Nothing Phone (4b) announced: Is this actually the CMF Phone 3?

(a) is followed by (b)

Nothing only started with the in March Telephone (4a) and Phone (4a) Pro Nothing has revamped its mid-range lineup. Both devices made a convincing impression in our test and already cover the segment that many buyers associate with an affordable Nothing smartphone. With the Phone (4b), Nothing is now creating another category, and that's precisely what raises questions.

The most obvious explanation is likely far less sensational than many of the current speculations. Nothing could simply replace the "Lite" designation with the Phone (4b), a designation the company only introduced with the Phone (3a) Lite. Instead of a "Lite" model within the "a" series, the most affordable device class would then have its own identity within the product family. This would also make the naming scheme much more consistent.

Phone (4b) = CMF Phone 3?

Nevertheless, most of the current discussions revolve around a different question. Just a few weeks ago, Nothing announced that there will be no CMF Phone 3 in 2026 due to rising memory prices. As a result, speculation is already rife on social media and Reddit as to whether the phone (4b) was originally planned as the CMF Phone 3 and will now be released under the main Nothing brand.

This theory cannot be entirely dismissed. After all, Nothing is positioning the new "b" series as a particularly accessible entry point into its own ecosystem – an area previously covered primarily by CMF.

However, there are also good reasons to remain skeptical. CMF is far more than just a budget-friendly Nothing brand. With its striking colors, modular concepts, and distinctive design language, the sub-brand has consciously set itself apart from the rather minimalist Nothing brand identity. Precisely for this reason, it seems unlikely that Nothing would simply replace the brand with a new set of letters.

However, another scenario is conceivable. It's possible that a device originally planned for CMF evolved too much in the direction of the Nothing design language during development and ultimately fit better into the main portfolio than into the standalone CMF world. Whether this is actually the case, however, cannot currently be proven.

What Nothing ultimately intends to do with the "b" series will be revealed in the coming weeks. Aside from a short sketch teaser, there are no official details about the production design yet.