The smartphone market might seem saturated with many excellent options, but the smartwatch market is a different story. While Samsung creates some of the best smartwatches, and even Google has tried to enter the field with its Pixel Watch, options for Android smartphones have been surprisingly limited. That scenario, however, might be on the verge of change.
Carl Pei, founder of the London-based brand Nothing, today announced the launch of a new sub-brand called CMF by Nothing. He says CMF by Nothing will focus on delivering products with better designs that are “more accessible to a wider group of consumers.” Although specific details were not provided, Carl mentioned that CMF by Nothing will target the affordable value segment all the while maintaining superior design and user experience.
The brand will be part of the Nothing umbrella, just like how POCO is under Xiaomi. They even share the same “DNA”, focusing on providing high-quality design and delivering a high-level user experience. The primary distinction, however, lies in Nothing continuing as the flagship brand, offering premium products, while CMF by Nothing will concentrate on affordability, making products accessible to everyone.
The initial lineup includes a smartwatch and a pair of true wireless earbuds – the same product that Nothing initially debuted with. We expect the CMF earbuds to cost less than the flagship Nothing Ear 2 earbuds, but more details will be unveiled in the coming months. For the official announcement, you can check out the following YouTube video (starting at 8:46).
Echoes of OnePlus’ Nord
The whole move of Nothing launching a budget-friendly sub-brand reminds us of how Carl Pei introduced the Nord brand under OnePlus. Although it comes a bit earlier than expected – just about two years after Nothing’s first Ear 1 earbuds, while OnePlus introduced Nord nearly six years after launching their first OnePlus One.
We can’t really comment anything on the move right now — given that there are no products available yet, it appears that Carl Pei aims to expand the presence of Nothing products or affiliated brands in the market. And the best way to generate interest for a new brand, as it’s often done, is to go the affordable route and make the products accessible to more people. Additionally, we can expect Carl’s product marketing expertise to come into play sometime this year.
More Smartwatch Competitors is a Good Thing
Regardless of what products CMF will make, having more competition in the smartwatch space is good. There aren’t just many great smartwatches out there, and Carl’s entry into this field will definitely drive the industry forward. Perhaps, CMF by Nothing will (finally!) bring to the market an affordable Android Wear OS smartwatch that we have been eagerly waiting for.
Furthermore, given Carl’s emphasis on design and product interoperability, we can anticipate a seamless integration of the Nothing smartwatch with the company’s phones. But we may be getting ahead of ourselves as not a lot of details are currently available. Regardless, we can finally look forward to some form of Nothing smartwatch being released.
Although CMF products are not currently available, you can explore the latest offerings from Nothing below.
The Nothing Phone 2 features a 6.7-inch FHD+ OLED display with LTPO technology. It ships with the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Plus Gen 1 and also has a 50-megapixel dual camera setup. Powering it all is a 4,700 mAh cell that will allow for all day use.
Nothing Ear (2) are the new true wireless earbuds from the London-based brand. The new earbuds come with features such as Hi-Res Audio, LHDC 5.0 technology, Personal Sound Profile, Dual Connection, Clear Voice Technology, and much more. There is support for Active Noise Cancelation and the earbuds also have IP54 rating.
$64 $79 Save $15
Nothing Ear Stick are the affordable wireless earphones from the London-based brand. It features an open-ear design and comes with a unique case. It features 12.6mm custom drivers, 3 microphones for crystal-clear calls, and IPX4 rating.
