What you need to know
- Nothing’s founder, Akis Evangelidis, told X that CMF will not produce the Phone 3 Pro this year as RAM prices rise.
- The company says it can’t build a true successor that feels like “a real step forward at a reasonable price” for the CMF title.
- Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, has made similar statements in the past about how RAM (thanks to AI) can cripple smartphones and back consumers into a corner, and he has done so again alongside Evangelidis.
Earlier today (June 19), the founder of Nothing wanted to go public with the CMF phone line, as consumers asked about the successor to the Pro.
Founder Akis Evangelidis at X led with praise for CMF Phone 2 Pro. The CMF is the company’s budget line, and the device has reportedly been well received. However, consumers have been wondering about the successor, which would be the CMF Phone 3 Pro, and Evangelidis says that is not happening in 2026. He says, “We’ve been working on a successor, but with memory prices where they are now, we can’t build a phone that feels like a real step forward at a reasonable price for CMF.”
Evangelidis adds, “As a result, we have decided not to launch a new CMF phone this year.”
Staying true to CMF brands is the 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 oriented, but it can’t stick to those ideals if RAM prices force it to raise its costs to consumers. It seems that Nothing’s founder puts the blame entirely on the revenue generated by the lack of RAM in the smartphone industry, and Nothing’s CEO, Carl Pei, built on that narrative.
Pei leads strongly, saying, “Memory is now the most expensive component in a smartphone.” According to his data, RAM accounts for 50% of the phone’s hardware bill. He says RAM prices doubled when the Phone 4a launched in March, and now they’ve “doubled since then.” Pei added that the rate at which RAM prices have risen is beyond his previous expectations, and that next year could see even higher phone prices as a result.
A logical decision
The timing of Nothing’s reveal is unfortunate, considering we were just past the (alleged) CMF Phone 3 Pro leak late last month. That rumor said the next Pro version was “delayed,” but it was still on the way, as details emerged. What emerged was a budget phone with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 7s Gen 4, not MediaTek’s Dimensity line. Additionally, rumors say that None could upgrade the phone with a 5,400 or 5,500mAh battery and a 50MP camera.
However, it looks like we will have to officially put an end to these rumors since the founder of Nothing has come out with a statement.
Interestingly, Evangelidis says that while CMF is still working on “several new products” this year (mostly non-phone), the main Nothing line has “more to come,” as well. So far, we’ve seen rumors about the Nothing Ear 3a in the works, but it sounds like there’s more in the works, as Carl Pei says it’s going to steal Apple’s customers, the “time-bored iPhone user.”
Android Central Take
CMF by Nothing, or rather CMF these days, has positioned itself as a budget line that doesn’t sound like a big deal to consumers. It is a brand that is well received by consumers, and nothing is willing to break that. If you’re used to an affordable device (whatever that means to you), then prices go up by 50% or more, and suddenly, you don’t bite. It’s probably not a good idea not to deliver one that has so many people waiting for it, but this is a decision based on the market climate.