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Nothing CMF Phone is a RAMageddon casualty, memory now the most expensive component

Nothing’s CMF Phone series has released two models thus far and, at least for now, won’t be getting a third, as the rising cost of materials has essentially left the series dead in the water.

The CMF Phone series has been building budget-focused smartphones that, as we’ve noted in our hands-on coverage, have been very good values.

But, as has been clear, the rising costs of components, especially RAM, is impacting budget devices more than anything else. And, as a result, the CMF Phone is dead, at least for this year.

Nothing co-founder and the man behind the CMF Phone series, Akis Evangelidis, confirmed on Twitter/X that the next CMF Phone release has been canceled, explaining in part:

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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. As a result, we’ve decided not to launch a new CMF phone this year.

In a later reply, he adds that launching a device with the exact same specs as CMF Phone 2 Pro would cost around 50% more in today’s market. The CMF Phone 2 Pro has been out of stock for quite some time, presumably due to the inflated cost of materials.

This comes just days after Nothing CEO Carl Pei explained that RAM, memory, is now the single most expensive component in a smartphone build – that might vary depending on the device, but it’s still noteworthy as Pei says it outprices the processor, display, and can account for “more than 50% of the total hardware bill.”

Seeing as there’s no end in sight to RAMageddon, it seems unlikely that the CMF Phone will make a comeback anytime soon.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

Find him on Twitter @NexusBen. Send tips to schoon@9to5g.com or encrypted to benschoon@protonmail.com.