Smartphone Maker Nothing To Spin Off Its Affordable Cmf Brand

Hardware startup Nothing said Thursday that it plans to make its affordable instrumentality brand, CMF, into an independent subsidiary pinch India serving arsenic its office for manufacturing and R&D.

The institution first launched CMF successful 2023 pinch a brace of earbuds and a smartwatch. Since then, it has introduced smartphones nether nan marque arsenic well.

Nothing said that it is partnering pinch Indian ODM (Original Design Manufacturer) Optiemus to create a associated task for manufacturing. While nan startup didn’t uncover nan ownership building of this venture, it said that it intends to put much than $100 cardinal complete nan adjacent 3 years, while creating complete 1,800 jobs.

The London-based startup, pursuing its $200 cardinal backing information led by Tiger Global, didn’t opportunity really overmuch money from this information will spell into mounting up this caller venture.

Nothing’s determination to take India arsenic CMF’s operational office makes consciousness for a fewer reasons. CMF’s smartphones person been priced nether $200, and that is nan ascendant class successful India, pinch complete 42% of phones shipped successful Q2 2025 being successful nan $100-$200 value range, according to IDC.

India has besides been Nothing’s strongest marketplace pinch complete 2% marketplace stock successful smartphones. IDC told TechCrunch via email that Nothing was nan fastest-growing marque successful nan state successful Q2 2025, pinch 85% maturation successful shipments twelvemonth complete year.

“India will play a cardinal domiciled successful shaping nan early of nan world smartphone industry. CMF has been well-received by nan marketplace since we launched it 2 years ago. With our end-to-end capabilities, we are uniquely positioned to now build it into India’s first genuinely world smartphone brand. Our associated task pinch Optiemus is simply a cardinal milestone toward making that imagination a reality,” Nothing’s CEO Carl Pei said successful a statement.

The company’s move comes aft it poached Himanshu Tondon from Xiaomi’s spin-off marque POCO past period to beryllium VP of Business for CMF.