What you need to know
- Akis Evangelidis, co-founder of Nothing, said at X that CMF won’t make the Phone 3 Pro this year because RAM prices will skyrocket.
- The company says it can’t build a true successor to the CMF name that feels like “a real step forward at a reasonable price.”
- Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, has made similar statements in the past about how much higher RAM (thanks to AI) can hinder smartphones and drive consumers into a corner, and he’s done it again with Evangelidis.
Earlier this morning (June 19), the co-founder of Nothing wanted to be transparent about CMF’s phone line as consumers question a Pro successor.
Co-founder Akis Evangelidis On X set out with CMF Phone 2 Pro definition. CMF is the company’s budget line and the device has reportedly been well received. However, consumers have been wondering about the upcoming CMF Phone 3 Pro, and Evangelidis says that’s not happening in 2026. He says, “We’ve been working on a successor, but at current memory prices, we can’t make a phone that feels like a real step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF.”
Evangelidis adds: “As a result, we decided not to release a new CMF phone this year.”
Staying true to CMF’s branding is key to Nothing. Their post emphasizes that they’d rather produce something they’re “not proud of” than do something for the sake of doing something. CMF is budget conscious, but it can’t stick to those ideals if RAM prices force it to increase its costs to consumers. Nothing’s co-founder seems to blame the ram shortage on the smartphone industry, and Nothing CEO Carl Pei, based on that story.
“Memory is now the most expensive component of a smartphone,” Pei said forcefully. According to his information, the RAM makes up 50% of the technical equipment of the phone. It reports that RAM prices have doubled Phone 4a launched in March and now they have “doubled again since then”. Pei adds that the rate of increase in RAM prices has exceeded his previous expectations, and next year could result in even higher phone prices.
A conscious decision
The time for transparency of nothing is a little unfortunate because we just passed it (alleged) CMF Phone 3 Pro leak end of last month. Those rumors said the next Pro edition was “delayed” but still on the way as details emerged. What emerged was not MediaTek’s Dimensity line, but a budget phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4. In addition, rumors said that nothing could power the phone with a 5400 or 5500mAh battery and a 50MP camera.
However, it looks like we’ll have to officially put those rumors to rest as the co-founder of Nothing has come out with a statement.
Interestingly, Evangelidis says that while CMF is still working on “a few new products” this year (probably not a phone), the main Nothing line also has “more to come.” So far, we’ve seen rumors of a Nothing Ear 3a in the works, but as Carl Pein says, there’s more in the pipeline. Apple will steal their customers“one bored iPhone user at a time.”
Android Central’s Take
CMF by Nothing, or rather CMF these days, has positioned itself as a budget line that doesn’t feel like a drastic compromise for consumers. It is a brand that is well-received by consumers and Nothing is eager to spoil that. If you’re used to an affordable device (whatever that means to you) and then prices go up 50% or more, you’re not suddenly bitten. It’s probably bad to not offer something else where so many people are waiting, but it’s a decision based on the market climate.
