The wearable market in India, especially the smartwatch category, has seen a meteoric rise in the last couple of years. Once associated with status and fashion, smartwatches are now much more than a piece of jewellery that just sits on your wrist all day. We now take calls, check our messages, and, most importantly, track our workouts and fitness goals to see whether we have hit our 10,000 steps target. With the increased sales, the category is naturally witnessing fierce competition, especially in the Rs. 5,000 to Rs. 10,000 price segment, with OEMs like Boat, Noise, and Fire-Boltt dominating the market.
Arriving almost a year after its global debut, the CMF Watch 3 Pro has finally been launched in India with a price tag of Rs. 7,999, which is significantly steeper than its predecessor. With a large round dial, the new smartwatch focuses on long battery life, a number of customisable watch faces, and everything the competition offers in terms of fitness tracking. But does it offer too little, too late?
CMF Watch 3 Pro Design, Comfort: Minimalist and Functional
- Case size – 47mm
- Colours – Dark Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, and Orange
- Dimensions and weight – 258 x 47 x 14.4mm and 51.9g
In my first impressions of the CMF Watch 3 Pro, I found the design of the smartwatch to be better than the competition, because of how simple yet functional it is. That assessment still stands. The minimalist design philosophy, unique to Nothing and CMF, is what sets the wearable apart from the competition. The metal case of the CMF Watch 3 Pro looks premium and robust, suggesting it can withstand daily wear and tear compared to its predecessor.
The CMF Watch 3 Pro is on sale in the country in Dark Grey, Light Green, Light Grey, and Orange colour options. And I got to test the Dark Grey shade, paired with black silicon straps. This particular colourway is quite subtle and comfortable to look at compared to the other options. But, from the marketing images, the Orange shade, coupled with a dark black dial, also looks premium, making it appear at par with the Ultra-branded smartwatches from Samsung and Apple, with few distractions.
Its 47mm dial is perfect for people with larger wrists. However, it may appear slightly bulkier to those used to 44mm or 40mm dials. Another important aspect, adding to its subtle design, is the round dial, which is almost identical to standard timepieces we have been used to seeing for ages.
While a square-shaped dial is almost an instant giveaway that you are wearing a smartwatch, the CMF Watch 3 Pro blends in quite well with your formal attire, without making too much noise. However, its 14.4mm thickness does. I often found myself adjusting the CMF Watch 3 Pro while working out or even typing on my laptop, as it doesn’t work well when my wrist is bent upwards.
CMF Watch 3 Pro feels light on wrist
Another annoying aspect is the silicon strap. While it is comfortable to wear and soft to touch, it leaves little room for your skin to breathe. In the gym or while on a run, your wrist gets sweaty and itchy. And the silicon strap, unfortunately, isn’t helping with this, as it lets in barely any air. If you put on gloves while lifting weights, you have to pull the smartwatch up to leave some space for the gloves’ velcro. But the CMF Watch 3 Pro does not like to stay in one place when you do that, turning out to be another major irritant.
Also, it comes with detachable straps. But it is a hassle to take them off and put them back on if you have small nails. The small, pin-like pullable tab is also not convenient to find if you are not familiar with how it works. The learning curve is short, but painful.
Overall, I was impressed with the CMF Watch 3 Pro’s design, as I do not like my tech to scream what it is for. While there are a few issues, you can get past most of them.
CMF Watch 3 Pro Display: At Par With the Rest
- Display Size – 1.43-inch
- Display Type – AMOLED
The CMF Watch 3 Pro ships with a large 1.43-inch (460×460 pixels) AMOLED display. This seems great on paper. But it is not unique. There is no “wow” factor, since smartwatches that are much cheaper than CMF’s have also moved on to offering OLED panels. Then what gives it a competitive edge?
CMF Watch 3 Pro has a bright enough display for indoor use
CMF claims that the smartwatch offers up to 670 nits peak brightness. In terms of real-world performance, it is a mixed bag. There are five brightness levels available, along with an auto-brightness mode. I want to point out that its auto-brightness works quite well. It reacts to changing environments really quickly, whether you are going from outdoors to indoors or vice versa.
But I still found myself often increasing the brightness when I was outside, just because it lacked that punch. This problem is mostly prevalent with watch faces that have a dark background. In terms of indoor performance, the display is bright enough, even when an artificial light is pointed directly at it.
Moreover, its display refreshes at 60Hz, which is the same as the competition. You can clearly see crisp text turn into haze when you start scrolling. It also appears a bit jittery when you try to scroll too fast.
CMF Watch 3 Pro Software and Companion App: Decent, But a Big Learning Curve
- Supported platforms – Android, iOS
- Companion app – Nothing X
The CMF Watch 3 Pro connects to both iOS and Android phones quite easily. Just download the Nothing X app, follow a few on-screen instructions, and you’re ready to start using the smartwatch. The app itself is divided into two sections: My devices and Health. The app UI looks really clean and is extremely intuitive to use.
CMF Watch 3 Pro OS is snappy but there’s a learning curve
The My Devices section shows the exact battery percentage your watch is at, the current watch face you are using, other watch faces you can use, and more. A key, well-thought-out attention to detail is that the home page shows you the exact colourway of your smartwatch. This really enhances the user experience, something other OEMs can learn from.
On the other hand, the Health section provides all the information you need about your workout, including the active calories you burned, whether you stood up to take a minute-long stroll, and how long you worked out. It takes the same approach as Apple by using a colourful ring-like infographic to show you your progress. Instead of rings, it displays a running track. I personally find this to be highly motivating, always making me want to complete the rings.
Coming to the UI of the CMF Watch 3 Pro, my experience has been quite opposite. While I could barely find any bugs, it took me days to figure out which section appears where. Also, I noticed a slight lag between pressing the crown and receiving a response. The notifications section can be pulled from the bottom of the screen, while you can cycle through different screens to check the time, music app, phone app, activities, and more.
The lack of a scrollable menu that displays everything in one place really bothered me for a while, till I fully learned how to navigate the Watch 3 Pro. The intuitive design philosophy seen in the product and the companion app should have been carried over and reflected in the UI as well.
CMF Watch 3 Pro Performance and Battery Life: Exceeds Expectations
- Sensors – Accelerometer, Gyroscope, Ambient Light Sensor, Heart Rate Sensor, and SpO2 Sensor
- GPS – Yes (L1/L5)
- Battery – 350mAh
The performance of the CMF Watch 3 Pro is neither disappointing nor outright impressive. On a few aspects, it surprised me, and I was disappointed in others. It is definitely a feature-rich device, offering all the bells and whistles one expects to get at this price. First, let’s talk about fitness tracking. I directly compared the CMF Watch 3 Pro statistics with my Apple Watch SE 2, since it is generally considered to be accurate.
To my surprise, the two smartwatches were not that far apart in terms of numbers. After a rigorous hour-long workout, the CMF Watch 3 Pro showed I burned 828 active Kcal, whereas the Apple Watch model showed I burned 785 Kcal. In terms of steps, after 30 minutes, the Watch 3 Pro recorded 3,873 steps, while the Apple Watch recorded 3,864 steps.
While the CMF Watch 3 Pro was clocking slightly higher numbers, it is quite impressive for its price, especially since I was comparing it to a smartwatch that costs three times as much. On top of this, during post-workout heart recovery, both wearables showed my heart rate at 101 bpm, leaving me more impressed with CMF’s wearable.
CMF Watch 3 Pro’s rotating crown
The CMF Watch 3 Pro did it all while losing significantly less battery, going from 98 percent to 92 percent after a full day’s use, including a 30-minute walk, an hour-long workout, and a couple of calls. Moreover, it charges quite quickly, reaching 100 per cent in about 1 hour and 45 minutes.
CMF Watch 3 Pro Verdict
While the CMF Watch 3 Pro launched almost a year after its global debut, it is still a solid buy in the middle of 2026 and will be for at least 6 months. While the Rs. 7,999 price tag might seem a bit steep, the smartwatch justifies it with near-accurate health tracking, impressive battery life, a premium design, and a great build, making it a great value-for-money wearable. However, if your budget is limited, you can check out the recently launched Moto Watch.
