The CMF Phone 1, recognized for its unique design, was anticipated to be straightforward to repair. Yet, a recent teardown by PBKreviews reveals a more complex reality. While the phone's distinctive back cover is easy to remove, accessing and repairing the internal components proves more challenging than initially thought.
The back cover is secured with four flathead screws and an "Accessory Point" knob, avoiding the usual adhesive method. Unscrewing these allows the plastic back to pop off, but getting to the battery involves further steps that could invalidate the warranty.
Warranty Concerns
A thin protective layer must be peeled back to reach the battery, a step PBKreviews strongly advises against as it voids the warranty. Following this, twelve Phillips screws with tamper-evident stickers need to be removed. These stickers act as another deterrent to ensure the warranty remains intact, highlighting the phone’s less-than-ideal repairability. The top portion of the back cover contains the camera lenses and antennas.
Motherboard Access
Eventually, the motherboard, which includes the front and back cameras, chipset, RAM, storage, and various sensors, is accessible. However, the battery remains difficult to reach due to a concealed screw beneath the Accessory Point. Only after removing this hidden screw can the battery be extracted using dedicated pull tabs.
PBKreviews ultimately gives the CMF Phone 1 a moderate repairability score of 6.5 out of 10. The hidden battery screw and tamper stickers on easily accessible screws introduce unnecessary complications for repairs. Moreover, the plastic covers over the motherboard and speaker assembly are harder to remove compared to other smartphones.
Final Thoughts
In summary, while the CMF Phone 1 makes a minor advancement towards repairability with its easily accessible back cover screws, hidden components and warranty-voiding steps mean that independent repairs are still a challenging task.
