which is the better smartphone under Rs 20,000?

The Moto G85 is the latest mid-range offering from the company under Rs 20,000. It is a successor to the Moto G84 and offers considerable upgrades in hardware specifications. However, in this price range, the first phone from the Nothing sub-brand, the CMF Phone 1, is a worthy competitor to the Moto G84. 

In this article, we’ll compare the Moto G85 with the CMF Phone 1 to determine which phone would better suit your needs.

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: specs at a glance

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: price in India

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: design

The Moto G85 has a vegan leather finish and features the brand logo in the middle of the back panel. However, unlike the other colourways, the Urban Grey shade features a matte finish. It houses a rectangular camera island that blends with the rear panel in a slope. The camera sensor rings protrude outside the phone’s body and will likely cause it to wobble when resting on a flat surface. 

The CMF Phone 1, on the other hand, took a page from Motorola’s playbook. It comes with interchangeable back panels, similar to the first-gen Moto G-series. Besides this, it also has a wheel at the bottom, which you can swap with attaching accessories like a card holder, lanyard, or kickstand. It has a pill-shaped camera island without any bump, so the device won’t wobble on a flat surface. 

While the design is subjective, both devices have an IP 52 rating, and neither is suitable for use in rain. 

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: display

The Moto G85 has a curved display with Corning Gorilla Glass 5 protection, compared to CMF Phone 1’s flat screen with no protection. While they both have the same display size, resolution, and refresh rate, the CMF Phone 1 has a better AMOLED panel than the Moto G85’s pOLED panel.  

Another key difference is the Phone 1’s LTPS panel vs G85’s standard screen. Thanks to the LTPS technology, the display will draw less power than the standard panel. Moreover, the CMF Phone 1 has an adaptive refresh rate, meaning it adjusts the refresh rate according to the content displayed on the screen to lower power consumption.

 The choice comes down to your preference: a better viewing experience or a curved screen with protection. 

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: performance

The Moto G85 comes with the newly launched Qualcomm Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 SoC at the helm. While we haven’t tested this SoC or the Moto G85, the Snapdragon 6s Gen 3 is said to be almost the same as the Snapdragon 695. 

We already know how well the CMF Phone 1 performances with its MediaTek Dimensity 7300 SoC. It’s undoubtedly the more powerful processor among the two. However, the Moto G85 ships with up to 12GB, while the CMF Phone 1 maxes at 8GB RAM. The 4G RAM boost will be noticeable while multitasking or switching between heavy apps. You do get an 8GB RAM booster with the CMF Phone 1, making it a total of 16GB RAM, but it’s virtual RAM and not as effective as physical RAM.  

Besides this, the Moto G85 also offer more internal storage options than the CMF Phone 1. However, you can expand the storage up to 2TB on the CMF Phone 1 with a MicroSD card. 

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: cameras

The Moto G85 has the numbers in the camera department. It also has an advantage with OIS compared to EIS support on CMF Phone 1. 

While both devices feature a 50MP primary camera, The Moto G85 has a better secondary shooter and front snapper. However, the secondary shooter on both devices serves a different purpose. 

The Moto G85 has an 8MP ultrawide lens, suitable for capturing wider scenes and landscape shots. On the other hand, the CMF Phone 1 has a 2MP depth shooter, which is ideal for adding depth to the subject and a blurry effect to the rest of the image. 

However, the CMF Phone 1 offers video capturing up to 4K resolution at 30fps compared to Moto G85’s Full-HD resolution at 60fps. For selfies and video chats, the Moto G85 with a 32MP shooter is a better pick over the CMF Phone 1 with a 16MP snapper. 

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: battery and charging

It’s a tie in the battery and charging department. Both phones pack a 5,000mAh battery under the hood and support 33W charging. However, the Moto G85 comes with a power adapter inside the box, while you have to buy the charger separately with the CMF Phone 1. 

Besides this, the CMF Phone 1 also supports 5W reverse charging, meaning you can charge an additional device using the phone. During our testing, the CMF Phone 1 lasted 15 hours and 11 minutes in the PCMark battery test, and it took the device nearly an hour to achieve a full charge. 

Since the Moto G85 also offers the same battery capacity and charging speed, expect a similar battery life and charging time as the CMF Phone 1. 

Moto G85 vs CMF Phone 1: software

Both Moto G85 and CMF Phone 1 run on Android 14 out of the box. However, the Moto G85 offers a stock Android experience, while the CMF Phone 1 gives the option between Android’s Material UI and NothingOS themes. Neither of the devices comes pre-loaded with heavy bloatware, but you will find a few pre-installed third-party apps on both phones. You can remove the unwanted apps from both devices for a cleaner software experience.

While the Moto G85 doesn’t have any AI features, the CMF Phone 1 has ChatGPT integration. Both devices will receive two years of Android OS updates, but the Moto G85 will receive an additional year of security patches (four years) rather than the CMF Phone 1 (three years). 

Verdict

Both devices have their own set of perks in different aspects. The Moto G85 offers a better camera setup, more RAM and internal storage, an additional year of security patches, and comes with a charger. On the other hand, the CMF Phone 1 features a more powerful SoC, better display technology, user expandable storage option, 4K video capture, AI features, and a reverse charging option, along with a customisable design. 

The choice comes down to your preferences. If you want a curved display, better cameras, more RAM and storage, go with the Moto G85. However, if you require more performance, advanced display technology, and AI features, the CMF Phone 1 is a better pick.