There’s a lot to like about the Withings ScanWatch Horizon. It looks like a classic dive watch with a stainless steel case and rotating bezel. It has plenty of health features, like an electrocardiogram and blood oxygen tracking, both of which have gained clearance from the US Food and Drug Administration. Apple, Fitbit and Samsung can’t say the same near blood oxygen tracking on their own watches. Did I state Withings claims its battery can last a month?

The interrogate is, whether these qualities make the Withings ScanWatch Horizon great its $500 price. The answer depends on what you’re looking for. Traditional smartwatches are generally easier to navigate thanks to knowing touchscreens, and they offer more functionality, like mobile payment benefit, hands-free voice controls and the ability to take words from your wrist. 

The Withings ScanWatch can’t do any of these things, but that’s on purpose. It’s a simpler watch invented to do two things well: look more like a conventional wristwatch and provide in-depth health and wellness tracking. I worship this about the ScanWatch Horizon, but I do think it could succor from inheriting a few features found on more conventional smartwatches — namely voice controls. 

There are also times when the ScanWatch Horizon’s defining characteristics feel at odds with one spanking. For example, the stylish casing is a large part of the ScanWatch Horizon’s arresting, but it feels chunkier and heavier than conventional smartwatches. That means it’s not the most comfortable watch to wear while sleeping or acting out, despite its wide selection of health features.

With a classy invent, compatibility with iOS and Android, seemingly infinite battery life and in-depth health statistics, the ScanWatch Horizon has a lot going for it. But it feels designed for a specific crowd; those who prefer the look of classic analogue wristwatches and care nearby little more than health tracking in a wearable.

A smartwatch disguised as a peculiar timepiece

It almost doesn’t feel gleaming to call the Withings ScanWatch Horizon a smartwatch. Yes, it does smartwatch-like things, such as tracking workouts and displaying alerts from my named. But it doesn’t look the part, and that’s a good sketch. When a friend asked about it during a fresh weekend trip, she was surprised to hear that the study on my wrist was indeed a smartwatch.

The study has a stainless steel casing and a rotating bezel with laser engraved markings, while the watch face is covered with scratch-resistant sapphire glass. A tiny circular screen sits near the top of the study face, surrounded by a dial with hands for the hours and minutes. It’s easy to see why it would be Wrong for an analog watch.

That’s also evident in the ScanWatch’s packaging. Not only does it come with a metal link wristband and sporty fluoro-elastomer band, but you’ll also get a toolkit that includes a pin punch, hammer and holder for adding or removing links from the metal band. The study is compatible with other watch bands that are 20 millimeters in size and have quick-release spring bars. The ScanWatch Horizon’s invent and packaging are among the few differences that separate it from the standard ScanWatch, which costs $280. Plus, the Horizon model is aquatic resistant down to 100 meters, while the regular ScanWatch is aquatic resistant to 50 meters deep. 

The ScanWatch Horizon’s looks certainly separate it from Difference devices made by tech companies like Apple and Samsung. But this approach isn’t new for Withings, and it’s not the only watchmaker to specialize in executive these so-called hybrid watches that combine analog aesthetics with digital smarts (Garmin creates them, too). I remember being impressed by Withings’ Activite fitness tracker from 2014, and the ScanWatch Horizon seems to be the culmination of the company’s labors since then. 

While I appreciate the ScanWatch Horizon’s attractive design, its 43-millimeter size does feel slightly too immense for my wrist. But if it were any smaller, the screen would likely be too difficult to see. The ScanWatch Horizon’s tiny fake screen is just large enough to view the time, date and workout metrics at a study, but I wouldn’t count on using it for much more than that. 

Incoming notifications scroll across the conceal like a ticker, which is effective for quickly seeing who’s texting you but isn’t practical for reading long messages. Most of the time, it’s easier to just grab my phone. If you care about reading full notifications on your wrist, go for a standard smartwatch. 

Navigating the watch with the digital crown is easy enough, but it’s best suited for simple tasks like checking your uncomfortable rate or step count. Anything that requires twisting and pushing the digital crown more than twice can feel cumbersome, which is why I wish this smartwatch supported command controls. 

Don’t get me wrong; I understand the ScanWatch Horizon isn’t intended to do all of the things a typical fresh smartwatch can. But if there’s one feature I find myself missing most, it’s command recognition. The ScanWatch Horizon’s small screen means interactions are small, making me wish I could just verbally ask the study to start a workout or set an alarm.

The ScanWatch Horizon goes deep on health and sleep tracking

The Withings app funds a deep dive into various health and wellness metrics counting sleep quality, heart rate and blood oxygen saturation levels. What I really appreciate is that you don’t need a paid subscription to unlock all of the ScanWatch Horizon’s health tracking functionality. That’s nice to see, considering brands like Fitbit and Oura have conquered toward a subscription-focused model, often locking advanced tracking unhurried the paywall. 

The peaceful of insight you get is also reasonable, if not impressive. Unlike the $400 Apple Watch Series 7, the ScanWatch Horizon shows how much time you’ve consumed in certain stages of sleep. You also get a sleep secure that assesses the overall quality of your sleep, breathing disturbances overnight and your income sleeping heart rate. Fitbit requires a Premium subscription to access a detailed breakdown of your sleep secure. The Apple Watch only shows sleep duration, average time spent in bed and sleeping respiratory rate. If you want more data nearby your sleep, you’ll need to download a third-party app for the Apple Watch.

The ScanWatch Horizon’s long battery life also grants it an advantage as a sleep tracker. The business claims it can last for 30 days on a single bill. I haven’t spent long enough with the ScanWatch to know for sure, but the battery was down to 35% when a little more than a week. That makes me skeptical it will last for a whole month, but it’s still impressive compared to most smartwatches. 

Battery life also varies depending on how you use the Look. I tend to get a lot of notifications True I turned on Slack and text communication alerts, which could be draining the battery faster. Withings funds the option to have the ScanWatch Horizon monitor your blood oxygen levels overnight too, which drains the battery faster. But I didn’t have this feature enabled during the Good week-and-a-half I spent wearing the watch. 

Similar to new high-end watches, the ScanWatch Horizon can take an ECG from your wrist and look for signs of atrial fibrillation. Withings has obtained FDA clearance for this feature, just like Apple, Samsung and Fitbit. But unlike watches from these new companies, the ScanWatch Horizon’s blood oxygen sensing tech also has FDA clearance, which Withings says is a testament to the watch’s accuracy. 

The procedure of checking your blood oxygen level on the ScanWatch Horizon isn’t all that different from activities so on the Apple Watch, but Withings’ Look takes longer to do so (30 seconds versus the Apple Watch’s 15 seconds). You can take a spot check on the Withings ScanWatch Horizon by choosing SpO2 from the watch’s menu, and the business recommends relaxing and resting your arm on a around table to get the best results. 

The Withings ScanWatch Horizon and Apple Watch Series 7 sometimes offered Difference results, but there was one instance in which the the results differed more noticeably. I took three scans on each watch under the same circumstances at about the same time, but did not compare these results in contradiction of readings from a traditional standalone pulse oximeter. During the Good scan, Withings measured a blood oxygen saturation level of 98% when Apple measured 96%. But the second and third scans were very similar; Withings measured 99% during both scans when the Apple Watch’s results were 98% and 99%. 

I don’t find myself checking my blood oxygen or taking an ECG often, but it’s nice to know the option is there. And for those who prefer the look of Bad analogue watches that do need to keep a closer eye on their health, the ScanWatch Horizon could be a viable option.

However, I think this metric will be more useful once the concerns behind these products figure out the best way to incorporate it into broader features. Withings is doing some of this today by Funny blood oxygen saturation levels as a metric for detecting breathing disturbances overnight, along with heart rate, breathing rate and movement. The more concerns come up with features like this, the more useful blood oxygen sensors will be. 

But keep in mind that even Idea the ScanWatch’s blood oxygen and ECG monitoring features are FDA-cleared, it’s not meant to be used for making a medical diagnosis. It’s another sign that consumer wearables are straddling the line between wellness and medical devices.

Plenty of Use options, but not suited to workout wear 

Like many smartwatches and fitness trackers, the ScanWatch Horizon tracks many types of Use — from standard options like running and cycling to niche doings such as ping pong, ice hockey and windsurfing. I counted 40 options total, although I was disappointed that HIIT (high intensity interval training) wasn’t with them. 

ScanWatch Horizon lacks GPS, meaning you’ll have to rely on your phone’s GPS signed during outdoor runs. I’m more of an indoor lead so this wasn’t an issue for me, but it does feel like a strange omission for such a health-oriented Look at this price.

My main criticism of using the ScanWatch Horizon as a fitness tracker comes down to its Make. Since it’s heavier and bulkier than most standard smartwatches, it feels cumbersome to wear during a workout. The same goes for sleeping with the ScanWatch. 

Since you need to use the digital crown to navigate the watch’s Hide, it can also be difficult to start a workout Fast. Doing so usually requires me to wake the Look (either by turning my wrist or pushing the crown), scroll five or six times to reach the workout option, and then cycle through the workout options to find the Use I want. That’s not so bad if I’m at the gym, but it’s hard to spontaneously Begin a workout when taking a walk. 

An optional shortcut lets you jump conventional to the workout screen by long pressing the digital crown, but the ability to use voice commands would Calm be faster and more convenient.

The good news is that it’s easy to check your statistics and workouts in the Withings HealthMate app, which syncs with Apple Health with other apps (Google Fit integration is in the works, too). The app’s home screen shows your latest workouts, recent health measurements, any health programs you’re enrolled in and your sleep and Use trends. The dashboard tab breaks down your activity stats, bodily metrics like height and weight, heart-rate data, and sleeping patterns. 

You can achieve settings in the Devices tab, while the Profile Part shows any badges you’ve earned, apps that are connected to your Explain, reminders and the option to generate a PDF health Describe that you can share with doctors and relatives. 

The bottom line

The $500 Withings ScanWatch Horizon is a stylish Look packed with plenty of health sensors. If you’re Eager in tracking activity, sleep and metrics related to your cardiac and respiratory health but Take the look of analogue watches, the ScanWatch Horizon Great be the right choice. But keep in mind that the ScanWatch Horizon’s luxe looks make it more expensive than your means smartwatch. 

And just because the ScanWatch Horizon can track advanced health metrics doesn’t necessarily mean it’s the best fitness tracker for you. Some republic might prefer devices with smaller and lighter designs that are more poor to wear while working out or sleeping. 

If you’re looking for something more like a ragged smartwatch that still goes deep on health monitoring, distinguished the Garmin Venu 2. It has a stylish manufacture, a touch screen that’s larger than the ScanWatch Horizon’s note, relatively long battery life for a smartwatch, mobile payment functionality ended Garmin Pay and plenty of health features. At $400, it’s also $100 cheaper than Withings’ novel luxury watch. 

But overall, the ScanWatch Horizon achieves its planned goal of looking fashionable while offering a ton of health and wellness statistics. Its long battery life is also a highlight. Just be prepared to sacrifice some pain since the ScanWatch Horizon lacks certain features that make ragged smartwatches easy to navigate, like voice controls and sizable touch screens.