CMF by Nothing Watch Pro Review: Maximum minimalism

The smartwatch market is incredibly saturated right now. There are options and brands galore. Whatever your budget, be it under Rs 1,000 or over Rs 1 lakh, you will find a smartwatch to suit your needs. This begs the question — how does a brand stand out in a market like this, one in which watches look increasingly similar and boast more or less the same functions? If you were to ask CMF by Nothing, it's by not even trying,

CMF by Nothing is an initiative launched by London-based consumer tech company Nothing to mark its third birthday. Carl Pei, Co-Founder of OnePlus, started the company on October 29, 2020.

CMF by Nothing recently unveiled Watch Pro (the subject of this review), Buds Pro, and a 65-watt GaN (gallium nitride) power brick as part of its first tranche of product launches.

Watch Pro is quintessentially Nothing in its minimalism, but at the same time, it is nothing like Nothing's stable of smartphones and earbuds with their now-familiar transparent design. It looks almost unremarkable, but that is not to say it doesn't look good. The Watch Pro is available in two colour variants, Metallic Grey, priced at Rs 4,999, and Dark Grey, which will cost Rs 4,499.

CMF by Nothing sent me the Dark Grey variant for review, and I must admit I like it more than expected. The Watch Pro sports a very understated design — it's got the near-ubiquitous square smartwatch design, with a 1.96-inch AMOLED. The aluminium, unibody chassis sports a matte finish, while the glass over the display curves ever-so-slightly towards the edges. The underside is simple — just a sensor, and a magnetic charging connector. In form and size, it is not too far removed — at least in dimensions — from the Apple Watch Ultra, but, at Rs 75,000 cheaper, it offers quite the bang for your buck.

The packaging is the first thing that caught my attention. It's unique and minimalistic. The Watch Pro comes in a recessed, moulded plastic case that contains the smartwatch, silicone straps, and the charging cable. A flat cardboard sits nearly flush at the top, sealing off the entire package. It makes for a quirky unboxing experience.

I'm not the biggest fan of silicone watch bands as I find them uncomfortable to wear for long durations — they tend to chafe against my skin. It's a good thing that the Watch Pro supports regular 22mm straps. I put in an elastic, fabric band and I was good to go.

The Watch Pro is straightforward to set up — download the CMF Watch app from the App Store or the Play Store, allow the app the necessary permission, and the Watch Pro pairs to your phone nearly instantaneously.

Now what it offers in terms of features is bare bones — health tracking like sleep, heart rate, blood oxygen, and stress monitoring, activity tracking, notifications, and an always-on display. It does have a plethora of watch faces that are consistent with the Nothing design ethos — there are roughly 37 watch faces to choose from, but at the time of this writing, they are not customisable, or interactive. But that is true of all smartwatches in this price range. So, no harm, no foul.

The screen is stunning, with its large display providing ample real estate to display the colours in their full glory. Most watch faces are either monochromatic or orange-themed — orange is at the heart of CMF by Nothing — and they look great on this display.

You have 'Multifunction,' 'Analog,' 'Digital,' and 'Creative' watch faces to choose from, They range from telling you anything, from the time, to displaying your activity stats. My favourite is the 'Complex Figure' watch face, which shows the time in Nothing's classic dot matrix font, with steps walked and active calories burnt.

The speaker is loud and crisp and the caller couldn't tell whether I was speaking on my phone or the Watch Pro. Quite impressive.

This is the real champ of the Watch Pro experience. With the always-on display on, I easily got about 10 days on a single charge. Granted, the watch's minimalistic design and functionality probably helped, but it does everything that a smartwatch is expected to do, and keeps on ticking.

The Watch Pro is a stellar first effort, but as with any first-generation product, there are areas that need improvement. For one, I'd like to see the home button double as a crown in future iterations, as well as interactive complications on watch faces. I don't think CMF by Nothing should tamper with the design as it perfectly complements the Dark Grey Nothing Phone (2), but then again, I'm not an industrial design expert, and cannot possibly predict what CMF by Nothing will come up with in its second edition of Watch Pro. But I'll be looking forward to it. A transparent design, perhaps?

For now, the watch displays notifications from select apps, and you cannot respond to text messages or other notifications. A change here would be welcome.

The CMS Watch Pro is a no-frills, no-nonsense smartwatch that gets the job done and looks good while doing it. Its understated design, light weight, and ease of use make it a compelling choice for anyone looking for a stripped-down smartphone experience that doesn't complicate your life like some other high-end smartwatches do. You can use it just as a watch, or a health and fitness tracker. The choice is yours.