CMF Watch 3 Pro review: Worth the wait?

The other day a friend told me that they like to arrive “fashionably late” – when you purposely come late to appear busy or to make a more noticeable entrance. And perhaps, that is what Nothing planned to do with the Watch 3 Pro in India. The smartwatch was launched in global markets in July last year, and now just under 10 months later, it has officially arrived in India.

The launch of the CMF Watch 3 Pro in India comes at a time when Nothing is getting a stronger footing in the market. Yesterday, the company said that its Bengaluru store crossed over Rs 12 crore in revenue in just 90 days. And that’s exactly why I would say that this wearable comes fashionably late – perhaps the best time for a Nothing product to hit the market.

But what does the CMF Watch 3 Pro actually offer? The Indian consumer may be buying more Nothing products, but it also has high expectations – particularly when the Watch 3 Pro is priced at Rs 7,999 (you get additional Rs 1,000 off as launch offers). This is noticeably higher than the Watch Pro 2 that started at Rs 4,999. As a result, the Watch 3 Pro has a lot to prove. But does it deliver? Let’s delve right into our full review to find out here at India Today Tech.

CMF Watch 3 Pro design

You may find the Watch 3 Pro almost identical to the Watch Pro 2 on first look. You get a circular design for the screen, silicon straps to go with it, and a crown to navigate the device. But there is quite a bit to talk about.

The bezels around the screen now vary depending on the colour you pick. The Midnight Grey variant we received came with a sleek flat bezel which I found quite understated – the Light Green model has the same finish. Though if that’s not your cup of tea, you can opt for a rounder bezel shape with the Light Grey model. The Orange variant gets grooves at various points which seem to mimic hour markers.

That is to say that there is something for everyone. And that is important since this time around, these bezels are not swappable – they are fixed. So, you should pick your colour wisely.

Though keep in mind that at 47mm, the watch case is on the larger side, which may look a little too big for some users. A smaller dial size option would’ve done the trick here. On the top right, you get a crown that can be rotated for navigation or used as a button.

The watch case itself is made of metal and feels quite premium. It weighs just over 50 grams, and comes with a host of sensors, but more on that later. The Watch 3 Pro comes with an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance – this allowed me to not really worry about some accidental splashes, like when I was washing hands.

The liquid silicon straps also vary depending on the colour you pick. The ones we had were quite simple, without any patterns. While the straps do the job, there is only a single keeper on the strap, an additional one would’ve been better.

CMF Watch 3 Pro display and watchfaces

You get a 1.43-inch AMOLED display on the CMF Watch 3 Pro. The display has a resolution of 466x466 pixels, the same as its predecessor. But since the Watch Pro 2 had a smaller screen, the PPI – pixels per inch – has dropped slightly from 353 to 326. But do note that even the Apple Watch Ultra 3 has a PPI of 326. And in the real world, this really doesn’t make a difference.

The display can get quite bright with a peak brightness of 670 nits, up from 620 in the old model. You can choose between different brightness levels or keep it on auto brightness. In auto brightness, the watch does quickly strike up the brightness levels when you look at it outdoors, and even under direct sunlight, the display is legible.

The screen is quite responsive too. Everything moves smoothly, no animations are skipped. While the crown is quite good to use, particularly for scrolling through various functions, you can keep scrolling on the display too without noticing any lag or jitters.

Coming to the crown: at idle, you can press it to open “app view” that shows everything you can do with the smartwatch. When a page is open, the crown serves as a back button. And you can long press it to open the power menu.

Now, let’s talk about watchfaces. The Watch 3 Pro stores 7 watchfaces locally, but you get over 120 options on the Nothing X app. These can range from simple informative designs to more artistic and clean options. There’s also the option to make your own watchface with photos, videos or even creating them with AI, akin to AI wallpapers you can make on Nothing phones. Overall, in terms of watchfaces, you get a lot of variety.

CMF Watch 3 Pro health and tracking

Nothing says that it has improved health tracking with the Watch 3 Pro. There are more sensors on the back. During my time with the device, I found that the heart rate monitor was as accurate as you can expect from a good smartwatch at its price, and it would keep updating in the background.

SPO2 tracking worked similarly. Though when it came to the stress monitor, it would usually not update on its own.

The CMF Watch 3 Pro comes with 131 activity types that it can detect on its own. This includes running, yoga, hiking and a lot more. The watch also informs you on how many calories you have burnt with other details available in the Nothing X app.

There’s also a running coach that can curate a plan for you when you want to achieve a particular goal – say running 8km. Though this is a long-term thing that would need a few weeks to complete.

For the most part, I found that the Watch 3 Pro would give quite accurate information when it comes to step tracking or running. And the app also gives you a map of your running session.

Now that we’ve talked about workouts, let’s discuss how the watch handles when you are resting. The Watch 3 Pro comes with a dedicated sleep mode where the watch stops notifying you about notifications. And it gives detailed information on your sleep – be it deep sleep, light sleep or REM. The watch detects it automatically and monitors your sleep.

While I found sleep tracking to be quite precise, I did notice that sometimes the watch would miss out on a couple times when I woke up at night. Though it can also track when you nap on your own – something I found out when I dozed off one day.

CMF Watch 3 Pro features and battery life

What else do you get with the CMF Watch 3 Pro? There’s ChatGPT support. You can open the AI assistant on the watch and ask for any information, like you would on any phone – granted that the watch is connected to your phone. Though it cannot directly make calls or similar tasks.

You also get many features that we have come to expect, such as remote camera, or quick replies for notifications for WhatsApp and other apps. The Watch 3 Pro also gives you the option to make calls through Bluetooth. You can either dial the number manually or set trusted contacts in the app – you can’t call contacts otherwise. The call quality is alright, it does the job as far as smartwatches go.

On the topic of battery life – Nothing promises up to 13 days of battery life with the Watch 3 Pro. Now, during my time with the device, I kept “raise to wake” on, along with 24x7 health monitoring. With this, I was able to get around a week of use on a single charge, which is quite impressive.

CMF Watch 3 Pro verdict: Your next smartwatch?

At Rs 7,999, the CMF Watch 3 Pro sits in almost in no-man’s land. It is more expensive than wearables like GoBoult’s Mustang Stallion or Boat’s Chrome Endeavour. At the same time, it is much cheaper than full-fledged smartwatches like Samsung’s Galaxy Watch 7 or the Google Pixel Watch 3, that run on WearOS.

However, the Watch 3 Pro does manage to justify its price tag. The smartwatch continues to have a premium look with minimal bezels. The health tracking is quite good, and the Nothing X app works quite smoothly. Overall, if you were looking to buy a new smartwatch, it was worth waiting for the CMF Watch 3 Pro fashionably late entrance to the party.