Nothing has announced the launch of a new sub-brand called CMF by Nothing, offering more affordable devices with the company's signature minimalist design.
The announcement came during Nothing's latest Community Quarterly Update video by founder Carl Pei. He explained that CMF by Nothing aims "to make better design more accessible to a wider group of consumers."
While Nothing's main product line focuses on premium components and performance, CMF by Nothing will concentrate on "clean and timeless design" without the premium price tag, according to Pei.
The first CMF by Nothing products - a pair of earbuds and a smartwatch - are slated for release later this year. The sub-brand will operate under the Nothing umbrella but have its dedicated team.
Carl Pei also reported that the company recently raised $96 million in funding, likely to help expand its workforce and develop products for CMF by Nothing.
In the Community Quarterly Update video, Pei said:
We believe that we can make good design more democratic and impact more people. We’re a very design-led organization, so that same high quality, high standard design is going to be seen both in Nothing and CMF by Nothing. We’re also a user-experience-led company, so we want the products to not just look good, but work really well.
The move seems inspired by Xiaomi's Redmi and Poco budget brand lines, which opened up Xiaomi devices to a broader consumer base. With CMF by Nothing, the company may similarly be trying to appeal to more price-conscious shoppers.
In case you missed it, Nothing's first product was the Ear (1) wireless earbuds launched last year, priced at $99. Its recent product, Phone (2), costs $599, aiming for an affordable premium price point.
The phone features a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 1080 x 2412 resolution and an adaptive refresh rate of up to 120Hz. Also, Phone (2) is powered by the Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 SoC and comes with either 8GB or 12GB of RAM and 128GB / 256GB / 512GB of storage.
The CMF by Nothing launch suggests Nothing wants to cover both the high-end and budget segments within tech devices. More details are expected later this year as the sub-brands first products get closer to launch.
