In a world where smartwatches are dime a dozen, how do you make a splash with your first product? Nothing’s answer is to branch out into a sub-brand that follows most of its parent brand’s philosophy – except for the part about transparency. But being transparent is not the only way to stand out from the crowd, as CMF by Nothing demonstrates with the Watch Pro. This device, which adheres to the brand’s acronym for colour, material, and finish, is a distinctive addition to the sub-Rs 5K segment of smartwatches this year. And here are the reasons why.
The CMF Watch Pro’s look is anything but lowkey, but somehow also minimalistic at the same time. It sports a bright orange strap that screams for attention, and a reflective aluminium alloy case that glints in the sun. If you prefer a more subtle look, you can also choose from white and black strap options, which might match your wardrobe better. The case has no other adornments, except for a speaker grille and a single button that lets you navigate the app menu and go back to the home screen.
Overall, the watch has a simple and sleek design, but CMF has not forgotten to stamp its logo on one of the straps, just in case you forget who made it. Speaking of straps, they’re the silicone kind and are of fairly high quality. My only gripe with it is that it requires you to tuck in the strap rather than pull it out when wearing it, which isn’t as easy to wear as the conventional type.
The display is a 1.96-inch AMOLED beauty with a crisp 410 x 502 resolution and a respectable peak brightness of 600 nits. The bezels are, thankfully, symmetrical. The panel feels smooth to the touch, responds swiftly, and offers excellent outdoor visibility.
To pair the Watch Pro with your phone, you just need to download the CMF Watch app from the App Store or the Play Store, grant it the necessary permissions, and you’re connected in a flash. The app lets you access the basic features of the watch, such as health tracking (sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress levels), activity tracking, notifications, and an always-on display. And I have to say, these features work pretty well in my experience.
The watch also comes with a ton of faces that match the Nothing aesthetic – you can choose from 37 different options, but sadly, you can’t customise or interact with them. But hey, that’s par for the course for smartwatches in this price range. So I’m not going to complain – the watch does everything you’d expect it to do, and it even has GPS on board, which lets you track your location and pace in real-time.
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What did come as a bit of a disappointment was the fact that despite having a great UI, there’s a scope for improvement in the UX – I noticed a general lack of polish on both the watch software and the CMF Watch Pro app. The app has a crude design that looks like a knockoff of Nothing’s other apps, such as Nothing X, which are sleek and polished. The watch UI, meanwhile, is too plain for its own good, with a lack of colour in menus that makes it hard to use. I’m not saying that the UI is terrible – it’s actually not bad compared to some of the rivals – but I was hoping for more from the brand that created the Nothing Phone 2.
Finally, the Watch Pro can go on and on for up to six days with AOD and 24×7 heart rate monitoring enabled, which is pretty great. This is partly thanks to the clever wrist detection feature, which knows when you take off the watch and turns off AOD and heart rate tracking to save power. If you really want to stretch the battery life, you can disable these features altogether and probably get twice as much juice.
Nothing has finally completed its ecosystem with the launch of a smartwatch, even though it’s technically not a Nothing-branded product. The Watch Pro is a standout device with its unique design, and it’s especially appealing for Nothing Phone owners who want to match their gadgets. It’s also a great choice for first-time smartwatch users, since it doesn’t overwhelm you with too many options or settings. You can use it as a simple watch, or as a health and fitness companion – it’s up to you.
