of taking a phone apart — it is designed to be opened.
- Releasing the CAD files shifted accessory production from the company to the community, multiplying the ecosystem for free.
- Keeping modularity mechanical rather than electronic preserves durability and repairability instead of adding failure points.
What it did
The Verge called it "proof that gadgets can still be fun," and Android Authority dubbed it "the semi-modular phone done right." Within weeks the community had printed Lego-brick backs, gamepad-style grips, a Buds holster and a folding fan, and the screw-based system carried into the 2025 CMF Phone 2 lineup.
What you can take
Modularity fails when it means expensive electronics; made from screws, it becomes cheap enough for a $199 phone and open enough that the community builds the accessory ecosystem for you.
Since then
The CMF Phone 1 sold globally from July 2024 and its community grew around the open back-panel design, with 3D-printed accessories quickly appearing from independent makers. In 2025, CMF carried the screw-based modular system into the Phone 2 and Phone 2 Pro, letting buyers attach accessories and design their own parts with the same approach, cementing modularity as the sub-brand's signature rather than a one-off stunt.
Sources
- Nothing's CMF Phone 1 is proof that gadgets can still be fun
- The CMF Phone 1's modular approach made tech fun again for me
- CMF Phone 1
- CMF Phone 2 Pro: Modular marvel pushes budget boundaries
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