Smartwatches have been an area where many different manufacturers try to give their best efforts to push usability and introduce new ways to use them. While most of them are impressive, one thing that they usually lack is the mediocre battery life and the overall style. Many tend to like classic watch designs and want to look and feel classic. Withings is one of the few companies that try to innovate, by including both analog and digital technologies in one watch...the Scan Watch 2!

In 2014, Withings announced the world’s first hybrid watch. In 2023, Withings again furthers extends the hybrid connected watch sector with two new models, ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light to meet multiple lifestyle and health needs. ScanWatch 2 is a health tracker, optimized for continuous health assessments of advanced metrics, while ScanWatch Light offers a robust assessment of daily health at a price point that is as attractive as its design. The ScanWatch lineup offers an alternative to strapping a mini smartphone to the wrist with the latest models.

Major features of the ScanWatch 2 include FDA-cleared for atrial fibrillation detection using ECG and for oxygen saturation of arterial hemoglobin (SpO2) from the wrist while also performing multiple wellness functions such as monitoring sleep quality, physical activity, and a range of cardiovascular measurements. ScanWatch 2 hosts sensors to facilitate continuous health monitoring and precise assessment of new health metrics. Its additional capabilities include variation of the baseline body temperature, female cycle tracking, heart rate variability, and the automatic recognition of 40+ activities.

ScanWatch 2 is designed to enable health tracking to take place day and night and over sustained periods of time. Withings promises 30-day battery life while continuously tracking advanced health metrics. ScanWatch 2 has its own operating system called HealthSense which is designed from Withings. According to Withings, the Scan Watch 2 is the most precise tracking device to date thanks to the new sensors and algorithms that provide more accuracy to track body temperature from a wearable than current solutions on the market, a MultiWave PPG Sensor that adds new capabilities and accuracy thanks to the use of 4 wavelengths and 16 PPG channels, and a High Dynamic Range Accelerometer that adds additional directional sensors allowing more precise identification and automatic tracking of activities and workouts as well as more sports to be automatically detected.

As well as measuring a greater array of medical stats, updates to the Withings HealthSense OS mean ScanWatch 2 is more efficient. HealthSense sees an update to PowerSense Pro, part of the OS that identifies the best time to launch a health measurement and send heart health1 notifications that maximize battery life and ensure recording accuracy. Power is further extended with the ability to detect when the watch is not worn, thereby avoiding unnecessary tracking. The OS updates also allow more readings and inputs to be actioned directly on the watches as well as within the Withings App while also enabling Withings to keep launching new features updated to always offer users a top-notch product and health experience. 

Withings takes a new approach to body temperature tracking thanks to the TempTech24/7 module. It combines a miniaturized heat flux sensor (measuring energy transit) with a high-accuracy temperature sensor (measuring ambient & skin temperature) alongside heart rate and accelerometer input calibrations to deliver a best-in-class body temperature variation assessment. ScanWatch 2 is able to provide baseline fluctuations of day and night body temperature, which may indicate the onset of an illness or other health condition, as well as boosts the ability to manage performance and recovery through workout temperature variation zones.

The ability for women to add menstrual cycles straight on a smartwatch is a new feature that provides an enhanced and more seamless approach to holistic health, allowing menstrual cycles to be tracked as a health metric. Women are able to log their menstrual cycle stages, including symptoms, flow, and period dates, as well as record moods and emotions and have a view of where they are in their cycle. The new lineup of ScanWatch will then use this data to predict future period dates helping women create personal routines that align with their monthly needs and optimize sleep, activity, and nutrition all month long. With the next generation of ScanWatch, users will be able to manually log information directly on the watch or via the Withings App. Users of previous models of ScanWatch will have the ability to log information on the Withings App. 

The Withings App provides users with a 360-degree health data hub, incorporating measurements, comprehensive health assessments through the health improvement score (including sub-scores related to activity, heart health, body metrics, and sleep), actionable insights, and educational content from medical and fitness expert and motivational messages. It also enables the creation of individual health reports that can be shared with physicians on top of a specific report about menstrual cycles for women.

The ScanWatch 2 (38 & 42 mm) is available on Withings.com priced at 349.95 Euro either for 38mm or 42mm dimensions. There are various different combinations for the watch face (Silver Black / Silver White 42mm), (Silver white, silver black, Rose Gold sand face, Rose Gold blue face 38mm).

ScanWatch (42 mm)

• Watch diameter: 42 mm diameter (1.65")
• Digital display: 13.8 mm diameter (0.54") with 116 x 80 pixels
• Watch thickness: 13.7 mm (0.54")
• Weight: 83 g (2.92 oz)
• Wristbands: Fits wrists from 163 mm (6.4") up to 239 mm (9.4") - 20 mm (0.79") fluoroelastomer (FKM) wristband

ScanWatch (38 mm)

• Watch diameter: 38.4 mm diameter (1.6")
• Digital display: 13.8 mm diameter (0.54") with 116 x 80 pixels
• Watch thickness: 13.2 mm (0.52")
• Weight: 58 g (2.04 oz)
• Wristbands: Fits wrists from 146 mm (5.7") up to 211 mm (8.3") - 18 mm (0.70") fluoroelastomer (FKM) wristband