The CMF Watch 3 Pro debuts in India with a sticker price of Rs 7,999, placing it in a fiercely competitive segment packed with feature-rich alternatives – some of them even more affordable. So, does CMF’s latest smartwatch bring enough to the table to stand out? I’ve been using the Watch 3 Pro as my daily driver to find out what kind of real-world value it actually offers. Without any further ado, let’s dive straight into the CMF Watch 3 Pro review.
Table of Contents
Design and display
The CMF Watch 3 Pro is designed to stand out, even though it drops the interchangeable bezel system seen on the CMF Watch 2 Pro. We received the Dark Grey variant for review, which features flat edges that give it a sharper look compared to the softer, rounded design of the Light Grey version. While the Light Grey keeps things understated with its subtle finish, the Orange colourway is the one to pick if you want something bolder on your wrist.
The Orange colourway adds engraved hour markers around the frame, but otherwise its design is identical to the Dark Grey variant. The watch retains an aluminium casing, with a right-side crown and a soft-touch plastic rear housing for the sensors. While the back panel feels comfortable against the skin, I would have preferred slightly more breathable straps.
The bundled straps tend to trap sweat, making the watch less appealing for extended wear. However, since the wearable uses standard 22mm silicone bands with quick-release pins, it can be swapped with more skin-friendly straps if you happen to find some. Officially, you are stuck with the silicon straps.
That remains my only real complaint with an otherwise fantastically designed smartwatch that feels both slim and surprisingly lightweight on the wrist – despite the large 47mm dial size. The Watch 3 Pro measures 15.2mm in thickness and weighs 51 grams.
The CMF Watch 3 Pro features a 1.43-inch always-on AMOLED display with a 466 × 466 resolution, 60Hz refresh rate, and up to 670 nits of peak brightness. The screen is large enough to comfortably view fitness stats and notifications, and to send quick replies to messages without feeling cramped. The panel also gets bright enough to remain legible outdoors under direct sunlight, while colours appear vibrant and text stays sharp and crisp across the interface.
Features
The CMF Watch 3 Pro has plenty to offer. The list includes
- 24×7 heart rate and SpO2 monitoring
- Sleep tracking with Deep sleep, REM sleep, & Nap detection
- Active Score tracking
- Training Load metrics
- VO2 max-focused running plans
- 131 sports modes
- Auto-recognition for 5 workouts
- Dual-band GPS (L1 + L5)
- Voice assistant support
- Recording transcription feature
- ChatGPT integration on Nothing OS devices
- Essential News summaries
- Notifications with quick replies
- 120+ watch faces
- Crown navigation support
- Bluetooth v5.3
- Syncs with Strava, Google Health, and Apple Health
- Music control, weather updates, Alarm, Stopwatch, and more
In addition to these vital and health-tracking features, the CMF Watch 3 Pro also supports Bluetooth voice calling, complete with a built-in speaker and microphone. This is backed by AI noise cancellation to deliver clearer audio during calls. In my experience, the call quality is decent in moderately loud environments. The built-in microphone managed to cancel out some noise, if not all of it, making the watch a reliable companion for quick calls.
The speaker is also respectably loud and can even read out news updates tailored to your interests through the Essential News feature. However, you’ll need to grant the necessary permissions via the compatible app to use it.
App compatibility
The CMF Watch 3 Pro requires the Nothing X app to be installed on the paired smartphone. The app is available on both Android phones and iPhones. I used version 3.5.3 of the app on my Vivo X300 FE during testing, and it worked seamlessly. The app offered access to nearly every feature of the wearable, except for ChatGPT support, which remains exclusive to Nothing OS smartphones.
The Nothing X app also has one of the cleanest interfaces I’ve come across on a smartwatch companion app. Its typography follows Nothing’s signature design language, making everything easy to read, while health metrics and other information are neatly organised into widget-style cards.
The app also allows you to customise the home screen between the Health and My Devices sections, offering a level of flexibility many competing apps still lack. Most settings are only a few swipes away, and the overall experience feels intuitive. Another highlight of the app is ‘Recording Transcription’, which stores messages recorded on the watch and transcribes them into English within a few seconds. A handy feature to take quick notes when your phone is not around. The only aspect of the app that bugs me is the mandatory login.
Performance
Regarding performance, the CMF Watch 3 Pro feels smooth, responsive, and easy to navigate in day-to-day use. The overall interface follows a familiar smartwatch layout, with multiple screens dedicated to activity stats, workout modes, music controls, sleep tracking, heart-rate monitoring, and compact circular widgets for contacts, weather, call logs, and the dial pad.
However, CMF has added enough personality to keep the experience from feeling generic. The signature orange accents, dotted typography, and playful visual elements give the interface a distinct identity that aligns nicely with the brand’s design language. Users can customise the layout, and there are plenty of watch faces, with up to seven readily available, to personalise the experience.
Most of the features work as advertised, but some could use further refinement for more consistent results. The Essential News feature, for instance, feels heavily US-centric. It would have benefited from options to localise the news feed and skip a news piece.
Furthermore, the record translation feature doesn’t have the same level of finesse as the company’s Essential Voice feature. The transcription often misinterprets spoken phrases, like instead of transcribing my voice message “Remind me to buy medicine on my way home”, it produced “I’m reminded to find medicine on my way home”. This renders the feature useless.
There are a few minor inconsistencies in the data, but they can largely be overlooked considering the budget pricing and the fact that even more expensive smartwatches face similar issues. These include occasional ghost steps, though they are minimal and don’t significantly inflate the overall readings. You still need to be genuinely active for most of the day to hit your daily activity goals. Additionally, the CMF Watch 3 Pro can occasionally go slightly off track with its GPS tracking, but it is not significant, and the data, such as distance covered, is close to reality.
I’m not a runner, and can’t vouch for the CMF Watch 3 Pro’s running coach feature, which uses AI to create a personalised plan to improve your performance. I did, however, test its indoor run tracking on a treadmill, which is known for its accuracy. The wearable, meanwhile, consistently trailed behind the treadmill’s recorded distance, not by a massive margin, but enough that serious marathon runners may notice the discrepancy. While there is an option to manually adjust the actual distance after the workout, that somewhat defeats the purpose of relying on a smartwatch for accurate fitness tracking.
Moving on, the wearable is IP68 water- and dust-resistant, so you don’t have to worry about it getting damaged while sweating it out at the gym or on the track. While there are plenty of workout modes, the water sports seem limited, with no option to track your swimming. This could be a deal-breaker for some.
Battery and charging
The CMF Watch 3 Pro packs a 350mAh battery that the company claims can deliver up to 13 days of usage under typical conditions, while intensive continuous use can bring the battery life down to around 17.2 hours. In my day-to-day use, which mostly involved default settings, occasional GPS workouts, and a few Bluetooth calls, the smartwatch comfortably lasted close to eight days on a single charge.
This is a respectable battery life for the CMF Watch – on par with other smartwatches available within the segment. For charging, the watch uses a magnetic dock that can conveniently draw power from a PC, laptop USB port, or even a power bank. The wearable takes over 90 minutes to achieve a full 100 percent charge from nothing. While a faster-charging solution would have been appreciated, it can be overlooked given the smartwatch’s long battery life between charges.
Verdict
Priced at Rs 7,999, the CMF Watch 3 Pro is currently available on Flipkart for as low as Rs 6,999 with launch offers. At this price point, there are plenty of alternatives, some of which do a better job in areas where the CMF smartwatch falls short, such as more comfortable straps, swim tracking, and a more compact design.
Moreover, options like the Amazfit Bip 6 (review), which have been on the market longer, offer a more well-rounded experience. The CMF Watch 3 Pro, meanwhile, struggles in a few areas, such as its Recording Transcription not accurately transcribing words and the Essential News, which feels limited due to its lack of localisation.
Yet the smartwatch makes a case for itself with its striking design, vibrant AMOLED display, dependable battery life, and a smooth software experience, all wrapped in a lightweight, comfortable form factor. In addition to these aspects, features such as dual-band GPS, Bluetooth calling, AI-backed tools, and comprehensive health-tracking support further strengthen its appeal in the budget smartwatch segment.
What also works in the CMF Watch 3 Pro’s favour is the polished Nothing X app experience, which feels cleaner and more intuitive than many rival companion apps. The watch also stands out visually, thanks to CMF’s playful design language and thoughtful interface customisation options.
These aspects make the CMF Watch 3 Pro stand out in an increasingly crowded market.
Editor’s rating: 8/10
Pros
- Bright AMOLED display
- Smooth and responsive
- Reliable tracking
- Strong battery life
Cons
- Strap comfort issues
- Some features need refinements
- No Swim tracking
