Nothing, the UK brand spearheaded by OnePlus founder Carl Pei, is looking to expand its horizons by catering to smart consumers who want plenty of bang for their hard-earned buck.
Enter CMF by Nothing, a “London-based consumer technology brand that aims to make great design more accessible, while delivering an uncompromised user experience through a focus on core product functionalities”, as its website proudly states.
The CMF Watch Pro is CMF’s foray into the smartwatch category, and it is a commendable debut.
Display & design
Wearing the CMF Watch Pro will certainly turn heads, and some might even ask “is that an Apple Watch?”, only to walk away having heard about CMF for the very first time.
Sporting a generous 1.96-inch (5cm) square touchscreen display with slightly curved edges, the aluminum case is thick and blocky but lightweight, tipping the scales at about 45g, strap included. This means it is easy to wear without being a constant reminder on your wrist.
The finish looks and feels premium, and the sole home button on the right offers a satisfying click when pressed. Unlike an Apple Watch, there is no Digital Crown to play with here; everything is controlled from the touchscreen and button.
The Amoled display offers a resolution of 410 x 502 pixels with peak brightness of 600 nits. The lack of an automatic brightness setting is no issue, since it works well enough when viewed under direct sunlight.
If you do not mind pushing the battery life, the Always-on Display feature makes it easy to tell time at a glance.
Meanwhile, the strap wears differently, so if you do not like it, the quick-release pins allow for easy replacement with any other conventional 22mm watch band.
Features
What can you expect for RM339? More than what a regular fitness tracker delivers, for sure. The CMF Watch Pro is able to track different exercises and their respective records, your heart rate, blood oxygen level and sleep quality, and further acts as a pedometer, music control, and camera remote.
Bluetooth calling is also available, letting you pull a Dick Tracy when you fancy doing so via the latest Bluetooth 5.3 standard.
Other features include weather information, stopwatch, alarm, timer, phone finder, and flashlight. You can also allow app notifications to pop up when connected with a paired phone so you don’t miss a single message or call – at the expense of battery life.
The pièce de résistance is its built-in GPS, something relatively rare in a smartwatch of this price range. Supporting GPS, Glonass, Galileo, QZSS, and Beidou positioning systems, you can leave your phone at home while you head outdoors for a run, as it captures location data on its own.
Compared with recorded distance via Strava, the results run close, making the CMF Watch Pro a decent performer. With an IP68 rating, you will also be able to use this in the rain without any issues.
Unfortunately, there is no automatic workout detection, so remember to select the right exercise every time!
User interface and app
Every smartwatch comes with its own application, and the CMF Watch app – available on Android and iOS – will do all the heavy lifting as it pairs and synchronises data from the smartwatch.
Pairing it is easy, and it takes under a minute to connect. You can add up to 20 favourite contacts for direct calling via the watch, although it is let down by the inability to search for a specific person, making it a touch annoying to look for Yusof or Zack.
The app lets you access all data stored on the Watch Pro in a neat manner. You will also be able to make changes to app notifications, and toggle functions like do not disturb, raise wrist to wake, hydration reminder, and stand up reminder, among others.
Additional watch faces can be downloaded via the app, although only a single slot is available to store your current favourite watch face – one of the compromises of the value-for-money segment.
Battery life
The CMF Watch Pro has a swipe-driven interface. Swipe down to access the quick settings, up to check notifications, and sideways to cycle through the various widgets.
When pressed, the home button will let you view apps and return to the watch face.
The included USB cable magnetically attaches via two pogo pins below the watch, although note that a USB charger isn’t included in the box.
Context is always important when it comes to battery life, with CMF touting 13 days of use on a single charge for a typical user. For this review, 10 days’ use with GPS, Bluetooth, and Always-on Display disabled saw the battery life drop to 51%.
Clearly, the manufacturer’s rating is spot on with its 340 mAh battery.
All in all, the CMF Watch Pro is a steal at this price point, where you get a no-frills and highly functional smartwatch that covers all the basics. Future software updates will no doubt keep this timepiece going for years.
Learn more about CMF by Nothing and the Watch Pro by clicking here.
Edwin Kee dreamt of being a pro-gamer only to have circumstances mould him into a programmer in a past life. He has since moved on to write about consumer electronics and other topics.