CMF Watch Pro review

For anyone starting out on a fitness journey, one of the newest and best smartwatches isn’t always essential. You can still get useful metrics by using an older model, although I’m not sure the CMF Watch Pro is the answer for everyone.

There’s a lot to like about this watch, such as the durable build quality and the excellent battery life. It tracks 110 fitness modes and has a secure strap for HIIT workouts, but when it comes to data, there’s something missing.

There were discrepancies in the fitness data compared to other fitness trackers, and there was occasional missing data when tracking sleep and overall health. The watch face was also far too large for my wrist. To find out more, keep reading this full CMF Watch Pro review.

CMF Watch Pro review: Specs

CMF Watch Pro review: Price & availability

The CMF Watch Pro is available to purchase from the third-party retailer AliExpress in the U.S. for $123 and in the U.K. for £109. The watch is available in four colors, including Dark Grey, Ash Grey, Silver and Orange.

The watch launched in September 2023 and has previously been available for as low as $69. However, it’s no longer available for purchase from Amazon or Nothing’s website, and its price has nearly doubled, so I wouldn’t recommend purchasing it anymore.

You can get the newer CMF Watch 3 Pro for the much lower price of $79, and it has more advanced features like dual-band GPS and 131 sport modes. It also has a circular watch face, which in my opinion looks sleeker, instead of the square face of the CMF Watch Pro.

If you just want to track wellness and don’t feel you need to look at a screen for your workout stats, the Fitbit Air is a great option for $99. This screen-free device can detect and track up to 100 sports and activities, and forgoes the distraction of a screen, which I personally love.

The Amazfit Bip 6 is cheaper at $79 and performs far better. Sleep tracking is more accurate on the Bip 6 in comparison to the CMF Watch Pro. The Bip 6 can also track a wider variety of workouts.

CMF Watch Pro review: Design & comfort

CMF by Nothing is well known for its quirky design ethos, but the CMF Watch Pro seems to be a simple ode to the Apple Watch. With a square, 1.96-inch AMOLED touch-screen display, it feels very bulky on my wrist. It’s the same size as the larger variant of the Apple Watch Series 11. However, the CMF watch is nowhere near as chunky as the newer CMF Watch 3 Pro, which takes up more real estate on my arm.

The CMF Watch Pro has an aluminum alloy frame case, and it feels very sturdy. It took a few bumps while I was carrying out my daily tasks, but there are no scratches at all. The watch is very durable, with a rating of IP68, meaning it is completely dust-tight and can be submerged underwater. I wouldn’t recommend purchasing a watch with anything less than this level of protection, as you want it to be able to carry you through every activity. With that said, it’s not the best you can get. Other watches such as the Amazfit Bip 6 have a durability rating of 5ATM which means it can withstand underwater pressure, making it far better for sports.

There is a button on the right side, which cycles through watch settings, but it’s also touchscreen. The adjustable silicone wrist strap feels secure throughout workouts and didn’t cause any irritation.

CMF Watch Pro review: Fitness features

The CMF Watch Pro can track up to 110 different sports. It has basic workouts like running, walking, weight training, and Pilates.

It counts my daily steps, tracks my heart rate throughout activities, and has smart detection to automatically recognise some activities. You can also sync the data it collects with third-party apps like Strava and Apple Health, but you can’t integrate these apps into the watch.

My average heart rate after each workout I measured was around the same as my Oura Ring 5, so I’d say the watch’s tracking here is pretty accurate. However, I noticed that my peak heart rate wasn’t the same — the CMF Watch Pro logged it a lot lower— and I logged around 700 steps less than my Oura Ring and phone each day. It’s a good-enough watch if you only need the very basics, but why not just purchase something similarly-priced with a bit more accuracy? I’d recommend the Amazfit Bip 6 or the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 for monitoring during workouts with more accuracy.

CMF Watch Pro review: Health features

Health monitoring and sleep tracking are very basic on the CMF Watch Pro, and there are some discrepancies when compared to other devices, so this probably isn’t the best option for fitness fanatics.

Health

The CMF Watch Pro’s health tracking capabilities are basic. There’s 24-hour heart rate tracking and blood oxygen monitoring, but no ECG. If you want this you’ll have to spend more on the Apple Watch Series 11. It can also track your stress. These are important metrics if you’re managing a health condition, however there was missing data and discrepancies during activity when compared to other tracking devices. The step counts were inaccurate when compared to my Oura Ring and my peak heart rate wasn’t always captured. I also experienced this issue when using the CMF Watch 3 Pro.

You can also set up reminders on the watch for hydration and standing up. I personally like the stand-up reminder; I sometimes need a nudge to take a stretch break.

Sleep

Interestingly, sleep tracking on the CMF Watch Pro is more accurate than the CMF Watch 3 Pro. The CMF Watch Pro tracked my full sleep; however, it was unbroken, whereas my Oura Ring picked up some accurate wake times.

I found the sleep analysis in the Nothing X app very basic. Since I like to track my sleep to evaluate readiness to account for my training load, having more information about movement and getting feedback on readings is often very helpful. If that’s something you want, the Xiaomi Smart Band 10 is a great option for $51.

CMF Watch Pro review: Battery life

The CMF Watch Pro gets up to 13 days of battery life per charge, but heavy use decreases this to around 11 days, which is still impressive. It took an hour to fully charge. It has the same battery life rating as the CMF Watch 3 Pro, and the more I consider the two devices, there’s not much separating them apart from their shape and an upgraded GPS system.

When the CMF Watch Pro is in power-saving mode, you can get up to 45 days of use. This obviously limits what you can do and won’t track your metrics continuously, and at that point you may as well just have an analog watch on your wrist.

CMF Watch Pro review: Verdict

The CMF Watch Pro is a solid option for anyone buying their first smartwatch. More advanced watches can seem overwhelming; this is a great entry-level option with 110 tracking modes and a secure and reliable fit. The battery can last almost two weeks, and the IP68 rating means it’s ready for anything, so you don’t need to take it off.

However, the large face of the CMF Watch Pro wasn’t the best fit for my wrist and led to some missing data and discrepancies in my fitness tracking compared to other watches. you may as well buy the newer CMF Watch 3 Pro, as there’s not that much difference between the two, and weirdly, the new watch is cheaper.