Nothing officially unveils CMF Phone 1 with brand-new gimmick

Nothing has officially unveiled the CMF Phone 1. The company hasn’t revealed the exact launch date of the smartphone, but has shown off a new gimmick.

Nothing took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter), to confirm it will be launching a new smartphone called the CMF Phone 1. As the name suggests, this phone won’t be announced under the Nothing brand, but its spin-off brand, CMF.

The London-based startup hasn’t revealed many details about the phone, but the wording of the announcement post suggests it will be a budget phone.

“Introducing CMF Phone 1. Wonderful by design. Leveraging @nothing’s innovation and meticulous attention to design, it serves as a wonderful entry point to our entire product ecosystem. As others overlook this category, we’re giving it our full attention,” said Nothing.

The announcement poster for the new phone shows a corner of the device with a circular knob, similar to the one on Nothing’s CMF earbuds.

On the earbuds, the knob is just a fidget toy, but we hope it has some real functionality on the phone. The CMF Phone 1 is pictured in a bright orange color option. Nothing might announce more colorways during the launch.

Nothing says it’s giving the phone its “full attention.” We might see some unique features on the phone, including a new “Nothing Lock” for exclusive accessories. One thing is clear from the teaser: the phone doesn’t have a semi-transparent back like we saw on previous Nothing phones.

Instead, it appears to have a vegan leather back. This makes sense considering the CMF Phone 1 is going to be budget-friendly, and adding glass to the back would only increase the price. A 91Mobiles report suggests the CMF Phone 1 will be priced at around $143.

It’s unclear if the phone will debut in the US. The CMF Buds were made available in the States, but Nothing skipped the Phone 2a.