There is no such thing as a dearth of smartwatches available on the market throughout numerous value segments. Nonetheless, discovering an honest smartwatch on a restricted price range remains to be a problem. Most price range smartwatches supply poor construct high quality, and their consumer interfaces are equally disappointing. I had nearly given up on budget-friendly smartwatches till I obtained the possibility to evaluate the brand new CMF Watch 3 Professional.
With the Watch 3 Professional, Nothing’s subsidiary CMF seems to have addressed the shortage of compelling choices within the price range smartwatch phase. The smartwatch not solely appears to be like fashionable but in addition presents an intuitive consumer interface, comparatively correct coronary heart charge and health monitoring, and spectacular battery life, all for beneath Rs. 8,000.
No, you gained’t get all the flamboyant bells and whistles of an Apple Watch or a Garmin smartwatch. What you do get with the Watch 3 Professional is a succesful smartwatch that handles all of the necessities remarkably effectively. Right here’s my evaluate.
What: CMF Watch 3 Professional| Worth: Rs 7,999
Bye, bye boring design
I don’t keep in mind what number of occasions folks stared at my wrist whereas testing the CMF Watch 3 Professional throughout my morning walks. My evaluate unit in Mild Inexperienced, which bears an uncanny resemblance to the CMF Headphone Professional, appears to be like extra like a toy than the jewellery-inspired watches which might be in vogue as of late. One factor you must admit is that this smartwatch appears to be like and feels totally different, though I might additionally add that its design might not enchantment to everybody.
Positive, it’s nowhere close to cumbersome, however the Watch 3 Professional isn’t precisely a small watch both. It weighs 51 grams and is available in a single measurement. On the wrist, although, it feels snug to put on. I didn’t develop any rashes regardless of carrying the look ahead to a number of days in Delhi’s excessive warmth. It’s neither too heavy nor overly plasticky. The construct high quality is stable, and it comes with an IP68 score for water and dirt resistance.
Nonetheless, Nothing doesn’t suggest taking the look ahead to swimming. For those who take pleasure in spending time within the pool, the Watch 3 Professional will not be the fitting alternative. That being mentioned, CMF Watch 3 Professional is extra for an informal smartwatch than you may put on every day but it surely isn’t designed as a rugged watch.
The watch is rated IP68 for water and dirt resistance. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Specific)
Anyway, the controls are simple: a tactile aspect crown for navigation, a devoted shortcut button, and a magnetic charging puck on the again. Nonetheless, the Watch 3 Professional is a step down from its predecessor in a single key space. For those who recall, the previous-generation watch embraced a modular design that allowed customers to swap out the bezels. That function is not out there on the brand new mannequin.
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Larger show measurement
Out of doors visibility is one thing I care about, particularly once you stay in a spot like Delhi, the place the solar rises early and, by 7 am, it already looks like a full-blown summer season day. The 1.43-inch AMOLED display screen we examined is notably vivid and pleasant to view and use.
The Watch 3 Professional can monitor every little thing from Pilates to Taekwondo. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Specific)
The brightness has been upgraded, growing from 620 to 670 nits. There may be additionally a devoted always-on show mode. Nonetheless, I seen that the always-on show turns into utterly invisible when considered in direct daylight. I hope a future software program replace can repair this problem.
Customary smartwatch options and minimal UI
Nothing’s focus has primarily been on sustaining the usual smartwatch expertise, offering customers with a reasonably complete set of options quite than going deeper with software program and apps. You get all the fundamental options one would anticipate from a smartwatch on the CMF Watch 3 Professional, together with entry to your calendar, help in your most popular voice assistant (together with Siri), and the flexibility to make and take calls.
It’s also possible to ship one among 10 preset fast replies to messages and emails. These messages might be customised to your liking. Nonetheless, it lacks third-party app help, so you can not use apps like Strava, Google Maps, or WhatsApp. There’s no NFC help for contactless funds both, which, in my view, would have been a giant promoting level for Indian customers who’re already heavy customers of digital funds.
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The Watch 3 Professional presents all of the well being monitoring features you’d anticipate from a smartwatch in 2026. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Specific)
As add-on options, there’s one thing known as the Important Information widget, which, because the title suggests, brings up snippets of the information. I additionally just like the transcription recording function. You’ll be able to take a fast observe, and it stays saved on the gadget till you ship it to your telephone. There are greater than 120 customized watch faces out there within the app’s Dial Gallery. Customers may also add widgets for health, climate, music, and reminders.
However I used to be impressed by the Watch 3 Professional’s minimal consumer interface. Nothing has taken the minimalist, monochrome design language it’s recognized for and introduced it from smartphones all the way down to the wrist. The UI options parts like dot-matrix fonts, clear icons, and glyph-inspired animations. The textual content is straightforward to learn, the menus are easy, and there’s no pointless color palette that distracts you.
The CMF Watch 3 Professional handles notifications effectively when paired with Android, whereas iOS customers get restricted, read-only notification help. Calls, texts, emails, and app alerts arrive shortly, however there’s no LTE or eSIM choice, which means your telephone remains to be required for full connectivity. Bluetooth, GPS, music controls, and headphone pairing work easily.
Works with each Android and iOS
In an age of closed ecosystems, Nothing is making its CMF Watch 3 Professional smartwatch work with each Android and iOS, which, in my view, is a giant win for the model. So whether or not you personal a Nothing telephone, any Android telephone, or an iPhone, the watch pairs and connects immediately.
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All it is advisable to do is obtain the Nothing X app, which syncs the watch together with your telephone and handles all of your health stats, notifications, and settings. The app itself is clear and follows the identical minimalist design language.
Loads of well being and health options
The Watch 3 Professional consists of coronary heart charge monitoring, sleep monitoring, blood oxygen monitoring (SpO₂), stress monitoring, guided respiration workouts, hydration and inactivity reminders, together with ladies’s well being help. These options are already out there on different smartwatches as effectively.
Sleep monitoring is the place the Watch 3 Professional performs decently effectively. (Picture credit score: Anuj Bhatia/Indian Specific)
The actual query is: how effectively do these well being and health options work in actual life? Based mostly on my testing, the guts charge sensor felt correct. Step counting will not be as correct as Apple or Garmin-level monitoring throughout intense exercises, however it’s adequate for informal runs and gymnasium periods. SpO₂ monitoring (blood oxygen) is hit and miss, and I noticed related outcomes on different smartwatches as effectively, together with some which might be priced a lot larger.
Sleep monitoring is the place the Watch 3 Professional performs decently effectively. It separates mild, deep, and REM sleep phases, and the app presents the info in a clear, easy-to-understand means. The GPS monitoring is stable, too. Surprisingly, lock-on occasions are quick, and distance accuracy is near what you get on a Garmin watch.
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You gained’t be getting superior well being options right here, which means there isn’t any ECG or pores and skin temperature monitoring, as you get on high-end Apple, Samsung, and Garmin watches. In the meantime, a personalised working coach can construct and modify plans based mostly in your health stage. It supplies steering in your exercises, restoration time, coaching load, and methods to enhance. Additionally, you will get a easy snapshot of your weekly effort known as Energetic Rating.
Lengthy battery life
CMF claims that you simply rise up to 13 days of battery life beneath typical use. Nonetheless, that declare varies relying on how you employ the watch after charging. The always-on show, monitoring a number of exercises, and even the occasional GPS-enabled stroll all play main roles in decreasing battery life. I used to be capable of get roughly 5 days of use earlier than needing to cost it once more. A full cost took the watch simply shy of 90 minutes to go from 0 per cent to 100 per cent.
So, must you purchase the Nothing CMF Watch 3 Professional?
After utilizing the CMF Watch 3 Professional for days, I might say this smartwatch is for informal customers who need a totally different type and nonetheless need it to work for health monitoring. Positive, there are different smartwatches from rivals in the same value bracket, however whereas some might supply longer battery life, their consumer interfaces can really feel clunky.
Others are extra polished general however include a boring design. Go for the CMF Watch 3 Professional if you would like a classy, Nothing-esque smartwatch. Nonetheless, for those who care extra about health information accuracy or a stronger app ecosystem, stick to Garmin or Apple, although each choices price rather more.