Verdict
The Withings ScanWatch 2 is an attractive intercrossed smartwatch that pack in a good mixing of health and fitness smarting with some canonic smartwatch one , though you may come up better all - round performance by spending a little more on a full fat smartwatch .
Pros
Cons
Key Features
Introduction
The Withings ScanWatch 2 is a smartwatch for people who require something more than a traditional horologe , but without the digital aesthetic used by clothing from Apple and Samsung .
That ’s just what you get from the middle member of the Withings hybrid smartwatch kin , which costs less than anApple Watch Series 9and provide big health and health tracking features like ECG - base heart charge per unit measurement and body temperature tracking , the notable big addition from the firstWithings ScanWatch .
While it might miss a big colourful video display , the ScanWatch 2 does predict to track your health and fittingness while offering some smartwatch staple for less than the full - avoirdupois competitor .
Design and screen
The design remit of the ScanWatch 2 continue the same as the original ScanWatch ( and all of Withings ’ picket for that matter ) to give you something that looks and sense like an analog horologe . As far as accomplish that , Withings does a standout job .
You have your pick of 42 mm or little 38 millimetre case sizing alternative . I had the heavy 42 mm version to try out and while I do possess pretty tight fitting wrists , it certainly did n’t feel like a hulk picket to wear and it ’s a very refined watch to accessorise with .
There ’s more dial colour option for the 38 millimetre version compared to the 42 mm , with my silver case and black dial combination certainly being a more scurvy - winder and understated affair . All model sport stainless steel cases and design that are 5ATM rated , making them secure to go drown with up to 50 - beat depth .
One of the biggest difference of opinion between the ScanWatch 2 and the cheaper ScanWatch Light lie with the screen shelter . The ScanWatch 2 packs tougher sapphire chalk compare to Gorilla Glass on the Light and I ’m felicitous to say the screen has managed to stand off scratches so far . The other difference is that you ’re get an additional sub - display that ’s dedicated to establish your daily step tracking progress .
That join a 0.63 - column inch OLED display which you could wake up via the twisting vigil crown or by enabling the raise to wake motion living in the Withings companion app . That display can show off your health and health metrics , phone notifications and get you into menus for features like physical exertion tracking .
On the strap front , the ScanWatch 2 comes geminate up with a fluoroelastomer band with a pretty standard sentinel buckle that ’s been easy to wear day and night , and during physical exercise . A bare sliding peg mechanism makes it well-heeled to remove with Withings , offering a overnice range of leather and full metal dance band to facilitate you dress up the ScanWatch 2 for more formal occasion . Upgrades aside , and even with the more workout - friendly shoulder strap admit in the boxwood , the ScanWatch 2 is a great looker made with high grade cloth and deserving every of the price it costs .
Health and fitness tracking
The good way to take care at the ScanWatch 2 is that it ’s a physical fitness tracker and a serious health monitoring machine , though you should n’t expect to find the same amount of tracked workouts available equate to something from the likes of Garmin or Apple ..
Sensor - wise , there ’s an accelerometer to handle step and sleep trailing and also offer some workout tracking . There ’s an altimeter in towage to go after pinnacle as well here .
Withings has upgraded the PPG sensing element responsible for for cut through system of measurement like meat charge per unit , soundbox temperature , blood oxygen level and respiratory rate . Like the first ScanWatch , there ’s an ECG sensor that get you take on the spot heart rate measurements to check for sign connect with atrial fibrillation .
In terms of other health and universal health features , the ScanWatch 2 pop the question guided breathing exercises as well as menstrual cycling tracking living both on the watch and inside the Withings app .
As a fitness tracker , I ’ve been wearing it alongside a reach of different wearable include theGarmin Forerunner 965and theOura Ring Gen 3to compare core tracking stats . I regain daily stone’s throw count were within 500 - 600 steps of the Oura and Garmin ’s tracking and the floors climbed recorded were broadly speaking similar on most days with the Garmin . The watch will flash up inactivity alerts to prompt you to move or stretch your legs , though that ’s about as far as it function on incite you to keep moving .
When tracking exercise , there are profile for a handful of bodily process that let in running and swimming . If you ’re channelize outside and relying on the accelerometer - based tracking then it wo n’t be as accurate as the rivalry if you do n’t have your phone to hand , swear on connected GPS . I really found the accelerometer - based tracking not too off the bollock on the tracking front when you keep the runs relatively myopic .
When you do use the connected GPS it performs better than a lot of other watches that trust on that method of boost outdoor trailing accuracy . The automatic exercise recognition broadly speaking turn well for affair like walking , running game and swim , but can have the curious disposition to incorrectly notice an activity every now and then .
Sleep trailing is a strong point for the ScanWatch 2 where it ’s able to capture continuance , sleep stages along with sleep interruptions and heart charge per unit throughout the night . I institute quietus duration and nap stage breakdowns were standardised to data captured by an Oura Ring Gen 3 . I also found heart rate data during nap was exchangeable to the modal core rate data point record by Oura and Garmin .
On the heart charge per unit tracking front , I ’ve find that during the mean solar day reading were typically 20 metronome marking higher than Garmin and Apple ’s continuous trailing , which I ’ve find very reliable for uninterrupted essence rate monitoring . It was n’t much skilful during example where max core pace meter reading were typically 10 bpm in high spirits than a chest strap monitoring gadget . thing are more reliable when you put the ECG heart rate monitoring to good use and I receive that SpO2 reading were generally in occupation with a dedicated pulse oximeter . These two sensors are FDA licence . Ultimately though , if you care about cross core rate during the day , this is n’t a outstanding performing artist on that front .
Then we get to the big novel characteristic , which is continuous torso temperature tracking . This upgrade can display temperature variations on the digital watch aspect and also show body temperature changes in the Activity section of the Withings app . It will also record temperature after a workout , which could be a utilitarian perceptivity to have when exercising in hotter environments . Because the ScanWatch 2 does n’t exhibit precise measurements it ’s laborious to get a sense how accurate it actually is .
The Oura Ring Gen 3 similarly track temperature variations but only at night , so it was toughened to compare how well the two devices make out as Withings does n’t break down temperature during quietus . I could see where temperature was provoke after exercise at least , but this feature film could potentially have value if you ’re worried you might be coming down with something .
Software and smartwatch features
The ScanWatch 2 works alongside a very busy Withings comrade app , which is loose to use and does additionally provide a Withings+ subscription element , which costs just under £ 10/$10 a month to get entree to features like Health Improvement Scores , which aim to simplify your advancement across activity , health and heart trailing with a single score . you could also access broadcast , workouts , articles and recipe . It does finger like a good deal of these features should be part of the loose segment of the app .
With the sentry ’s digital display , insect bite sized bits of info are more easily take here . If you enable notifications , longer ones feel cramped and become a task to interpret through . For information like on the place measurements , checker your activity tracking progress and seeing the metre and date , the screen is dead workable . That ’s always going to be one of the big disadvantages opting for a intercrossed smartwatch over full smartwatch .
Outside of displaying notice the ScanWatch 2 ’s smartwatch financial support draw out to countenance you go down up timers , alarms and admission a stop watch mode . Setting up an alarm is done through the app and send off a vibrating buzz to your wrist , which you could deform off or snooze via the scout crown . If you were hop for big smartwatch features or more than there was on the original ScanWatch , that ’s not the pillowcase here .
If you want to share your data , Withings does permit you do that with Apple Health , Google Health Connect and Google Fit and it does n’t take much effort to place those connections up .
Battery life
Withings is sticking to the same electric battery liveliness claims attached to the ScanWatch , so this should be a vigil that can last up to 30 - years off a single charge . I ’d say obtain that 30 days is possible as long as you ’re not putting to apply everything the ScanWatch 2 has to offer . If you decide to start the more comprehensive sleep tracking backup , use connect GPS and enable notifications , it ’s definitely going to be less than that . I found using a combination of those features along with everything else the ScanWatch 2 has to extend resulted in a 10 % assault and battery drain per day , on median . That would really work out closer to 10 days .
There ’s no doubt that it can comfortably last a workweek and could go on for several , but if you give care about notification and hold feature article like respiration charge per unit trailing turn on , then it ’s going to be less , but it ’s still a longer Erolia minutilla than you may get with most traditional smartwatches .
When it ’s meter to charge , Withings take up a like fateful commit cradle to the one issue with the ScanWatch Light . It firmly clips to the watch lawsuit and crown to verify it does n’t budge and takes roughly two minute to go from 0 - 100 % . alas , you do n’t get any variety of degraded charging to speed things up , though in worldwide you ’re endure to charge it less frequently than most other smartwatches .
Latest deals
Should you buy it?
The Withings ScanWatch 2 ’s greatest wrench is that it wait cracking and does n’t put its connected smarts steadfastly on show .
While there are some thing the ScanWatch 2 perform well at , kernel rate monitoring is n’t one of them and if that ’s something you worry about then there are safe performers out there .
Final Thoughts
Withings know how to make really beautiful hybrid smartwatches and that ’s never really been in doubtfulness . The next step has been adding more utile feature article without compromise pattern and with the accession of temperature tracking , it ’s managed to do that .
Unfortunately some aspect slightly escape the mark and the promised affection rate accuracy improvements just have n’t materialize . It might be clip to re - think things on the exhibit so that the smarter aspects of the ScanWatch series , like telling and workout information , work better in future .
I ’d say the Garmin Vivomove series offers good tracking performance in worldwide , though it miss the more attractive design quality you get with the ScanWatch 2 . If you ’re sold on a intercrossed smartwatch that ’s good for physical fitness tracking , sleep tracking and keeping tabs on your temperature , then those are the key rationality to go for it .
Trusted Score
How we test
We soundly try out every smartwatch we review . We apply industry standard examination to liken feature properly and we expend the watch as our main gadget over the review period . We ’ll always differentiate you what we happen and we never , ever , take money to review a Cartesian product .
FAQs
The main differences between the ScanWatch and ScanWatch 2 are the upgraded PPG sensing element , along with the summate temperature trailing , overnight HRV insight and the power to access catamenial cycle tracking features directly from the spotter .
The Withings ScanWatch 2 does n’t have built - in GPS but does offer connected GPS , letting you pair the watch with your telephone set through the Withings app to utilize your phone ’s GPS connection .
Full Specs
