CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro Just Might be the Perfect Smartwatch for Under $100, Here’s Why

Short battery life frustrates many smartwatch owners more than anything else. Prices for decent models climb higher every year. CMF by Nothing Watch 3 Pro, priced at $69 (was $99), changes that equation completely. A 47-millimeter case sits comfortably on most wrists at just 51 grams. Liquid silicone straps attach easily with standard 22-millimeter pins so swapping colors takes seconds. Brushed details around the rotating crown add a subtle finish that feels more expensive than the asking price suggests.

The screen size increases to a pocket-sized 1.43 inches, with a square 466 by 466 pixel AMOLED panel that produces sharp text and silky smooth swipes because the refresh rate remains at a steady 60 Hz. Even in harsh sunshine, the maximum brightness of 670 nits allows you to keep track of the time. And if you want to save battery life, the always-on display remains visible – just don’t expect deep blacks; that’s the price you pay for this function.

The battery itself has 350mAh capacity and could last up to 13 days on a single charge. If you’re a heavy user, however, and spend a lot of time tracking your heart rate or GPS route, you’ll get at least 10 days out of it, even if you’re constantly checking your watch. And if you elect to leave the always-on display on, you should be able to go about 4-5 days between top-ups, which is plenty of time between charges in my opinion. You can put the watch on the charger for a short 100 minutes, just enough time to have a coffee, and then you’re ready to go.

When it comes to health tracking, Nothing has worked harder to get the basics right: continuous heart rate monitoring with updates every few minutes, as well as the ability to check blood oxygen levels and stress levels. It’ll even tell you what stage of sleep you’re in, dividing it into neat little charts of time and quality each morning. For the females, there’s a built-in period tracker that will tell you when ovulation is due. There are also other sports modes available, over 130 in all, so whether you’re a serious athlete or just want to go for a brief jog, you should be able to find something that suits you. The dual-band GPS works great, and it even identifies when you start or end an exercise, so you don’t have to fiddle with manual start/stop times. All of that data is then synced to the Nothing X app, where you can see how you’re doing over time. I mean, if you’re a real runner, you’ll want a little more precision, but for the typical user, it’s plenty to keep you on track.

The Bluetooth 5.3 onboard allows you to take and make calls directly from the watch, as long as you have a built-in microphone and speaker. You may also receive notifications from your phone apps on the watch, which you can reject or respond to without having to reach for your phone. Additionally, you can manage your music directly from the watch, which should be a big advantage for all you runners out there.

The watch is water resistant to the tune of IP68, so a good splash in the rain or a fast hand wash should be fine, but, as with other similar watches, you should avoid deep water sports, since swimming laps are out of the question. As an extra plus, the lack of an NFC chip allows you to utilize your phone to make contactless payments.