Quantifying our health is one of the big technological leaps forward of the last few years. We now have more ability to understand the day to day workings of our bodies than ever before, allowing us to take better control of our health and fitness. Withings is taking that to the next level with their new ScanWatch.
Withings is known for its suite of health-focused products, and one way they’ve always stood out is with hybrid smartwatches. Hybrid, in this case, isn’t like a Prius vs a regular gas engine, but the idea that it appears as a regular analog watch but with smartwatch features or secondary screens. It means no one’s going to clock it as a smartwatch the second they see it on your wrist, so if you don’t like the Wear OS/Apple Watch look for professional reasons, or if you just prefer a more traditional watch face, that’s where Withings shines.
So enter the ScanWatch, which is incredibly impressive for a hybrid watch. As with the other Withings watches, you get a traditional watch face, but you also get a small secondary screen for fitness stats, including the ability to measure arrhythmia and sleep apnea, two features that have appeared on the Apple Watch but are definitely new to the hybrid space. Arrhythmia detection, in particular, is huge because it’s something that doesn’t always get picked up by a regular doctor’s visit. Mayo Clinic has a good explanation of arrhythmia and the various ways it can be tested if you’re looking for a more medically-detailed explanation. In any case, the fact that a watch can do that while looking good both casually and with a suit is a major technological and sartorial feat!
Also, the ScanWatch can pick up low blood oxygen due to sleep apnea, as well as track fitness. The Withings Health Mate app integrates with Apple Health, Google Fit, Strava, MyFitnessPal, and almost 100 other apps so you can truly have all your health and fitness data in one place (well, two-your wrist and your phone!)
Withings ScanWatch is going to retail for $249 for 32mm watch face and $299 for the 42mm face, both available in the second quarter of 2020 pending FDA approval.