The pursuit of modularity in smartphones isn’t new. As far back as 2010, I remember being wowed by the Modu T and its jackets that added features like a 5MP camera or a power bank to the not-quite-smartphone. A few years later, Moto Mods were just as impressive with their ability to add a power Hasselblad camera, a mini projector, or a full-fledged JBL speaker to the back of the phone. However, while concepts like the Moto Mods, LG G5 Friends, Project Ara, or Phonebloks appealed to tinkerers and enthusiasts like me, the modular phone has been, by all measures, a failure.
CMF’s approach to modular smartphones might just succeed where larger players failed.
But like fashion, most tech trends are cyclical in nature, and Nothing’s affordable sub-brand CMF has brought back modularity with its own spin on it. Can CMF win the tinkerer in me when even the best smartphone brands stumbled or failed? I think so.