CMF Watch Pro 2 tested: excellent smartwatch, but without NFC

For its price of 69 euros or francs, the CMF Watch Pro 2 offers a lot of functions. While I don't miss anything when it comes to collecting sports and health data, I don't always like the presentation of the data. And, right up front, if you want to pay with your smartwatch on the go, the wearable from CMF is not for you.

I was able to test the CMF Watch Pro 2 in advance, sales are due to start on 12 July.

Changing the round bezel and looking at a beautiful display

The CMF Watch Pro 2 has a round display, which is unusual in its price range. At prices up to 70 euros or francs, square screens dominate. Around the display is the first customisation option: I can change the bezel. The Watch Pro 2 is supplied with a flat bezel. Rounded variants or subtly different shades of grey and silver can be found in the scope of delivery of the interchangeable bracelets, which cost 19 euros/francs.

The bracelets have a 22 mm standard connection. This means you can also use models from other manufacturers. For the launch, CMF itself is offering four colour variants in two materials: Plastic or leather. The strap can be easily changed without tools.

The round AMOLED display measures 1.32 inches in diameter and offers a high resolution of 466 × 466 pixels. The pixel density is 353 ppi. This means that a lot can be recognised on the touchscreen. The maximum brightness of 620 nits ensures good recognisability in sunshine. For comfort, I recommend setting the brightness to automatic. Gorilla Glass 5 is designed to protect the display from scratches.

The only criticism is the wide bezel. With a rounded bezel, however, it appears less powerful. The case of the CMF Watch Pro 2 is made of an aluminium alloy and is kept simple. The smartwatch is IP68 water-resistant. This means it can withstand up to 30 minutes in 1.5 metres of water. However, it is not designed for swimming. This is also missing from the long list of measurable sports.

The CMF Watch Pro 2 uses Nothing's own software and not Google's Wear OS, which is widely used for smartwatches. This means you can't install any apps. The range of functions is nevertheless extensive. More on this later.

One more important thing: the CMF Watch Pro 2 does not have an NFC chip installed. This means that mobile payments are not possible via the smartwatch. The reason for this is that Nothing designed the watch primarily for the Indian market, where mobile payments are mainly made via apps that use QR codes and not via card terminals like we do.

Operation via touchscreen and a dial

The Watch Pro 2 is controlled via the touchscreen or the digital crown on the edge, a wheel that can be pressed and turned. I can switch back and forth between several WatchFaces via the touchscreen - there are over 100 to choose from in the watch app - and decide which data is displayed in certain areas of the watch face.

I swipe down on the display with my finger to access the quick settings. SMS messages appear at the bottom; other messengers cannot be integrated. However, I could at least reply to the text messages quickly with a few predefined texts. Swiping sideways takes me to the carousel of apps on the smartwatch.

Pressing the digital crown opens a list of the watch's functions. These range from training types and various health data measurements to a stopwatch and timer. With connections to the smartphone for voice assistants or remote camera triggers, the list is far from over.

The connection to the smartphone is made via Bluetooth 5.3 and Nothing uses this to forward calls to the smartwatch. At home, I can hear other people well through the Watch Pro 2's speakers and they can hear me reasonably well when I hold the watch in front of my face while talking. It's more difficult to use in louder environments, but I wouldn't want to make calls like this anyway.

The battery lasts several days

The CMF Watch Pro 2 has a battery with a capacity of 305 mAh. According to the manufacturer, this should last for nine days with heavy use. With active GPS, the runtime is reduced to 25 hours. On an average day, the battery lost just under 15 per cent when I tested it. I activated the measurement of blood oxygen and stress, the display is not permanently switched on and regulates its brightness automatically. GPS tracking was active for around 40 minutes during the 24 hours.

This means that I should recharge the Watch Pro 2 after six days of use. A USB-A cable is included in the pack for this purpose. Its magnetic charging connector with two pins is proprietary, so it is not compatible with other smartwatches.

Proprietary operating system, compatible with Android and iOS

Nothing uses its own operating system for its smartwatches. Its advantage: it is compatible with Android and iOS. The "CMF Watch" app required for setup and connection is available for both smartphone ecosystems

Setting up is straightforward, but I can't avoid having an account with Nothing. In order for the app and watch to calculate my health data, I also have to enter my age, height, weight and gender. The easiest way to pair the CMF Watch Pro 2 with the smartphone is to scan the QR code on the smartwatch with the app. Classic pairing via Bluetooth is also possible.

Lots of measurement data, not always well prepared

The CMF Watch Pro 2 can track over 120 types of sport. This ranges from classics such as jogging and cycling to various exercises in the gym and team sports as well as ball sports, several dances or even darts and fishing. It automatically recognises five frequently used types of training. However, it only tells me that I should log my training and not make automatic entries in my activity list like Fitbit does. So I have to actively start the five like everyone else - especially as I never received such a notification. You can find the entire list of sports in the app and select which ones should be available on the smartwatch here.

With its integrated GPS, the Watch Pro 2 reliably records the route run or travelled even without a smartphone. The waiting time for the connection to the positioning satellites is manageable and much shorter if I also record the return journey after a short break.

The presentation of the routes on a map in the app is somewhat hidden. The information on the smartwatch display is too detailed for me when I'm doing sport. I have to look at it for longer than I want to in order to briefly check my time or other things. I also miss an automatic pause when I come to a stop while jogging. Traffic lights mess up my pace if I don't pause the measurement myself.

Before I start, the smartwatch offers me warm-up exercises as a new feature. For example, I can do various exercises for six minutes to prepare my body to run a few kilometres.

The smartwatch not only measures my heart rate during sport. It also measures stress and the oxygen content in my blood and monitors my sleep. Cycle tracking is a new addition. If required, I could also share the data with Apple or Google Health and Strava.

The design of the "CMF Watch" app reflects Nothing's design philosophy. What works as a user interface for a smartphone, I don't like for the presentation of data. When it comes to heart rate, I don't see any progression, but rather bars that show the fluctuation range for a period - 30 or 60 minutes. I also lack clarity. Especially at the beginning, I got lost in the app and had to find my way around it first.

I can also record activities such as jogging, cycling or hiking directly via the app. However, this doesn't add to the clarity of the app. I also miss the clear distinction between managing the smartwatch and my sporting activities and health data. <p