Budget-friendly smartphone brand CMF, a sub-brand of Nothing, has decided not to launch any new smartphone this year due to the sharp rise in global memory chip prices, according to the company’s co-founder Akis Evangelidis.

In a post on social media platform X, Evangelidis addressed customer inquiries about the next CMF smartphone, revealing that the company had been working on a successor to the CMF Phone Pro 2. However, soaring memory chip costs have made it impossible to deliver a meaningful upgrade while maintaining the brand’s signature affordability.

“Many people have asked when the next CMF phone is coming. We were working on the successor to Phone Pro 2, but given the current memory chip pricing, it’s simply not possible to build a genuinely improved device within CMF’s budget-friendly positioning. That’s why we’ve decided not to launch a new phone this year,” he wrote.

Industry analysts say the rapid expansion of artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure worldwide has pushed semiconductor manufacturers to allocate much of their production capacity to chips used in AI data centers. As a result, the supply of memory chips for smartphones and personal computers has tightened significantly, creating a market situation widely referred to as “RAMageddon.”

The memory shortage has already prompted concerns across the technology sector. Major manufacturers such as Apple and Samsung Electronics have indicated that future device prices could increase due to rising component costs. Market research firm International Data Corporation (IDC) has also projected that global PC shipments could decline by nearly 10 percent this year as a consequence of higher chip prices.

CMF launched its flagship Phone Pro 2 in April last year. The device was promoted as the company’s thinnest and lightest smartphone to date. A few months later, Nothing announced that CMF would operate as a more independent subsidiary, with its headquarters relocated to India, currently the brand’s largest market.

Despite shelving plans for a new smartphone in 2026, Evangelidis offered some reassurance to CMF fans. He said the company is preparing several new gadgets and products in entirely new categories, which are expected to be unveiled later this year.

DBTech/BMT/OR