CMF Watch 3 Pro Review & Complete Guide 2025: The Budget Smartwatch That Punches Way Above Its Price
There's a certain kind of product that makes you stop and think: How did they manage this at this price? The CMF Watch 3 Pro is exactly that kind of product. Priced at just $99 — and frequently found for less on Amazon — it ships with features you'd typically expect on smartwatches costing two to three times more. Dual-band GPS. A sharp AMOLED display. Over 130 sports modes. An AI-powered running coach. Real-time health monitoring. Bluetooth calls. And a battery that lasts close to two weeks.
CMF is Nothing's budget-focused sub-brand, and if you've been following the tech world at all, you know Nothing has a reputation for making things that look and feel better than their price tag should allow. The Watch 3 Pro is no exception. But "looks good on paper" and "actually great to wear" aren't always the same thing.
So let's get into it. Everything you need to know — the good, the genuinely great, and the parts that don't quite hit the mark.
What Is CMF Watch 3 Pro? Quick Background
CMF has been iterating on its smartwatch lineup at a surprisingly fast pace. The original CMF Watch Pro had a square Apple Watch-style design. The Watch Pro 2 went circular and introduced a modular, swappable bezel system that turned heads. The Watch 3 Pro keeps the circular form but drops the swappable bezels in exchange for a larger display, better battery life, a vastly improved GPS system, and a redesigned software experience through the new Nothing X app.
It's a trade-off that not everyone will be happy about — more on that below — but the overall package is arguably the most refined and daily-use-friendly smartwatch CMF has ever shipped.
Design & Build Quality: Premium Feel, Budget Price
Pick up the CMF Watch 3 Pro and the first thing you'll notice is that it doesn't feel like a $99 watch. The precision-milled metal frame has real weight to it, and the flat circular profile sits clean and minimal on the wrist. It comes in Light Gray, Light Green, Orange, and Dark Gray — each color pairing a distinct bezel finish with a matching silicone strap.
The watch measures 47 x 47 x 14.4 mm and weighs 51 grams without the strap, which puts it on the larger side. People with smaller wrists will want to try it on before committing — it can read as bulky on slim arms. That said, the silicone straps are genuinely comfortable, and the standard 22mm lug system means you can swap in any aftermarket strap without tools, giving you more personalization options even without the modular bezels of the previous generation.
One of the underappreciated details is the haptic crown. The tactile feedback it gives when you rotate or press it is satisfying in a way that's hard to describe — it just feels right, and it's a detail you'd typically expect at a higher price point. A physical button on the opposite side handles back navigation, and both are well-placed for single-hand use.
The IP68 rating means the watch is dust and water-resistant, though reviewers have flagged some confusion around its actual waterproofing limits. It should handle rain, splashes, and handwashing without issue, but if you're planning to take it into the pool, note that earlier reviewers found the waterproofing claims somewhat ambiguous in practice.
Display: Big, Sharp, and Always On
The CMF Watch 3 Pro features a 1.43-inch AMOLED touchscreen with a resolution of 466 x 466 pixels and a peak brightness of 670 nits. Compared to its predecessor, the screen area is roughly 10% larger, which makes a real difference to how easy the UI is to read and interact with on the go.
The display looks genuinely good — colors are vivid, contrast is deep as you'd expect from AMOLED, and the circular format suits the watch face designs well. The Always-On Display (AOD) mode works reliably and shows key complications like time, steps, and heart rate at a glance.
One honest caveat: in direct bright sunlight, the 670 nits peak brightness can feel a little limiting. Several reviewers noted the AOD in particular can look dim outdoors. It's not a dealbreaker, but if you spend a lot of time outdoors in harsh sun, it's worth knowing.
The watch face selection is where CMF genuinely shines. Over 120 watch faces come pre-loaded, and unlike most brands in this price range, they're actually well-designed. CMF offers clean analog dials, data-rich digital faces, and everything in between — all free, all accessible through the Nothing X app. You can only store 7 watch faces on the watch at a time, which is fewer than some competitors allow, but the quality more than compensates for the quantity.
CMF also includes three custom face creation tools: Album Dial (uses your own photos), Video Dial (animated backgrounds), and Studio Dial for a more hands-on design experience. The AI watch face generator lets you create personalized faces based on prompts, which is a genuinely fun feature to play with.
Health & Fitness Tracking: Solid Where It Counts
Heart Rate & SpO₂
The Watch 3 Pro uses a four-channel optical heart rate sensor that delivers more accurate readings than the previous generation — reportedly around 10% more accurate during exercise, and about 5% more precise for sleep tracking. In everyday use, the heart rate and blood oxygen (SpO₂) readings feel consistent and reliable. For 24/7 health monitoring at this price point, that's more than acceptable.
Stress monitoring, women's health tracking (cycle tracking and ovulation estimates), hydration reminders, and posture alerts round out the health suite. These aren't features you'd typically find on a $99 watch, and while they're not clinical-grade, they're genuinely useful for building awareness around your daily health patterns.
Sleep Tracking
Sleep tracking is one of the Watch 3 Pro's strongest suits. The watch automatically logs your sleep, tracks REM and deep sleep cycles, and detects naps. The Nothing X app displays a clear breakdown of your sleep history, and the data is surprisingly detailed for the price. Multiple testers found the sleep tracking accurate enough to be genuinely informative rather than just decorative.
Sports Modes
The watch packs 131 sports modes, covering everything from standard options like outdoor running, cycling, hiking, and pool swimming to more unusual choices like jump rope, planks, and kite flying. Seven of these modes feature automatic activity recognition — the watch detects when you've started one of the supported activities and logs it without you manually starting a workout.
For serious runners, the Watch 3 Pro goes further than most budget smartwatches with advanced metrics including VO2 Max, training load, and recovery time. Warm-up and stretching guides with 3D animations are also included, which is a thoughtful addition. Workout data syncs with Strava, Apple Health, and Google Fit.
GPS: The Biggest Upgrade Over the Watch Pro 2
If there's one area where the CMF Watch 3 Pro makes the biggest leap over its predecessor, it's GPS. The Watch Pro 2 had frustratingly slow GPS lock-on times — a real annoyance for anyone who wanted to get out the door for a run without waiting around.
The Watch 3 Pro fixes this with dual-band L1+L5 GNSS, supporting five satellite systems for faster acquisition and dramatically better accuracy. Lock-on now happens in seconds rather than minutes. GPS tracking during runs and rides is precise enough that you can confidently leave your phone at home — the route data it returns is reliable and detailed.
The dual-band system is particularly effective in challenging urban environments like city centres with tall buildings or areas with dense tree cover, where single-band GPS typically struggles. For budget smartwatches, this is a premium spec that genuinely earns its place.
The AI-powered Running Coach feature ties into the GPS data to create personalized training plans aimed at 5K and 10K goals. The coach adapts your sessions based on actual performance, adjusting intensity as you improve. For beginner and intermediate runners, this is a feature that previously required either a dedicated running app or a much more expensive watch.
Smart Features: Calls, AI, and Daily Utilities
The CMF Watch 3 Pro includes a built-in microphone and speaker for Bluetooth calls, storing up to 30 contacts directly on the watch. AI noise reduction on calls keeps audio clean — a feature that works noticeably better than basic Bluetooth call quality on older budget wearables.
Other smart features include:
- Morning news briefing delivered through the watch
- Voice notes with transcripts
- AI-generated smart wallpapers
- Gesture controls — wrist rotate or arm shake to trigger app shortcuts, control music, or manage calls
- Phone Finder, Camera Control, Music Control
- Flashlight mode
The Nothing X app (which replaced the older CMF Watch app with the Watch 3 Pro's launch) serves as the central hub for all settings, detailed fitness insights, and watch face management. The app covers Android 6.0 and iOS 13 and above, and the smartwatch works reliably with both platforms — though iPhone users should note that message replies aren't available on iOS (only on Android), and notifications can't be individually dismissed.
Battery Life: One of Its Best Arguments
The official claim is 13 days of typical use. Real-world testing across multiple reviewers tells a consistent story: you'll comfortably hit 10–13 days with mixed use including daily health monitoring and occasional workouts. Some testers with lighter usage patterns reported pushing past 15 days.
Enable the Always-On Display and regular workout tracking, and expect that to drop to around 4–5 days — which is still reasonable given what you're running continuously.
Charging via the proprietary two-pin magnetic puck takes around 1.5 hours for a full charge. The one consistent criticism of the charger is that the magnetic connection can be a little fiddly — it attaches fine when positioned correctly, but isn't the most secure setup. Wireless charging would have been a welcome addition at this price.
What CMF Took Away: The Swappable Bezels
This needs to be said plainly, because it genuinely disappointed fans of the Watch Pro 2. The modular swappable bezels — arguably the Watch Pro 2's most distinctive feature — are gone in the Watch 3 Pro. You can still swap straps (any 22mm band works with the tool-free lug system), but the ability to change the watch's entire visual identity with a different bezel is no longer there.
Whether that matters to you depends on why you were drawn to CMF in the first place. If the modularity was the main appeal, the Watch 3 Pro is a step back. If you care more about GPS accuracy, display quality, and battery life, those areas are meaningfully improved.
CMF Watch 3 Pro vs. the Competition
At $99 (often found for $60–$79 on sale), the Watch 3 Pro sits in a competitive segment. Here's how it stacks up against common alternatives:
| Feature | CMF Watch 3 Pro | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| GPS | Dual-band L1+L5 | ||
| Display | 1.43" AMOLED | ||
| Battery Life | ~13 days | ||
| NFC Payments | ❌ No | ||
| Sports Modes | 131 | ||
| AI Running Coach | ✅ Yes | ||
| Price | $99 |
The Watch 3 Pro's main gap is the lack of NFC for contactless payments — a feature that's becoming increasingly expected even at budget price points. If tap-to-pay on your wrist matters to you, this is the deal-breaker. If it doesn't, the Watch 3 Pro competes extremely well against everything near its price.
Who Should Buy the CMF Watch 3 Pro?
Buy it if you are:
- Looking for your first smartwatch and don't want to spend over $100
- A casual to intermediate runner who wants built-in GPS without phone dependency
- Someone who wants solid daily health tracking — heart rate, sleep, SpO₂, stress
- Upgrading from the original CMF Watch or another entry-level tracker
- An Android user who wants Bluetooth call support and full notification interaction
Skip it if you:
- Need NFC for contactless payments
- Have very small wrists and prefer a compact form factor
- Are upgrading specifically from the Watch Pro 2 for the modular bezels (they're gone)
- Swim frequently and need reliable, certified swim tracking
- Are an iPhone user who relies on replying to messages from the wrist
Final Verdict
The CMF Watch 3 Pro isn't a perfect smartwatch. The swappable bezels are missed. The charger could be more secure. The display can wash out in bright sunlight. And iOS users give up a few features that Android users get to keep.
But here's the thing: none of that changes what this watch is at $99. It's a well-built, genuinely attractive smartwatch with dual-band GPS that actually works, an AI coaching system that adds real value for runners, comprehensive health tracking, a sharp AMOLED display, and battery life that stretches comfortably past a week. These are specs and features that live in a different price bracket on paper.
CMF has built something that competes meaningfully with watches costing 50–100% more. For first-time smartwatch buyers, budget-conscious fitness enthusiasts, or anyone who wants to spend under $100 and get a device that doesn't feel like a compromise — the CMF Watch 3 Pro is one of the smartest buys in the wearables market right now.
Quick Specs Reference
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Display | 1.43" AMOLED, 466×466px, 670 nits, 60Hz |
| Always-On Display | ✅ Yes |
| GPS | Dual-band L1+L5, 5-system GNSS |
| Heart Rate Sensor | 4-channel optical |
| Sports Modes | 131 (7 auto-recognized) |
| Battery | 350mAh, up to 13 days |
| Charging Time | ~1.5 hours |
| Water Resistance | IP68 |
| Connectivity | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Compatibility | Android 6.0+ / iOS 13+ |
| Weight | 51g (without strap) |
| Strap Size | 22mm, tool-free swap |
| Colors | Light Gray, Light Green, Orange, Dark Gray |
| Price | $99 / £99 / €99 |
Prices accurate as of 2025. Check Amazon, the Nothing official website, and authorized retailers for the latest deals — the Watch 3 Pro frequently sells for $10–30 below MSRP.