Nothing’s CMF brand launches first products, including $69 smartwatch

Ben Schoon | Sep 26 2023 - 8:26 am PT

Carl Pei’s Nothing has created some earbuds and smartphones that have garnered high praise thanks to their solid quality and excellent software, but they’ve always come at a cost that’s not particularly low. Now, Nothing is fully launching its budget-focused CMF brand which is debuting a new smartwatch, earbuds, and charger that are launching starting today.

The first three products from CMF by Nothing start with, like Nothing itself, a pair of earbuds. The “Buds Pro” cost $49 and bring active noise cancellation, up to 11 hours of battery life, and up to 39 hours of total battery life including the case. Like Nothing Ear (1) and Ear (2), they use the Nothing X app to handle controls for ANC and other settings, as well as an equalizer.

The earbuds themselves have a more rounded look compared to Nothing’s Ear (2) and also ditch the transparent look. They come in three colors including grey, black, and a vibrant orange, and are stored in a circular puck case.

Also launching is a 65W GaN power brick, which has two USB-C ports and a USB-A port. The $39 brick comes in a vibrant orange – though in the US it’s only available in a “dark grey” that looks a whole lot like black – but there’s not much to say beyond that because, well, it’s a power brick.

The big story here is that CMF is launching the first Nothing smartwatch in the “Watch Pro.” The $69 smartwatch doesn’t run Wear OS, but it packs a 1.96-inch square AMOLED display, support for GPS, heart rate tracking, and SpO2 sensors, and has a speaker for taking phone calls. It can track workouts, sleep, and stress, and has a bunch of custom clock faces. CMF claims up to 13 days on a single charge, too.

For the price, it’s not bad, but the hardware is a pretty clear ripoff of the Apple Watch, just with flat sides. As 9to5Mac alum Parker Ortolani says on Twitter/X, it looks like a “Wish Apple Watch knockoff.”