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• Essential specifications that matter for buyers
• Battery performance that changes the daily routine
• Fitness tracking and GPS: accuracy and coaching
  • Sports modes and versatility
• Sleep tracking compared to a luxury smartbed
• Design, comfort, and practical drawbacks
• User-facing software choices and the ChatGPT limitation
• Who this smartwatch will appeal to

The CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro arrives as a surprising bargain: premium looks, robust tracking, and an endurance battery, all for under $99. It feels like a watch that should cost more, yet it also has a few small but meaningful quirks that matter to real users.

Essential specifications that matter for buyers

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• Display: 1.43-inch AMOLED glass, 466 x 466 resolution.
• Brightness: Up to 650 nits for outdoor visibility.
• Refresh rate: 60 Hz for smooth animations.
• Battery: 350 mAh lithium-ion cell, about 13 days typical.
• Charging: ~100 minutes to full, magnetic proprietary puck.
• Weight: Roughly 51–52.4 g, varies by colorway.
• Ingress protection: IP68 for water and dust resistance.

Battery performance that changes the daily routine

The headline feature is the battery life. In everyday use the Watch 3 Pro routinely stretches beyond a week. With typical settings it hits the company’s 13-day estimate. Turning on continuous GPS drops that to roughly 17 hours. In power-saver mode the watch can last weeks.

This endurance makes charging much less of a chore. However, the magnetic charger requires care to align. It forces the watch to sit face-down and can be easily knocked loose. Expect a few attempts to dock it correctly, and plan to leave it undisturbed while topping up.

Fitness tracking and GPS: accuracy and coaching

The Watch 3 Pro packs a dual-band GPS system that provides impressively precise routes. It can place you on the correct side of a road in mapped activities.

• Heart rate monitoring with interval breakdowns.
• SpO2 and stress tracking.
• VO2 max estimates and recovery timers after workouts.
• Detailed post-workout metrics: calories, duration, and heart-rate graphs.

Runners get an AI-powered running coach. It asks for goal distance, target time, training days, and a short trial run. The trial must be 12 minutes or longer for the algorithm to calibrate. The coach still has hiccups: it tends to default to kilometers even if the device shows miles.

Sports modes and versatility

There are over 130 sport modes. CMF includes niche options such as hula hooping, jet skiing, kite flying, and scooter riding. It also recognizes standard bodyweight exercises like planks, push-ups, and sit-ups.

Sleep tracking compared to a luxury smartbed

I ran the Watch 3 Pro alongside a high-end sleep system to compare data. The results were striking. Night-to-night totals and stage percentages were often within a few minutes of each other.

For example: REM and deep sleep proportions showed only minor variance versus the smartbed’s output. The watch also logs naps automatically, a feature not universal among wearables.

The phone app occasionally displays awkward phrasing and typos, such as odd sentence structure in sleep summaries. These are cosmetic and likely resolvable with updates.

Design, comfort, and practical drawbacks

The case and bezel change color with the strap, which gives the watch a distinctive look. I tested a bright orange model and found the build attractive and modern.

The watch is offered in one size only. On a 6.5-inch wrist the 1.43-inch face feels large and dominant. That will suit people who want a bold, readable screen, but it may be too big for smaller wrists or children. Despite its size, the device is light and wearable for long stretches.

Missing features include NFC payments. There’s no contactless wallet on the watch, so you’ll need your phone or card for in-person purchases.

User-facing software choices and the ChatGPT limitation

One of the more talked-about marketing points was wrist access to ChatGPT. In practice, that capability is restricted. You only get ChatGPT on the watch if it’s paired with a Nothing phone.

If you use a different Android phone or an iPhone, the ChatGPT shortcut on your wrist is unavailable. That restriction feels limiting for buyers who hoped for on-device conversational AI regardless of phone brand.

Other app quirks include odd wording in the companion app and a few translation slips. Functionally these do not break the experience, but they undercut polish.

Who this smartwatch will appeal to

The CMF Watch 3 Pro is aimed at buyers seeking a powerful feature set at a low price. It matches more costly devices in battery life and sleep-tracking accuracy. Athletes and casual users alike will find the GPS and coaching tools useful.

• Good fit: value-conscious buyers, runners who want guided plans, users who prize long battery life.
• Less ideal: those needing NFC payments, people with very small wrists, and anyone who wants ChatGPT without a Nothing phone.