CMF Watch 3 Pro vs Galaxy Watch 7: Is the Upgrade Worth It?

The questionWhere do these come from?

CMF pro 3 vs samsung galaxy watch 7I have a samsung galaxy watch 4 classic and I am thinking of changing it to either CMF 3 or galaxy 7. Even though both are of different price points, I am not able to decide whether the extra price is worth it or not.

For most people the CMF Watch 3 Pro is enough; the Galaxy Watch 7 only earns its premium if you want Wear OS apps, Google Pay and Samsung health tools.

The CMF Watch 3 Pro (often searched as “CMF Watch Pro 3”) covers what most people use a smartwatch for: notifications, step and sleep tracking, GPS workouts and a bright round AMOLED screen. The Galaxy Watch 7 is worth the extra only if you want a real app platform (Wear OS 5, Google Maps, Google Wallet, third-party apps), Samsung’s health sensors, or an optional LTE model. It gives up battery life to deliver them. If none of those apply, the cheaper watch is the better buy.

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This site tests nothing itself. What follows rests on manufacturer specs and on what published reviewers reported.

The two watches side by side

CMF Watch 3 Pro Galaxy Watch 7
Phone compatibility Android and iPhone via the Nothing/CMF Watch app Android only
Software Closed firmware, no app store Wear OS 5 with Google Play apps
Reported battery Rated up to 13 days; one reviewer got close to eight days with occasional GPS and calls Roughly one to two days; often empty the day after a workout
Display 1.43-inch AMOLED, 466×466, 670 nits peak Samsung AMOLED, 40 mm and 44 mm sizes
Positioning Style-first budget watch with dual-band GNSS Full smartwatch with a 300 mAh (40 mm) or 425 mAh (44 mm) battery

Battery is the biggest difference, and it favours the cheaper watch

The 91mobiles review of the CMF Watch 3 Pro quotes the 13-day rating but reports close to eight days in mixed use, and GSMArena’s spec listing gives 17.2 hours of GPS use. That is still several times what the Samsung manages. PhoneArena calls the Galaxy Watch 7’s battery a disappointment and says it lasts about one day. Wareable names battery as the weak spot, and Coolblue’s one-week test of the 40 mm model got about two days with location off and no workouts, but usually an empty watch the morning after a workout.

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If you want to wear a watch to bed for sleep tracking, a watch that needs a daily charge works against you. CGMagazine makes the same point: heavy workout tracking can force daily charging, which cuts into overnight tracking.

What the extra money actually buys

  • Apps and payments. The CMF watch has no app store. The Galaxy Watch 7 runs Wear OS, so you get on-wrist Google apps, offline maps and contactless payment. This is the clearest reason to pay more.
  • Health sensors. Samsung adds sensor features the CMF watch does not match, such as body-composition readings. Availability of some of them (ECG, blood pressure) depends on your country and on pairing with a Samsung phone, so check before you count on them.
  • Phone-free use. Only the Samsung is sold in an LTE variant, so it can take calls and stream data away from your phone.
  • Ecosystem polish. Reviewers describe the Galaxy Watch 7 as a refined, accurate tracker with improved sports tracking, though a minor refresh of the Watch 6.

What the cheaper watch does not give up

Tracking accuracy is not the clear gap you might expect. A Fossbytes review of the CMF Watch 3 Pro said its GPS readings were quite comparable to a Galaxy Watch, except calories, which differed by about 15%. That is one reviewer’s observation, not a lab measurement, and it is not a formal comparison with the Watch 7 specifically. Stuff did find the screen only adequate in strong daylight, which is the main display complaint. No independent lab such as RTINGS or NotebookCheck was found publishing a head-to-head measurement of these two, so treat the accuracy comparisons as indicative.

Who should buy which

  • Choose the CMF Watch 3 Pro if you mainly want notifications, workouts and sleep data, use an iPhone, or hate charging every night.
  • Choose the Galaxy Watch 7 if you are on an Android phone and want apps, payments, maps or LTE, and can live with charging daily.
  • Nobody needs to skip either. The Galaxy Watch 7 is not a bad watch; it is simply the wrong spend for someone who will never open an app on it. The Samsung is useless on an iPhone, so iPhone owners should rule it out immediately.

Limits of this answer

Real-world battery varies with always-on display, GPS use and notification volume. The Galaxy Watch 7 figures here come from several reviewers rather than one test protocol. Check current software support and regional feature availability on Samsung’s and Nothing’s own pages before purchasing.

The bottom line

Neither is wrong; the use case separates them:

  • Top pick

    Buy this

    CMF BY Nothing Watch 3 Pro Smart Watch for Men Women, Bluetooth Call AI Energy Score, 1.43” Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, GPS & 130 Sport Modes, Fitness Tracker for Android iOS, IP68 Dark Grey

    CMF BY NOTHING

    Reviewers report roughly eight days of mixed use against about one to two for the Galaxy Watch 7, and it works with iPhone.

    The subject of the question: the cheaper option that gives up apps and LTE for multi-day battery and iPhone support.
    Available at Amazon(paid link) — opens Amazon in a new tab. Price and availability shown there.
  • The alternative

    It depends

    Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 44mm Bluetooth AI Smartwatch w/Energy Score, Wellness Tips, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, 2024, Silver [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]

    Samsung

    It is Android-only and PhoneArena and Wareable report about one day of battery, so it suits only buyers who need Wear OS features.

    The pricier rival: worth it for Android owners who want Wear OS apps, Google Wallet and optional LTE; the drawback is daily-to-every-other-day charging.
    Available at Amazon(paid link) — opens Amazon in a new tab. Price and availability shown there.

Recommended products

Ordered by how well each one fits the situations above. Each link below is a paid link.

  • CMF BY Nothing Watch 3 Pro Smart Watch for Men Women, Bluetooth Call AI Energy Score, 1.43” Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, GPS & 130 Sport Modes, Fitness Tracker for Android iOS, IP68 Dark Grey product image

    CMF BY Nothing Watch 3 Pro Smart Watch for Men Women, Bluetooth Call AI Energy Score, 1.43” Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, GPS & 130 Sport Modes, Fitness Tracker for Android iOS, IP68 Dark Grey

    CMF BY NOTHING

    Buy — Reviewers report roughly eight days of mixed use against about one to two for the Galaxy Watch 7, and it works with iPhone.

    The subject of the question: the cheaper option that gives up apps and LTE for multi-day battery and iPhone support.
    Available at Amazon(paid link) — opens Amazon in a new tab. Price and availability shown there.
  • Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 44mm Bluetooth AI Smartwatch w/Energy Score, Wellness Tips, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, 2024, Silver [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty] product image

    Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 44mm Bluetooth AI Smartwatch w/Energy Score, Wellness Tips, Heart Rate Tracking, Sleep Monitor, Fitness Tracker, 2024, Silver [US Version, 1Yr Manufacturer Warranty]

    Samsung

    It depends — It is Android-only and PhoneArena and Wareable report about one day of battery, so it suits only buyers who need Wear OS features.

    The pricier rival: worth it for Android owners who want Wear OS apps, Google Wallet and optional LTE; the drawback is daily-to-every-other-day charging.
    Available at Amazon(paid link) — opens Amazon in a new tab. Price and availability shown there.

Sources

Pages consulted while researching this article. None of these are affiliate links.

  1. CMF Watch 3 Pro review (91mobiles) — 91mobiles.com
  2. CMF Watch 3 Pro review (GSMArena) — m.gsmarena.com
  3. CMF Watch 3 Pro Review (Fossbytes) — fossbytes.com
  4. The CMF Watch 3 Pro review (TechRadar) — techradar.com
  5. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review (PhoneArena) — phonearena.com
  6. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 review (Wareable) — wareable.com
  7. Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 Review (CGMagazine) — cgmagonline.com
  8. Expert review of the Samsung Galaxy Watch 7 (Coolblue) — coolblue.de