In case you missed it, Nothing recently announced a new subset of their brand which is going to focus on affordable devices with great specs. Called CMF by Nothing, the brand will offer a duo of new products before the end of the year.
That includes a pair of earbuds and a smartwatch. And it's the latter which has caught my attention. So far, Nothing hasn't entered the smartwatch category with their more premium offerings. Instead, it looks like their first attempt will be a more affordable one.
That's an interesting approach. Most brands would enter a new market with a top-spec offering, before filtering down some of the features to a more budget-concious model down the line.
I'm excited to see what the brand can bring to market. Their design language on devices like the Nothing Phone (2) and the Nothing Ear (2) is iconic, and that could translate really nicely to a watch. Here's a list of three things I'd like to see on the Nothing Watch.
1. See-through case
On current devices in the Nothing range, the transparent casing is a big part of the appeal. It's central to the Nothing design language, and gives their devices a unique appearance.
Implementing that on their smartwatch makes sense. It would make the device instantly recognisable as part of the same family of products. Plus, see-through watches are just cool. It's something we see a lot on the Casio G-Shock range, and those are incredibly popular.
2. Wear OS
It's unclear right now whether the watch will run a familiar operating system, or something designed in-house. Given that the device is expected to be a more affordable product, it's feasible that a unique operating system will be used to save on costs.
I hope that's not the case, though. Wear OS is familiar and will make users feel right at home with the device. Don't get me wrong, I'd expect it to have a healthy dose of Nothingness on top, but I'd like to see the core Wear OS feature set underneath.
3. Battery Life
Ah, the age old smartwatch gripe. Battery life is one of the most contentious issues in the modern smartwatch market. Popular models like the Apple Watch have a battery which needs to be recharged almost daily.
That's not great from a user perspective. In contrast, we see things like Garmin watches, which have battery life for weeks – even months. While it's probably a touch unrealistic to expect that level of longevity, I hope it can do better than much of the market right now.
I'd love to see a device which can last around a week off a single charge. I think that's a fairly optimal performance. You won't need to constantly live with a charger in your bag, and could easily put aside a certain time every week where you top it up.
