Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Which is the better budget smartphone?
Nothing's sub-brand CMF has launched its first phone globally, and today, we do a Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE comparison. The CMF Phone 1 is an interesting budget option for 2024, as it comes with an interchangeable back design and multiple accessories support. Moreover, its sole focus isn't on providing customizations as the phone comes with decent hardware with Nothing's bloat-free user interface.
On the contrary, the only iPhone that is priced close to this smartphone currently is the iPhone SE (2022). Apple also has its perks as the company is known to offer multiple years of software updates and hardware that is built to last.
That said, Apple's ecosystem and OS services with good hardware are only available to those who can't afford to spend over a thousand dollars on a new phone. Therefore, a Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE showdown makes a lot of sense right now to see which budget device reigns supreme in 2024.
Note: This article is subjective and solely reflects the writer's opinion.
Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Which budget device should you buy?
Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Overall specifications
The Apple iPhone SE is usually available at a price of less than $250 in the used market. However, a brand new iPhone SE is currently retailing for $400 for the base 64GB storage model.
On the other hand, the Nothing CMF Phone 1 is currently available for $199. This phone also has a higher 5,000mAh battery in comparison to the paltry 2,018 mAh battery on the iPhone SE. This ensures that you get up to eight hours of screen time with the Phone 1, whereas the iPhone SE manages to last for less than five to six hours, depending upon your usage.
Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Performance
The phones come with completely different processors, meaning that they differ the most in the performance department. The CMF Phone 1 features the newly launched MediaTek Dimensity 7300 5G chipset, whereas the Apple iPhone SE comes with the A15 Bionic SoC.
The A15 bionic chipset also powers older flagship Apple smartphones such as the Apple iPhone 13 Pro, 13 Pro Max, iPhone 14, and iPhone 14 Plus. It has high-performing six cores, which give it an edge over the eight low-performance cores of the Dimensity 7300.
As you can see from the above table, the iPhone SE performs much better than the new CMF Phone, and the margin is quite big. The two big Avalanche cores of the A15 Bionic clocked at 3.23GHz and the four-core Apple GPU give it a big performance boost. Additionally, the NVMe storage on the iPhone SE helps in better management of multiple apps, compared to slower UFS 2.2 storage on the CMF Phone 1.
Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Camera
The Apple iPhone SE comes with a single 12MP camera. It can capture highly detailed photos and videos under most lighting conditions. On the other hand, the CMF Phone 1 has a 50MP main camera sensor with a 2MP depth camera sensor.
Based on samples, we can see that the iPhone SE tends to perform better with wide shots with high details while maintaining the natural color tones of the image. It also manages to click good photos in low light.
The CMF Phone 1 also clicks good images under direct sunlight or daytime. However, in low lighting conditions, the smartphone struggles to generate enough detail in the shadow area and also fails to maintain the color science. The iPhone SE still manages to click better photos, even though it comes without a dedicated Night Mode, like other modern iPhones.
The video capabilities on both options are average. However, Apple has provided up to 4K 60fps video recording ability on the iPhone SE with OIS (optical image stabilization) support, which shoots shake-free videos. On the other hand, the CMF Phone 1 struggles to shoot good shake-free videos, as it only has gyro-EIS support.
Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE: Final Verdict
Overall, in this comparison of the Nothing CMF Phone 1 vs Apple iPhone SE, we feel the CMF Phone 1 with its cheaper price tag, is the better phone for most budget users, especially those who love a big screen display and high-performing battery life. The Apple iPhone SE is probably the cheapest and the only budget iPhone you can find right now, but its mediocre battery life and small display ruin the experience of most smartphone enthusiasts.
The only saving grace is the high performance of the A15 chipset and the single 12MP camera. So, if you can get a good refurbished or renewed deal at under $200, the phone can be considered if you want a reliable Apple device.
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