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CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: One minute review
The CMF Watch 3 Pro is Nothing’s latest budget smartwatch, and no, that’s not a typo. Bizarrely, the naming scheme has changed slightly, and the successor to the CMF Watch Pro 2 is the CMF Watch 3 Pro.
Naming confusion aside, the latest CMF watch brings with it some upgrades. The screen is now 1.42 inches up from 1.32 inches, and it’s also slightly brighter, with slimmer bezels. In addition, there’s now dual-band GPS onboard for improved workout tracking, a slightly bigger battery and it pairs to the new Nothing X app.
It’s not all good news, though. The larger size makes the screen easier to use, but it also means that it may be too large for some wrists, with only one size available. Nothing has also ditched the swappable bezels on this model, and unfortunately, it costs more, too.
Overall, it’s a stylish smartwatch with great software, extremely long battery life and plenty of features. Despite the higher MSRP, it’s still very affordable. This higher price brings with it tougher competition, and unless you’re a huge fan of the CMF styling, this one could be a tough sell.
It certainly doesn’t seem worth a buy if you already own the CMF Watch Pro 2, but if you’re coming from the original CMF Watch, this is a substantial upgrade. It’s not perfect, but I’ve thoroughly enjoyed using it.
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Specifications
|
Component |
CMF Watch 3 Pro |
|
Price |
$99 / £99 / AU$179 |
|
Dimensions |
54 x 47 x 15.2mm |
|
Weight |
47g including strap |
|
Case/bezel |
Aluminum alloy |
|
Display |
466 x 466px AMOLED |
|
GPS |
Dual-band GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / QZSS / Beidou |
|
Battery life |
Up to 13 days |
|
Connection |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
|
Water resistance |
IP68 |
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Price and availability
- £99 in the UK
- $99 in the US
- AU$179 in Australia
The CMF Watch 3 Pro carries an MSRP of £99/$99, making it £30 more expensive than the Watch Pro 2, which launched at £/$69 last summer. That increase could be a tough pill to swallow, especially considering the value proposition was one of the key selling points of previous models.
That said, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is already discounted to £79 in the UK, and considering how new it is, you might expect that price gap to close even further in the coming months. Either way, it still remains very affordable for such a feature-packed watch.
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Design & display
- 1.43-inch AMOLED display
- Dark Grey, Light Grey and Orange options
- Replaceable liquid silicon wrist strap
The CMF Watch 3 Pro features a 1.43-inch circular AMOLED display, a big increase over the last generation’s 1.32-inch display. It also has slimmer bezels, and it’s slightly brighter, rated at 670 nits up from 620 nits. This size increase is a double-edged sword. On one hand, it makes the display nicer to look at and easier to interact with. But it also makes the watch very large.
It’s still super lightweight, weighing only 47 grams with the strap attached, but it’s a chunky unit. I’m a pretty big guy, and I think it looks nice on my wrist, but I certainly wouldn’t want to go any bigger. Those with dainty wrists need not apply.
The CMF Watch Pro 2 was a dramatic redesign compared to the original CMF Watch, but with the third iteration, the design feels very familiar. It still has a minimalistic circular design with a single rotating crown that can be pressed like a button on the right-hand side.
One thing that has changed, though, is that the bezel is no longer swappable, so it’s crucial that you pick the style that you like best when you buy it. Like before, there are flatter, more angular bezel options, as well as a more curvy version. The Light Gray model I have in for testing has the textured curved bezel: the raised lip should help keep the screen free from scratches, and it looks quite fetching, too.
The body of the watch is made from aluminium, and I think the bezel is too, but it looks and feels a little plasticky, which detracts from an otherwise premium experience.
As for the display itself, it’s pretty great. It has a 60Hz refresh rate, which looks smooth enough when you’re swiping around the OS, and while most of the OS is black, white and orange, colours look very vibrant when they appear. It’s not the brightest display around, but I never had trouble reading it, and given the budget price point, I think the performance is acceptable.
One thing I didn’t like so much, though, was the brightness of the always-on display. I usually like to keep the always-on display active, as it means I don’t need to raise my wrist to glance at the time. However, this one is so dim and hard to read that it doesn’t really seem worth the battery drain.
Like its predecessor, the Watch 3 Pro has an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance. This means it’s well protected against dust, and it can be fully submerged in freshwater, but Nothing doesn’t recommend using it for swimming or in the ocean.
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Features
- 131 sport tracking modes
- Nothing X app for Android and iOS
- Essential News and Recording Transcription
The CMF Watch 3 Pro runs Nothing’s proprietary software, just like previous models, and the way that it functions is largely unchanged. As with the older models, Nothing’s unique design language is present throughout the OS, and if you’re a fan, you’re sure to love the library of monochromatic minimalist watch faces.
What has changed is the companion app. The CMF Watch 3 Pro pairs with the Nothing X app, rather than the old CMF Watch app. The experience feels more polished, and the app looks nicer, in my opinion, but functionally, it’s not that different. I was pleased to see that there are more options for health monitoring now. Rather than just being able to toggle on or off all-day heart rate tracking, you can now choose how frequently the sensor reads your heart rate.
Nothing has continued to add additional exercise tracking modes to the watch, and there are now 131 different options to choose from. This includes extremely niche activities like parkour and parachuting, as well as some sports I’ve never even heard of, like sepak takraw (a volleyball-like game from Southeast Asia). No matter what you’re into, there’s a good chance it’s here.
There’s a new feature called Essential News, which is supposed to read you a daily summary of your preferred news topics using AI, but I just couldn’t make it work. That’s a shame, as it seems like a cool feature, but I tried on a couple of different phones, and it would always say “Playing”, but nothing would happen.
Recording Transcription is another new feature, and thankfully, this one actually worked. Essentially, you can record a voice memo on your watch, and then you can transfer it to your phone, where it will be transcribed into text.
It seems very accurate, but I’m just not really sure what the purpose of it is. I guess if you have a brilliant idea while you’re away from your phone, you could use this, but I think there are very few people who will find this feature useful.
Another slight tweak is the music controller now displays album artwork, which is a nice touch. Keep in mind that there’s no onboard storage with this watch, though, so you’ll need to be paired to your phone to take advantage.
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Performance
- Up to 13 days of battery life
- Heart rate, sleep, stress and blood oxygen monitoring
- Built-in dual-band GPS
One of the biggest functional changes with the Watch 3 Pro is that it now has dual-band GPS rather than single-band. How much this matters to you will depend on where you train, but whether you’re in the built-up city streets or deep in the woods, you should be able to enjoy more reliable GPS tracking.
In my experience, mostly tracking walks and bike rides, the GPS was rock-solid. In fact, it was so accurate that it knew which side of the street I was on when I zoomed in on the map. Otherwise, while the array of sensors may have had some hardware upgrades, they perform the same functions as previous CMF releases.
Based on my heart rate readings from my other watches, my average and maximum BPM seemed to be correct. That said, there were a few times when the reading seemed way off, usually when I was wearing the strap slightly loose for comfort. I think you need this cranked down for the best tracking results.
The real star of the show here is the battery life. Nothing says it’ll last up to 13 days on a charge, or around 4.5 days with always-on display enabled. I enabled as many features as possible, and used the watch extensively to test all its features, and I still managed well over four days per charge, so these estimations seem very accurate.
I usually wear the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro, so I’m used to exceptional battery life, but even still, the CMF Watch 3 Pro managed to impress with its longevity. If you hate charging your watch, this is an excellent choice.
Charging doesn’t take too long either; it’s around an hour and a half from flat to full. However, the magnetic charging puck could use a redesign thanks to an extremely flimsy connection, as the slightest of knocks can cause the watch to disconnect. It gets the job done, but it’s among my least favourite charging cables.
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Scorecard
|
Category |
Comment |
Score |
|
Value |
It’s more expensive than its predecessor, but it’s still a very affordable smartwatch, with a more premium build than much of its competition. |
4/5 |
|
Design |
Stylish, minimalist design, solid build quality, and a spacious OLED panel. However, it may be too large for some. |
4/5 |
|
Features |
Loads of tracking modes, a decent app and some novel additions that may or may not work. |
3/5 |
|
Performance |
Incredible battery life, smooth performance, and fitness metrics that are good enough for casual users. |
3/5 |
|
Total |
It looks the part and it performs well, but with a significant price hike, it’s up against some stiff competition. |
4/5 |
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Should I buy?
Buy it if…
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: Also consider
|
Component |
CMF Watch 3 Pro |
Amazfit Active 2 |
Xiaomi Smart Band 9 Pro |
|
Price |
$99 / £99 / AU$179 |
$99 / £99 |
£62.99 / $75 / AU$99.99 |
|
Dimensions |
54 x 47 x 15.2mm |
43.9 x 43.9x 9.9mm |
43.27 x 32.49 x 10.8mm |
|
Weight |
47g including strap |
29.5g |
24.5g |
|
Case/bezel |
Aluminum alloy |
Stainless steel bezel, polymer frame |
Aluminum frame, high-strength fibre polymer |
|
Display |
466 x 466px AMOLED |
1.32-inch AMOLED touchscreen |
1.74-inch AMOLED touchscreen |
|
GPS |
Dual-band GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / QZSS / Beidou |
Yes |
No |
|
Battery life |
Up to 13 days |
Up to 10 days |
Up to 21 days |
|
Connection |
Bluetooth 5.3 |
Bluetooth 5.2 |
Bluetooth 5.4 |
|
Water resistance |
IP68 |
5ATM |
5ATM |
CMF Watch 3 Pro by Nothing: How I tested
Our reviewer wore the CMF Watch Pro as his primary smartwatch for over a week, while travelling, commuting and during regular workouts. It was paired with the Oppo Find X8 Ultra for the majority of the testing period, but was also tested with the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 to compare.
The tracking results were compared to historical results from the Huawei Watch GT5 Pro, as well as the built-in step counter on the smartphone and the Strava app for GPS accuracy.
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