Nothing is cancelling the CMF Phone 3 Pro, with no replacement planned for the budget line this year, as soaring memory prices make it impossible to build a worthwhile successor at an affordable price.
Co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced the decision in a post on X, writing: "A lot of you have been asking when the next CMF Phone is coming and as always we'd rather be transparent.
CMF Phone 2 Pro was a product we were incredibly proud of.
It even won Budget Phone of the Year from MKBHD and the response from all of you made it even more special.
Building a CMF Phone 3 Pro with specifications matching its predecessor would reportedly now cost the equivalent of $360 to $420, compared with the CMF Phone 2 Pro's original launch price of around $230.
Nothing is cancelling the CMF Phone 3 Pro, with no replacement planned for the budget line this year, as soaring memory prices make it impossible to build a worthwhile successor at an affordable price.
Co-founder Akis Evangelidis announced the decision in a post on X, writing: "A lot of you have been asking when the next CMF Phone is coming and as always we'd rather be transparent. CMF Phone 2 Pro was a product we were incredibly proud of. It even won Budget Phone of the Year from MKBHD and the response from all of you made it even more special. We were working on a successor but with memory prices where they are right now, we can't build a phone that feels like a genuine step forward at a price that makes sense for CMF."
The core problem is a historic surge in DRAM and NAND flash prices, which now account for more than half of a smartphone's total bill of materials, up from a typical 10 to 15 per cent. Building a CMF Phone 3 Pro with specifications matching its predecessor would reportedly now cost the equivalent of $360 to $420, compared with the CMF Phone 2 Pro's original launch price of around $230. Rather than ship an overpriced or feature-identical device, Nothing chose to scrap the project altogether.
The pressure is not confined to Nothing. CEO Carl Pei said memory costs for the mid-range Phone (4a) doubled between the device's development and launch, and have doubled again since, calling memory "the most expensive component in a smartphone." Apple chief executive Tim Cook has likewise warned of forthcoming price rises, describing the situation as unsustainable.
Industry analysts point to AI data centres as a major driver, with such facilities consuming the bulk of global DRAM and NAND supply and pushing consumer device manufacturers further down the allocation queue. Forecasts suggest memory costs could rise by as much as 130 per cent by the end of the year, potentially pushing smartphone prices up by around 13 per cent across UK and US markets.
Despite the cancellation, Evangelidis insisted CMF still has plans for 2026, including new products and "entirely new categories," though no specifics have been confirmed.
