CMF Phone 1: Affordable, Durable, But Not Easily Repairable

CMF Phone 1's Durability and Repairability Tested by "Smartphone Destroyer" [VIDEO]

Popular tech YouTuber Zack Nelson, known for his channel JerryRigEverything, put the new CMF Phone 1 through its paces in his latest durability and teardown video. Nelson wanted to see how the company managed to create such an affordable phone without sacrificing build quality. While impressed by its durability, he found the phone lacking in repairability despite its removable back cover.

Tough Screen, Durable Design

The CMF Phone 1 boasts surprisingly robust screen protection. Although the exact type of glass remains undisclosed by CMF, it withstood scratches from picks up to level 5 on the Mohs Hardness Scale, with scratches only appearing at level 6. This suggests that the screen protection rivals the durability of Corning's Gorilla Glass. A removable plastic back cover protects the phone's sides, while the power and volume buttons are reassuringly metallic, as confirmed by Nelson's trusty razor blade test. Similarly, the camera bump features a metal frame, and the camera lenses themselves proved resistant to scratches.

The display withstood 20 seconds of direct flame exposure before showing any signs of damage. However, the phone truly impressed in the bend test. Bending the phone from the screen side yielded no flex, while attempting to bend it from the back resulted in only a slight bend near the volume buttons, which quickly disappeared upon release. This rigidity is particularly impressive considering the phone's plastic construction.

Repairability: Not So Modular After All

After the durability tests, Nelson removed the back cover to assess the phone's internals. Attempting to bend the panel separately caused it to snap easily at the thin sections near the button cutouts. He also discovered that the battery is not user-replaceable and bears a warning sticker stating that disassembly voids the warranty. This led Nelson to conclude that the phone's "modularity" doesn't extend to user repairability, a sentiment echoed by other tech reviewers.

Despite the warning, standard screws (though not removable with the proprietary CMF screwdriver) reside beneath the sticker. The rest of the phone disassembles like a typical smartphone: plastic panels at the top and bottom conceal the motherboard and charging port flex cable, respectively. A pull tab aids battery removal, revealing a vapor chamber beneath for heat dissipation. The bottom board houses the charging port and SIM card slot, while a generous application of thermal paste on the motherboard ensures optimal cooling.

A "Steal" Despite Repairability Concerns

Despite the CMF Phone 1's shortcomings in user repairability, Nelson praised the device as a "steal" for its combination of features and affordability. He speculated that CMF might be selling the phone at a loss or near break-even to gain market share.