Smartwatches are designed to do 3 issues neatly: save you you from having to succeed in in your telephone as frequently, observe fitness metrics and glance nice in your wrist. However now not all smartwatches are created equivalent. Some are higher at functioning as a telephone alternative, whilst others are supposed to seem like an ordinary wristwatch. That sums up the most important distinction between conventional smartwatches (just like the Apple Watch) and hybrid smartwatches such because the Withings ScanWatch Horizon, which I simply reviewed.
Standard smartwatches perform a little little bit of the entirety. They are rather trendy, have a number of fitness and task monitoring capability and are filled with phonelike options such NFC for cell bills and a speaker and microphone for taking calls. The Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Fitbit Sense and upcoming Pixel Watch fall into this class.
However hybrid watches most often mix the qualities of analog timepieces and smartwatches, simply because the title implies. They generally tend to appear extra like common watches, with conventional faces that experience bodily fingers for the hour and mins as an alternative of virtual numbers. Hybrid watches wouldn’t have as many “sensible” options, however they usually last more on a unmarried rate and nonetheless pack a number of health-tracking choices.
I want conventional smartwatches and most often put on an Apple Watch. However spending a few weeks with the $500 Withings ScanWatch Horizon jogged my memory why hybrid smartwatches can also be interesting — and in addition how they fall quick in comparison with general-purpose smartwatches.
Learn extra: Google Pixel Watch: What We Know (and Do not) So A long way
Tethered to my telephone
I felt extra reliant on my telephone when switching from the Apple Watch to the ScanWatch Horizon. Withings’ hybrid watch can display notifications (like calls, texts and app signals), and you’ll be able to additionally use the watch to set timers and alarms.
However even those fundamental duties are more uncomplicated to perform on conventional watches. Because the ScanWatch Horizon handiest has a small round display screen that occupies a fragment of the watch’s face, it is not very best for studying complete notifications. As I wrote in my assessment, the ScanWatch Horizon’s loss of a slightly display screen and voice controls additionally made it much less handy to set occasions and alarms from my wrist.
It is a lot more uncomplicated to learn notifications and reply to texts at the Apple Watch. The Collection 7 (pictured) has a bigger display screen with a QWERTY keyboard.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
If you need a smartwatch that may take one of the most burden off your telephone relating to on a regular basis duties, the ScanWatch almost definitely is not it. Call to mind the ScanWatch Horizon as an eye first and a smartwatch 2d. Even supposing I wouldn’t have my Apple Watch hooked up to my information plan, it is nonetheless an invaluable surrogate for my telephone. I wouldn’t have to take my telephone out of my pocket for duties like replying to textual content messages, surfing information headlines whilst I am looking ahead to the elevator or trying out on the money sign in at my native Ceremony Support.
That is not the case with the ScanWatch Horizon. I grabbed my telephone nearly straight away every time I felt the excitement of a notification. The ScanWatch Horizon feels extra like a way accent with integrated fitness monitoring. I beloved how it regarded on my wrist, however did not to find myself the usage of the display screen for a lot instead of to test the time or get started a exercise. Maximum of my engagement occurs inside the Withings HealthMate app, which supplies a breakdown of physically metrics and task.
Watch this:
Why I’m More Excited for a New Apple Watch SE Than the…
4:40
Read more: How the Apple Watch Can Become an Even Better Fitness Tracker
The ScanWatch Horizon is more limited than the Apple Watch when it comes to mimicking your phone’s functionality, but it has a different advantage. With its stainless-steel casing, rotating laser-engraved bezel and analog watch face, the ScanWatch Horizon is one of the most elegant smartwatches you’ll find. Not to mention, it’s also cheaper than the stainless-steel version of the Apple Watch Series 7, which starts at $700.
Amazing battery life
The Apple Watch may have more smarts, but it can’t come close to the ScanWatch Horizon’s battery life. Withings claims the ScanWatch Horizon can last for 30 days on a single charge, far outlasting standard smartwatches. In my experience, the ScanWatch Horizon’s battery depleted to 35% after a little more than a week. I haven’t spent long enough with it to see if it lives up to Withings’ 30-day claim, but that’s impressive nonetheless.
I usually charge my Apple Watch nightly, but Withings says the ScanWatch Horizon can last for 30 days on a single charge.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The Apple Watch Series 7, on the other hand, usually lasts for one to two days on a single charge. But that’s also because the Apple Watch has a lot more technology built into it. The OLED color touchscreen alone has a huge impact on the battery compared with the ScanWatch Horizon’s tiny display. Some other wearables like the Garmin Venu 2 Plus that also use OLED displays can last up to nine days. It is possible to get more battery life out of today’s smartwatches without sacrificing a bright color display.
Both watches go deep on health, but they have different strengths
The home screen on Withings’ Health Mate app. I appreciate that Withings offers much more sleep data than the Apple Watch.
Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
If there’s one area where neither watch compromises, it’s health tracking. The ScanWatch Horizon and Apple Watch Series 7 can both measure all of the hallmark health metrics found on high-end smartwatches. That includes electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) measurements — both watches have FDA clearance for this feature — and general heart rate data, activity and exercise, sleep and blood oxygen saturation levels. Withings’ blood oxygen feature also has FDA clearance, unlike Apple’s.
Even though they share many similarities when it comes to health tracking, the smartwatches have their own strengths. Withings, for example, has much more sleep data to offer. You can see a breakdown of how much time you spent in light or deep sleep, average sleeping heart rate and breathing disturbances. It also issues a sleep score that assesses the quality of your sleep, similar to products from Fitbit, Oura and Amazon.
The Apple Watch only shows sleep duration, time spent in bed and sleeping respiratory rate. That information is useful too, but having access to data about my sleep quality helps me understand why I might be feeling tired or energetic in the morning. It also motivates me to hit the sack earlier than usual if my sleep score hasn’t been very high lately.
Read more: Galaxy Watch 5 Rumors: Samsung Might Fix Our Battery Complaints
The Apple Watch’s design gives it an advantage over the Withings ScanWatch Horizon in a few other areas. It’s smaller and lighter, which makes the Apple Watch much more comfortable to wear during workouts and to sleep (although I usually charge my Apple Watch overnight instead). Plus, the Apple Watch has built-in GPS for tracking outdoor runs, while the ScanWatch Horizon must rely on your phone’s GPS. The Apple Watch is also more effective at encouraging me to stay active throughout the day since I can customize the display to show my Activity Rings.
The bottom line
The Withings ScanWatch Horizon (pictured) is an elegant watch and fitness tracker in one device. But I prefer traditional smartwatches like the Apple Watch that do a better job of separating me from my phone.
Lisa Eadicicco/CNET
The Withings ScanWatch Horizon inherits some of the biggest advantages of analog watches: a classy design and a battery that doesn’t need to be charged nightly. It’s also a top-notch fitness tracker that doesn’t require a subscription to unlock deeper insights like devices from Fitbit and Oura do.
That said, it hasn’t convinced me to stray from more traditional smartwatches like the Apple Watch. I value the convenience of being able to verbally ask my watch to start a workout, or respond to texts from my wrist, more than having the best-looking watch. I might have appreciated the ScanWatch Horizon’s distinguished design more back in 2013 when smartwatches still looked like this. Now that smartwatches have gotten smaller and lighter and they’re more common, they don’t seem out of place on your wrist at weddings and dinner parties.
The ScanWatch Horizon is ideal for those who want both a classic watch and a fitness tracker in one device. I could see why some might prefer the ScanWatch Horizon’s simplicity, since it means the watch itself is less distracting. But the Apple Watch does a better job of freeing you from your phone, and that matters more to me.
