NOTHING CMF WATCH 3 PRO: You Are Unique

iambhuvan · 2025-11-08T19:21:26+00:00

## For the past couple of weeks, the **CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro** has lived on my wrist — through work, runs, random walks under Scotland’s moody skies, and quiet moments at home. And now, standing at the crossroads of excitement and confusion, I can’t help but feel this watch is… well, *unique*. [upl-image-preview uuid=15ab3b63-c7dc-40d0-b2c2-5dc4341cfd4a url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-11-08/1762629513-169295-dsf02552.jpg alt={TEXT?}] Unique in a way that makes you stop and think — “Wait, how did we get here?” So, here’s my story with the Watch 3 Pro, told in the way I experienced it. Let’s start where it matters most: **hardware, software, battery, and design** — the pillars of this curious creation. --- ### **1. Hardware and Software – The Evolved Duo** The Watch 3 Pro feels like a thoughtful evolution, a refinement born from the lessons of the Watch 2 Pro. Right from the first swipe, I could feel how **fluid, stable, and intuitive** the software has become. Gone are the laggy transitions and buggy hiccups I remember from testing the development version of its predecessor. Instead, everything now feels snappy — almost eager to please. I especially love how much information fits neatly onto a single screen. It’s organized, logical, and somehow still visually satisfying. And oh, those **watch faces** — picking one felt like choosing a favorite song from a great album. Each one had its own charm, and I kept switching just because I could. On the hardware side, the Watch 3 Pro steps up in every way. The display feels premium — bright and crisp — even under Scotland’s rare, elusive sunlight (I’m still waiting for that one perfect sunny day to test the peak brightness!). The GPS, the heart-rate sensor, the strap material — everything feels deliberate and solid. I ran a side-by-side comparison with my **Pixel Watch**, and to my surprise, **the step count and heart-rate readings matched almost perfectly**. The only difference? The Watch 3 Pro took a bit longer to lock onto my heart rate — not inaccurate, just more patient. The **touch responsiveness** is excellent, lag-free, and the **microphone** is leagues ahead of the previous generation. I did notice some echo indoors, but still, it’s a huge step forward. --- ### **2. Battery – The Silent Workhorse** At the heart of the Watch 3 Pro lies a **350 mAh battery**, a true workhorse that powers the device tirelessly. On a full charge, it consistently goes beyond Nothing’s claimed **13 Day** of typical use. I didn’t push it to the extreme to test the promised **4.5 days**, but even with moderate to heavy use, I could easily see it crossing the **3–3.5-day mark** — which is impressive in this segment. --- ### **3. Design – The Beauty of Subtle Refinement** Ever since the first CMF watch, I’ve been drawn to the brand’s minimalist yet characterful design language. With each generation, the refinements have been subtle but meaningful — and the **Watch 3 Pro** carries that same philosophy forward beautifully. There’s something satisfying about noticing the little things, like the **recess under the charging pogo pins**. It’s such a small tweak, yet it prevents the charging cable from slipping away — something that used to frustrate me on the Watch 2 Pro. The **crown positioning** continues to be perfect for me — it never digs into my wrist like most watches do during workouts or daily wear. And that **concaved bezel**? Genius. It not only looks elegant but also helps protect the display from scratches, which is a quiet comfort for the slightly obsessive among us. [upl-image-preview uuid=ad6126b9-ea6d-44f9-a68d-999bc369ff2c url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-11-08/1762629555-82013-dsf0250.jpg alt={TEXT?}] --- ### **Conclusion – A Watch With a Personality** The **CMF Watch 3 Pro** isn’t just another smartwatch; it’s a reflection of a lifestyle. For someone like me — a full-time worker who loves running, walking, and hitting the gym occasionally — this is an ideal **lifestyle smartwatch**. [upl-image-preview uuid=d3457012-8b55-42c2-bfea-6d0d59153b2f url=https://cdn.nothing.community/2025-11-08/1762629590-238153-dsf02482.jpg alt={TEXT?}] However, I wouldn’t recommend it to hardcore **fitness enthusiasts** just yet. Here’s why: * Even after getting familiar with the watch and **Nothing X app**, I couldn’t readily change my default step goal from 5000. * When I simulated a run, the **heart rate and other metrics were reliable**, but I couldn’t easily go back and review those metrics afterward — **unless I was using the running coach**, in which case I *could* see the information in detail as required. So it’s either not baked into the general app view yet, or the navigation isn’t obvious. * And most importantly, the app **doesn’t integrate with Strava, Google Fit, or other social fitness platforms**, which limits sharing and tracking options for those who live by those ecosystems. Still, for anyone **starting their fitness journey** or looking for a **stylish, affordable smartwatch** that punches above its weight — this one’s a winner. Oh, and before I end — a random thought. Could the microphone on this watch double as a “super mic”? Because honestly, who really wants to take calls on loudspeaker in public anymore? Everyone’s got earbuds. Maybe it’s an Easter egg from the Nothing team, quietly waiting to be discovered. Until then, we’ll wait… and *watch.* (No pun intended.) ( Apologies all of the above three points that I had struggled with are doable and it was me who wasn't navigating app thoroughly and with help from community Member @"MarkG13"#20179 after writing this post, I got the above mentioned resolved. Hence maybe now I can recommend it as a solid fitness watch too 🤩 )

4ki

iambhuvan Does it come in a leather strap like the watch 2? Cos that's important to me if i were to buy this.

MarkG13

Good balanced review, thanks for sharing. However i found it fairly easy to change my steps distance and it definitely does sync with Strava as I managed to do so about a month ago. Also, you don't mention the fact that the app doesn't log daily distance like it does steps. This feature has been missing for over 16 months now.

iambhuvan

MarkG13 oh please if you could share how you did it would be great 🙌🏽 it is my fault then on not being able to navigate properly across the app.

Also with respect to the distance log, I haven't mentioned it because I never used that feature even in my pixel watch. And please note the review is based on my use case so maybe would have missed a few good and bad, will try to be do more in depth for next product I get the opportunity to review.

CMF1_hacker

iambhuvan the "super mic" works the way it does because it is two microphones and use beamforming. Thus at least two mics are required.

I wrote a post on it before but I don't think it had any responses.

https://nothing.community/en/d/42405-curious-about-the-super-mic-on-the-ear-3-fyi

I also haven't seen a teardown of the Ear 3 case and haven't seen any parents filed by NTL.

Anyone with a case, want to take it apart?

Edit: I also find the hardware on the watch itself extremely limited, especially the accessible storage, which seems to be 256 MiB unless I am incorrect. It will hold some JSON files to transfer to the phone. And it must maintain connection with a phone every five mins, which is atypical for sport watches.

CMF1_hacker

iambhuvan I feel it's important to state that it only syncs with Strava (with HR) if you do an outdoor activity. I had to create a workaround from any indoor activity with HR.

Sound foolishs, but in poor weather in Northern Europe, a lot of people workout indoors and sharing with STRAVA isn't possible normally so I have to go through Health Connect to Fit to Strava with Health Sync. Is there a way to do this that you have found? Essentially, without GPS, there isn't a way to share by default to STRAVA.

MarkG13

iambhuvan To change your steps target, on the Nothing X app go onto " Health" , then click on the M on the top right corner. Then "My Goals" you will then see steps , click on that and you can alter the target there. Hope that helps?

Venice

iambhuvan This is Venice from the Nothing Team. We are sorry you are experiencing some issues with your Nothing Watch 3 Pro. May you please send me a DM and will be glad to sort this out. Thank you.

iambhuvan

Venice

Hi thanks for reaching out, I think I have got an understanding now and was able to resolve the issues. All good!

Venice

iambhuvan Good to know! You may DM me anytime if you have any concerns ☺

iambhuvan

@CYPHER_LYNX I'm sure our feedbacks will be shared with the relevant team.

@4ki I don t think so that a leather strap is available with the watch 3 pro.

@CMF1_hacker I made a suggestion like what if if we can use the Watch for super mic but thanks for sharing your knowledge, my background is mechanical engineering. And Regarding your Strava sync questions, unfortunately I had to return the device so not able to check in depth, as Mark recommended I did a quick check on the settings and that was about it. May be others who own the watch can look into this for us.

MarkG13

iambhuvan Are you still having trouble connecting your Watch 3 Pro to Strava? Apologies if you have and I've missed seeing it. I managed to do it, I'll be honest I'm not entirely sure how, as it didn't seem like it worked as it was meant to. But on the app, go to Devices, then M, then scroll down to "Sync with 3rd party apps" and select Strava. Can't remember what happened after that I'm sorry, but that's the route I took. Hope it might be some use?

CYPHER_LYNX

iambhuvan it's not about my feedback, you are free to check every platform,threads,posts regarding the successor watch 2 pro and the frustration people have on it. You see still now the watch software function is pathetic, battery doesn't last as initially after the recent update, god knows wat happened to it. Also it get disconnected a 100 times a day and want to manually connect to our phones. And the worst part why did the brand introduced gpt integration, it won't work if the phone goes sleep, have to keep it on all time(if that the case we could just use gpt from our phone right?), and coming to sensors every readings are far away from actual value, and the main part bezel, for wat worldly purpose did the brand introduced interchangeable bezel, 70 percent people bought it thinking they get dual bezel with watch but later knew we have to find someone with other bezel and ask if the can exchange 🫠. I am currently wearing a Bezel guard bcoz just a tiny scratch is making it worse . I am not complaining in one breath, these are the issues people faced in watch 2, and watch 3 is not far away from it .

iambhuvan

MarkG13 Sorry took a wee while to get back, all sorted and many thanks to your instructions i was able to connect and sync to Strava

MarkG13

iambhuvan Oh that's good to know. There are lots of challenges to join if you like that sort of thing as well.

iambhuvan

CYPHER_LYNX fair enough but wouldn't you consider that updating from interchangeable bezels to more durable bezel on the Watch 3 pro was a result of CMF by Nothing learning through our feedbacks?

They are communicating better not letting people assume which in turn will avoid frustrations amongst the brand supporters and it will keep getting better. No body wants to do a bad job.

And finally I'm not sure why you are wearing the bezel guard, I used to play cricket with the Watch 2 Pro and it survived a lot and I can guarantee I never wore my Pixel because it will break down but perhaps your needs are different than mine, never the less Watch 3Pro has evolved to be a much better and reliable smartwatch from CMF by Nothing.