Nothing just teased a new device that may not be the Phone 3

London, UK-based Nothing’s social media is a hub for the company to show off its upcoming devices. We’ve previously seen Nothing tease its first Nothing Phone 1 on Twitter and in a blurred-out YouTube video, and the Nothing 2a in a community update video. Just recently, Nothing CEO Carl Pei dropped subtle hints about the company’s upcoming smartphone, likely the Nothing Phone 3.

Pei shared a few photos of a redesigned quick settings UI using outline templates of a Nothing phone, and eagle-eyed users were quick to spot that the phone featured an additional button that is not there on the Nothing Phone 1, Phone 2, or Phone 2a. Now, the teaser train is heating up, as Nothing’s official X T̶w̶i̶t̶t̶e̶r account has shared an image that might offer clues regarding what the company is cooking.

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The account shared an image that shows a presumably in-development device with a visible screw in it. The tweet’s caption reads “3,2,1,” which might indicate that the device is nearing its eventual launch. At first glance, the device in the tweet doesn’t look like a smartphone.

Adding a bulky screw like that on the rear of the device would take up a lot of space and doesn’t really make sense from a design standpoint. However, this wouldn’t be the first time that we’ve seen an unconventional and flashy design from the smartphone maker, leading many to believe that this could be a smartphone. However, some have speculated that the image could be of the company’s first tablet, and at first glance, it looked like a laptop’s base panel.

A second cryptic tweet soon followed, which didn’t explicitly say what the upcoming device was is suggested that it’s a smartphone. The tweet simply shows a phone and screw emoji.

Nothing’s Phone 1 and Phone 2 were released in the month of July, so it makes sense for the company to start teasing its upcoming device now. This is speculation, but the company, and the screw, might be hinting at the device’s seamless repairability, similar to the Fairphone 5.

The device could be sold under Nothing’s sub-brand CMF

We already know that the sub-brand CMF follows a different product design language, when compared to Nothing. We also know that the sub-brand is cooking its first smartphone, which is expected to cost roughly Rs 12,000 (~$140). The device with an action button-like side button could be the Nothing Phone 3, while the device shown in the new X post with the screw could be our first official look at the CMF Phone 1, and leaker @Technerd_9 on X does believe so (via GSM Arena).

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According to the leaker, the device will feature a 6.7-inch OLED display with a 120Hz refresh rate and thick bezels. It will reportedly run on a MediaTek Dimensity 7200 chipset, which lines up with a previous leak we reported on. The leaker also suggests that the device will feature a 5,000mAh battery paired with 33W charging. These details, too, line up with the previous leak.

More importantly, though, the device will reportedly feature replaceable back covers made of plastic, alongside a lock system on the bottom right corner of the device, which Nothing is presumably trying to highlight with its teaser tweet. Elsewhere, the device will reportedly start at Rs 20,000, which is roughly $240.

It’s worth noting that we haven’t reported on information shared by the leaker in the past, and we can’t speak to their credibility. Hence, take the leak with a heavy pinch of salt. However, if the leak turns out to be true, the CMF Phone 1 looks like a solid, pocket-friendly device.