Withings ScanWatch Light Review: A Smartwatch Undercover

It’s not hard to find a smartwatch that provides a wealth of information at a glance. But sometimes, simple is better. If you’re looking for a hybrid smartwatch that looks like an analog timepiece but can provide a wealth of health insights, the Withings ScanWatch Light fits the bill. Along with an inexpensive price tag, the watch provides wonderful battery life and ties into a great health-focused ecosystem.

Withings ScanWatch Light

The Withings ScanWatch Light provides many advantages of a smartwatch in an analog timepiece. It can track a number of fitness metrics including heart rate, steps taken, respirator rate, and sleep. A small screen on top of the watch can give you a quick peek at important information. With the well-designed Withings app, you can take a deeper look the data. The watch itself looks great and available in a number of color combinations. 

Pros

• Beautifully designed analog timepiece
• Can capture a wide assortment of health data
• Withings app help you better understand the data
• Up to 30 days of battery life on a single charge
• Wide variety of case colors and strap options

Cons

• Might not look great an a larger wrist
• Most information needs the smartphone app

Pricing and Availability

The Withings ScanWatch Light is available for $249.95 at Amazon, Withings, Best Buy, and several other retailers. I reviewed the Pearl White model with a silver casing, but you can also choose from Black and Green, or Sand and Blue with a gold frame.

A Smartwatch That Doesn’t Look Like One

When taking a quick glance, you’d be hard-pressed to think the Withings ScanWatch Light has any smarts. The round watch looks like a classic analog timepiece.

Along with a 37mm stainless steel case, the watch is topped with Gorilla Glass, which looks great and should withstand everyday wear and tear. On top of the watch display is a small OLED screen that can show health data and provide a way to interact with different watch settings using the watch crown. On the back of the watch are the health sensors and charger pins. I tried out a white case and light gray strap made for activity and swimming. Withings offers four other case colors, each with a color-coordinated sport band. As a big plus, you can also purchase additional leather or stainless bands that provide a more upscale look.

Swapping out bands is one of the best parts of the Apple Watch experience, and it’s nice to see Withings offer a similar approach. When you want to swap out a band, you’ll push a small pin on the back of the band to release it. It’s easy to swap a new one in.

The band included with the watch is comfortable, easily adjustable, and has small ridges on the back to help keep air circulating around your wrist.

While the watch is marketed as unisex, men with larger wrists might want to take a closer look before purchasing. I usually wear the large, 49mm Apple Watch Ultra on my wrist. The Withings ScanWatch Light might look odd or out of place on a larger wrist thanks to its much smaller case. It didn’t bother me, but it might be an issue for some potential buyers.

I tested the watch for around two weeks and was definitely pleased with its fit and comfort. Coming from a much larger model, the Withings option felt great on my wrist. It didn’t shift around, even while working out.

You Won’t Be Tied to a Charger

Getting the watch set up takes just a few minutes. If you don’t have the Withings Health Mate app for iPhone or Android installed, you’ll need to download it on your smartphone. After connecting the watch to your handset, there are a few steps to finish on-screen.

In the My Devices tab of the app, you can customize the watch further. One of my favorite options is Quicklook, which automatically wakes up the screen by turning your wrist. The default view on the screen shows the day, date, digital time, and a small graph showing how close you are to reaching a daily steps goal.

Another great option to customize in the settings is the long-press shortcut. This allows you to start something specific, like a workout, with a long press of the crown.

As a big plus, if you forget to start a workout manually, the watch will automatically detect activities like walking, running, or cycling. That feature worked well and always detected when I started a run or walk. Plus, I wore both my Apple Watch Ultra and the Withings ScanWatch Light for a few workouts, and the data was similar on both.

During the day, after turning your wrist, you can rotate the crown to take a heart rate reading, show a daily step count, start a workout, and more. You can also customize the screens you see in settings.

While the Withings ScanWatch Light is designed to not overwhelm you with information, you can choose to see notifications from a limited number of apps, such as Messages, Phone, Facebook, Instagram, Outlook, and others.

When a notification is received, the watch gently vibrates, and the information scrolls across the small screen. I didn’t find the notifications useful, though, on such a small screen, so I turned them off completely. But it is a nice option if you don’t want to completely detach from what’s happening on your phone.

Battery life is a huge plus of the watch compared to many other wearables. Withings says you can go for up to 30 days on a single charge. In around two weeks of use, my battery was a little less than 50%, putting that number well within reach.

It’s a nice benefit not to worry about nightly charging, especially since the watch can be used as a sleep tracker. There’s no need to worry about doing anything before bed; your sleep information will automatically be tracked and ready for you in the morning.

In the morning, you can head to the app to see a Sleep Quality Score. That includes other data like duration, depth, interruptions, and more. Most importantly, it shows insights and tips on what you need to work on to sleep better. While it’s not hard to find technology that can help track your sleep, I definitely liked that Withings tells you what you can do to actually improve in that important area.

A Great App to Help View and Understand Data

While the watch’s fitness and exercise data can be imported into Apple Health and Google Fit, the Withings app is another big plus. It’s well-designed and easy to use, especially if you have another product from the company.

I also use the Withings Body Smart Scale that I reviewed, and the app gives me everything I ever wanted to know about my health and fitness.

The app has two major parts. In the Home section, you can see a rundown of all the latest measurements, such as daily step count, average heart rate, and more. Select the specific area to see more information. You can also see important trends, like how many workouts you did last week. The Measure tab provides all of the captured health data.

An optional Withings+ subscription service, available through the app, provides more features, such as a complete health assessment score, workout videos, recipes, and more.

Should You Buy the Withings ScanWatch Light?

In the world of the Apple Watch, the Withings ScanWatch Light provides a great alternative for anyone looking for an undercover smartwatch. It provides a wealth of accessible health and fitness information, including sleep tracking, from the Withings app.

Instead of needing to be tied to a charger every night, battery life is almost an afterthought when you can go for up to 30 days on a single charge. And with a wide variety of colors available, it’s perfect for enjoying the perks of a fitness-focused smartwatch in a beautiful package, all for the same price as the Apple Watch SE.

Withings ScanWatch Light

The Withings ScanWatch Light provides many advantages of a smartwatch in an analog timepiece. It can track a number of fitness metrics including heart rate, steps taken, respirator rate, and sleep. A small screen on top of the watch can give you a quick peek at important information. With the well-designed Withings app, you can take a deeper look the data. The watch itself looks great and available in a number of color combinations.