A slick device with a clean aesthetic, the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Pro is a world away from some of the noisier offerings in the smartwatch market, and it looks good and understated.
Its style is very Nothing, a British minimalist tech brand best known for its stripped-back and stylish smartphones. CMF is its sub-brand, aimed at the budget market.
Aided by a scrollable and clickable wheel on the watch’s rim, you access features and apps through a bright, 1.43” AMOLED touch screen.
There’s a lot going on under that glass. You can make Bluetooth calls, use the on-board torch, read your step count, and get heart rate, sleep “rating”, blood oxygen measurements, see your stress levels and more. Out on a cycle, it tracked the distance well and gave me useful heart rate readings, offering a training score and recovery time when I was done. There’s a whole suite of other fitness aids on top.
It was a pleasure to use. The crispness of the screen and style gave it a laidback feel, but it had enough data to be useful as a sports or smart watch.
A fly in the ointment, though, is accuracy, especially of the heart rate monitor. It may raise your eyebrows. Yes, I was excited to tuck into my new book while sitting on the sofa, but can my heart rate really have reached 142? Take the readings with a pinch of salt, but perhaps that’s what you can expect, given the RRP.
Functionality, fun, and character, with caveats — not bad for under £100.