Nothing cancels CMF Phone 2 Pro successor as memory costs surge

Nothing has pulled the plug on a CMF Phone 2 Pro successor after a sharp jump in memory prices made the math work against its budget phone brand. Akis Evangelidis, Nothing’s co-founder, said the company had been developing a follow-up for 2026 but decided against launching it because current RAM and storage costs would not leave room for a meaningful upgrade at CMF’s price point.

The economics are stark. Evangelidis said a phone built to the same specification as the CMF Phone 2 Pro would cost roughly 50% more in today’s market. For a sub-brand built around aggressive pricing, that kind of inflation can erase the entire value proposition: either the phone becomes too expensive for its audience, or the company trims the parts that made the previous model stand out.

That matters because the CMF Phone 2 Pro had been one of the clearest budget wins in Nothing’s lineup. It launched on April 28, 2025, and reached sale around May 5 or May 6. In the United States, the 8GB/256GB model sold for $279, while an 8GB/128GB version appeared in some regions starting at £219. The device paired a Dimensity 7300 Pro chipset with a 5,000mAh battery, a 6.77-inch AMOLED display, and an Essential Key button tied to the Essential Space app. In India, it launched at Rs 18,999, and it won praise as a standout value buy, including MKBHD’s Budget Phone of the Year recognition.

The broader market pressure is now hitting that tier first. Nothing CEO Carl Pei said June 12, 2026, that RAM and storage now make up more than 50% of a smartphone’s total hardware bill, overtaking the processor and display. He also said memory costs for Nothing’s Phone (4a) more than doubled between design and launch, then doubled again. That kind of volatility leaves lower-cost phones especially exposed, because a small parts increase can force a large retail reset or a full product cancellation.

Nothing has not said it is abandoning CMF phones entirely. The company still plans other product launches and new categories later in 2026, but the decision to skip a successor to one of its best-regarded budget models shows how quickly the entry-level smartphone market can tighten when memory costs surge. For cost-conscious buyers, that can mean fewer choices and higher starting prices nationwide.