The $350 Withings ScanWatch 2 claims it can continually monitor your temperature when it’s on the wrist — something that no other wearable I’ve tried can do. It can warn you if you’re at risk of overheating or give you temperature zone details during workouts.
Withings is best known for its hybrid watches that look more like a traditional wristwatch but have a heavy focus on health monitoring. Tracking skin temperature has been a feature on the Apple Watch, Galaxy Watch, Fitbit, Oura Ring and Whoop tracker for a few years now. But they measure temperature only as you sleep.
The ScanWatch 2 tracks during the day and night to show variations from your baseline temperature. It uses a combination of sensors to constantly monitor temperature: a heat flux sensor to measure energy transit, a temperature sensor that measures both ambient and skin temperature, plus data from the heart rate sensor and accelerometer.
According to Withings, continual temperature tracking can optimize performance during workouts by being able to see your temperature zones. It will also give recovery time estimates based on your temperature during an activity.
Temperature monitoring on the ScanWatch 2.
Temperature tracking on smartwatches has been in the spotlight since the onset of the pandemic. The thought is that being able to see variations in your temperature from your baseline could indicate the onset of an illness before symptoms crop up. Tracking temperature can also give more insight into menstrual cycles.
My CNET colleague Lisa Eadiccico reviewed the most recent ScanWatch Horizon. She found its long battery life gave it an advantage over other smartwatches for continual health and sleep tracking because you don’t have to charge it every day. The new ScanWatch 2 offers the same 30-day battery life as before.
Like earlier ScanWatch models, the ScanWatch 2 has two FDA-cleared sensors: blood oxygen and an electrocardiogram with atrial fibrillation detection. Apple, Samsung and Fitbit only have FDA clearance for their ECG. Withings also says the new ScanWatch range will predict future menstrual cycles and have better automatic workout detection for over 40 sport types.
Withings is also releasing a $250 ScanWatch Light with many of the same features as the ScanWatch 2, including a monochrome OLED display, plus physical hour and minute watch hands. But it does miss out on the 24/7 temperature tracking, atrial fibrillation and ECG, irregular heart rhythm notifications, and blood oxygen levels. Both watches are available starting October, with the ScanWatch 2 available in a 38mm and 42mm size while the ScanWatch Light is 37mm.
