Analog watch, digital smart devices and a battery that meets all expectations

Hybrid smartwatches are quite striking. They attract a lot of attention and compliments, which is unusual for most high-end smartwatches. It retains the look of a conventional watch while incorporating a range of health and wellness tracking features that you would find in high-end smartwatches. This smartwatch cleverly hides advanced fitness tracking capabilities within a classic analog watch design. It’s safe to say that it will be loved by those who want smart health tracking features without sacrificing style for formal occasions. The Withings ScanWatch Light price in India is around Rs 23,999. You can find it at a lower price via online listings. The Withings ScanWatch Light comes in five colour options and features an extended battery life and an aesthetic that is reminiscent of DW’s minimalist watches. I got the Pearl White colour variant for review and it came with a grey strap.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Quick Tips

High notes

• Detailed sleep data
• Eye-catching, minimalist design
• Light
• Extraordinary battery

Low notes

• For some it may seem unfounded
• Very small OLED panel

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Design, Display, Appearance and Build

The short time I spent with the Withings ScanWatch Light made me realize that it’s a beautifully crafted piece of wearable technology that combines traditional watch aesthetics with modern health-tracking features that are hard to find. The hybrid watch has a premium build quality and a polished stainless steel case, available in silver and rose gold. This material choice gives it a quality edge over some of its competitors who use aluminum cases. The watch face is available in a variety of color options. The silver model I tested had a white dial, but other options include green and black for the silver case and blue or sand for the rose gold.

The 37mm watch has a slim case and is designed for delicate wrists. The compact size contributes to its lightness and softness on the wrist. It is worth noting that Withings did not skimp on materials. The stainless steel case and crown give the watch an elegant look and feel. The use of a layer of Gorilla Glass provides some protection against everyday wear.

One of the strengths of the ScanWatch Light is its variety of personalization options, with five different dial designs, two case colors, and multiple strap options. The strap is undoubtedly stylish and deserves special attention. It is comfortable for all-day wear, while maintaining the overall fashionable look of the watch.

The analog watch face cleverly incorporates a small OLED display that shows the smart features of the watch. The crown is the main interface, with a press to wake up the display and a turn to scroll through different screens. There’s also the option to configure a raise-to-wake gesture via the Withings companion app if you’d rather not use the crown regularly.

The OLED display, while small, allows users to monitor several health metrics, including activity levels, heart rate, breathing, sleep patterns, and even menstrual cycles. The back of the watch features Withings’ second-generation PPG optical sensor technology. This is responsible for the device’s heart rate monitoring capabilities. It’s also where you can plug in the patented charging dock when it’s time to charge the battery.

One of the main smart features is the ability to display notifications from your phone on a small display. However, the small screen real estate means that longer messages require patience to read. Notifications scroll horizontally across the display, which can be a bit of a pain. While this feature is certainly useful for quickly scanning incoming information, it may not satisfy users who prefer a more immediate, comprehensive notification viewing experience.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Sleep and fitness monitoring

Another standout feature of the Withings ScanWatch Light is its solid water resistance. With a water resistance of 5ATM, this hybrid smartwatch can withstand immersion in water up to 50 meters. This level of protection isn’t just a number on a spec sheet—it’s a practical feature that increases the watch’s versatility in real-world conditions.

The ScanWatch Light is the perfect hybrid smartwatch, thanks to its health and fitness tracking capabilities without compromising on design and components. The watch offers a range of health and fitness metrics, including step counting, sleep monitoring, heart rate tracking, workout tracking, and menstrual cycle tracking. In addition to measuring average heart rate, the ScanWatch Light tracks heart rate variability during sleep, detects breathing disorders, and also monitors respiratory rate.

The watch likely uses an accelerometer or similar motion sensor to count steps and detect activity. HRV data measured during sleep is used to provide information about your overall well-being. It’s important to note that this feature is intended for wellness tracking purposes, not for medical diagnostics. As mentioned above, the watch can detect potential breathing problems during sleep, which could indicate conditions like sleep apnea. By monitoring your breathing rate, the watch also provides additional data about your overall health and fitness.

The ScanWatch Light tracks your sleep throughout the night, recording details like sleep depth, duration, phases, and disruptions (if any). In the morning, it gives you a sleep quality score out of 100 for a quick overview, something like Garmin’s sleep score, along with a graph showing your sleep stages, including deep sleep, REM sleep, wakefulness, and light sleep. Unfortunately, the watch doesn’t track naps. At least three hours of rest are required for the watch to collect sleep data.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Companion app

The Withings app serves as a digital hub for all your Withings devices, including the ScanWatch Light. To be honest, the app can be confusing for some. At its core, the app takes a wellness-focused approach, rather than focusing on intense workout regimens like the Garmins of this world. Upon opening the app, I was greeted by a clean, minimalist interface. The streamlined design focuses on ease of use, so even tech novices can easily navigate the different sections and access their health data. The overall aesthetic is pleasing to the eye, and the color scheme and layout give off a sense of calm — befitting an app focused on wellness. The companion app also includes informative articles, tips, and explanations for various health metrics.

The app has a notification system designed to keep users engaged and informed. These notifications appear as large cards at the top of the screen, offering a variety of information, including tips on how to use your Withings devices, reminders to reach your daily health goals, and general wellness advice. However, the cards can quickly pile up, cluttering up the interface. While some users may find the frequent reminders helpful, others may find them a bit intrusive.

Special mention for ecosystem compatibility, where the Withings app shines. I used it with my iPhone 14 and saw seamless integration.

• Apple Health: For iOS users, data can be synced directly with the Apple Health ecosystem.
• Google Fit: Android users can enjoy similar integration with Google’s health tracking platform.
• Strava: Fitness enthusiasts can connect their Withings data to this popular activity tracking service.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Period Tracking

The Withings companion app helps you track your periods by simply tapping the “+” icon on the Home tab and answering a few basic questions about your menstrual cycle. You can also add symptom tags, and the app provides information based on data from the last three cycles.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Battery life and performance

In a sea of ​​wearables, battery life is often a critical factor in user satisfaction. The ScanWatch Light stands out in this area, offering an impressive battery life that dwarfs many of its competitors.

I really admire the Garmin Forerunner 265S for its great battery life, but I was surprised to find that the ScanWatch Light lasted almost 25 days on a single charge, which is just under the 30 days the company claims. The watch’s battery life is truly a liberating user experience. Even though the ScanWatch Light’s battery life is remarkable, charging it left me wanting more; the charger is a plastic cradle that you place the watch in to charge. It’s compact in size but feels flimsy. Also, the watch has to be precisely aligned with the charger to charge, without a magnetic dock.

Withings ScanWatch Light review: Verdict

The Withings ScanWatch Light stands out as a stylish hybrid smartwatch that combines a classic analog design with advanced health tracking capabilities. Its sleek design combined with the basic health monitoring features like heart rate, period tracking, breathing, steps, sleep, and workout tracking make it a great choice. The only downside to this device is its tiny OLED display, but that’s not the deciding factor.