Nothing has been releasing several heavy-hitting products, be they phones or otherwise, fairly recently. However, that doesn’t mean its sub-brand CMF is a slouch by comparison, especially when it comes to accessories. A prime example of this would be today’s subject: the Watch 3 Pro, the sequel to last year’s Watch 2 Pro.
Much like other CMF products, the watch expands the brand’s already extensive collection of budget-friendly devices. Although the company markets the smartwatch and its features toward people with active lifestyles, the Watch 3 Pro still serves well for everyday use, so there’s plenty to talk about.
What Am I Looking At?
The CMF Watch 3 Pro sports a 1.43-inch 466 x 466 AMOLED display, with a peak brightness of 650 nits and a refresh rate of 60Hz. CMF did not publicly disclose the chipset, but the brand did disclose that the watch comes with a 350mAh battery that can supposedly last up to 13 days.
In terms of appearance, the watch features a 47mm dial and pairs it with liquid silicone straps. It has a rotating crown for navigation and a fixed bezel. Do note that there are currently four different versions of the watch, each with its own design and colour.
For fitness and health, the watch offers 131 sports modes, including both indoor and outdoor activities. The device is also capable of detecting any physical activity. It also has various health monitoring features that keep track of sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen, stress, and even water intake.
What’s Good About It?
My favourite thing about the Watch 3 Pro is how it feels on my wrist. Compared to other silicone watch straps, these are by far the most comfortable ones I’ve ever used. Sure, it’s not the most breathable, and sweat does get trapped under it, but there was never an instance where I had to remove it due to sheer discomfort.
The watch body managed to find the perfect balance of being impressively lightweight without feeling cheap and fragile. It can also get incredibly bright, which is great in many outdoor situations. Furthermore, the dial is the perfect size for me to comfortably use the keypad to enter phone numbers. Moreover, the speaker and microphone are surprisingly loud and clear during calls.
As for functionality, the watch feels like a multitool on your wrist, as it gives me so many modes and features that I don’t know what to do with. Aside from the aforementioned features, the watch can also record conversations, serve as a remote for your phone camera, be a breathing coach, and more. To say that I am surprised it was able to cram so many features on what is supposed to be a budget smartwatch would be quite the understatement.
Because it lacks a replaceable bezel, the Watch 3 Pro offers less customisation than its predecessor. Even so, it still boasts nearly 130 watch face options in the app, not to mention the additional widgets you can use. Though it’s worth mentioning that the widgets have more emphasis on health and fitness than anything else.
In terms of battery, the Watch 3 Pro regularly lasts me around seven to nine days of consistent use. This device does fall short of the advertised 13 days, but this is still plenty of time for you to enjoy the watch, considering that many other smart timepieces still struggle to make it past a day and a half. The fact that it takes roughly an hour to fully charge it is just the cherry on top.
Though it may not seem like it, the dial is actually the perfect size for me to comfortably type away phone numbers with. Not only that, but the speaker and microphone are surprisingly loud and clear when performing calls.
What’s The Catch?
Throughout my testing, I noticed a few hiccups with the watch. There were several instances where it disconnected from my phone without any apparent reason. It’s also frustrating that I have to manually reconnect the watch through the app instead of it doing so automatically when it’s within range.
Another gripe I had with the Watch 3 Pro would be its automatic workout feature, in that it’s not working out as intended. Bad puns aside, there were a few instances where the feature did not record any of my metrics until I turned on the specific workout manually.
In a similar vein, I had a few run-ins with the health recording features of the watch. There were a few notable times when I wanted to test the monitoring features of the device, like my heart rate, only for it to give me wildly different results or not detect at all. These comments might sound like nitpicks, but I argue that metrics this important deserve serious attention, since some people may rely on them for their well-being. Hopefully, the watch receives a software patch that would address all these problems.
Should I Buy It?
Admittedly, the Watch 3 Pro doesn’t have a lot of standout features to call its own compared to the competition. However, the fact that it has so many features to begin with allows this watch the ability to hold its own against even more, dare I say, premium options in the space.
Though it is not perfect, I’d say RM419 is a fair price to ask if you’re looking for a solid smartwatch to be your daily driver. And if you’re looking for one that will keep track of metrics, go ahead. Just make sure to manually turn on the exercise feature before you start your set.
Photography by Kiran P. Ganesan
@lowyatnet Here’s a quick look at the CMF Headphone Pro and Watch 3 Pro in Light Green. The smartwatch is available for RM419, while the headphones retail for RM429. #CMFHeadphonePro #CMFWatch3Pro #NothingMalaysia #smartwearables
