This Modular Phone Is A Gimmick - Nothing CMF - Teardown and Repair Assessment

They could've of made a really repairable phone but didn't.
----------------------------------------iTest---------------------------------------
Easily test hardware functionality and device specifications with iTest
--------------------------------------Socials-------------------------------------
---------------------------------------Links---------------------------------------
Get parts, tools and repair guides at iFixit:

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(DISCLAIMER: This description contains affiliate links, which means that if you click on one of the product links, l will receive a small commission.)

[jozsefizsak]

Void if removed stickers are absolutely illegal in the US. Denying warranty coverage requires proving that the device was damaged, not just opened or serviced. That doesn't stop companies from continuing to use them and declare that the policy will be rigidly enforced, of course.

[MinManMoo]

Gonna start calling myself modular and when people ask what does that mean I just excuse myself for a minute and come back with different clothes.

[panagiotispappas]

It would be cool if they made the battery easily removable since you can already remove the back cover. And it’s not like the phone is going to disassemble like Legos when dropped because it has literal screws holding it on! But no, it’s 2024 and nothing has to be easily replaceable anymore I guess.
:(

[brianbuddyACP]

IDK about the laws in Australia, but in the US, those "warranty void if removed" stickers are meaningless. Why? There's a law in the US called the Magnuson Moss Warranty Act, which I'll shorten to MMWA for the rest of this comment. Anyways, the MMWA bars device manufactures from denying you warranty service solely because the sticker is broken. It also prohibits them from denying you service for one thing because you modified something else unrelated to the first thing. If that's confusing, here's an example. Say you have a smartphone, and you break the screen and replace it yourself, then, later down the line, a board level problem comes up, and the device is still in warranty. The company can't deny repair or replacement of the board/device because the screen was replaced. People will claim the stickers themselves are illegal, which is a little bit of a misnomer. It's actually the act of voiding the warranty from breaking them that's illegal, not the stickers themselves. I'd simply call the stickers meaningless. They can try all they want to say they can deny you warranty service if you break the sticker, but in actuality, they can't. Again, these are the laws in the US, and will vary if you're outside there.
Edit: Corrected the name of the law since it was wrong the first time.

[NateT]

If I recall correctly they never marketed the phone as modular or easily repairable.
They just want to sell more covers and accessories.

[harryroesser]

Wow! They had one hell of a missed opportunity if only if they do it with their next phone that would be amazing! But great job!

[Random_]

Honestly the specs seem damn good for the price. Assuming you get a decent length of software updates it seems like a good phone as far as the phone itself is considered.

But it will never make sense to me why they implemented a removable back in this day and age but didn't make the battery user removable 😂

[MilesProwerTailsFox]

This phone was heavily advertised as "100% repairable" in mexico and the ads where taken down by the authorities (physical ads)

[crystalthewolf]

the nice thing about the modular bit is you can change the colour of your phone at will if you get bored of it, and cmf has released a template to 3d print back casings and accessories for the phone 1.

[raygomez]

The CMF Phone 1 missed a few major points that would have made it a best seller. A user replaceable battery, stereo speakers and (the real deal breaker in many regions like europe) no NFC so you can't set up contactless payment. Also most budget phones still feature a headphone jack, but I can sadly see they will eventually be phased out from all phones.

[cameronbosch]

"Interchangeable design" my ass! 😂

[peterthepanda]

A Nokia 3310 is way more modular than this. 😂😂😂

[corktail]

people make jokes about nothing by using the brand name a pun when the real joke is the phone

[TheBismrk]

This seems relatively manageable. Not having to fight with adhesive and glass is a big win in my eyes. last time I replaced my own phone battery, phones still had glued down metal unibodies.

[t.w.]

Lenovo K3 Note was truly modular. Had easy to remove rear cover, with several different rear covers available, including a subwoofer(!).. Loved mine to death. Went through 2 of them. Both "lemon yellow"..

[Alias_Anybody]

I never understood what is stopping them from designing a simple dedicated screw in "battery bracket", which, combined with a screwed down back and an accessible plug would make battery chance 10x easier (6-8 identical screws, no heat) even if you don't go for a hardshell design like Fairphone.

[Lost___Gamer]

Where haven’t nothing mentioned that this is modular? They just said you can swap back covers and add accessories. But I have to agree with you on the missed opportunity in making the battery removable.

[wade_county]

This phone isn't being marketed as a easily repairable phone. It's a phone to sell their accessories at a high margin.

[alexandru.eeeeee]

From just watching your videos, i learn how to repair phones.

[Dvlx]

It's a shame that the battery isn't user replaceable but I still feel that it's a very compelling phone at that price point. Decent specs, good screen and I think the OS is probably my favourite flavour of Android at the moment. I also think it's a pretty good looking phone but that's very subjective.