Withings ScanWatch Nova review: Style in spades

Best prices today: Withings ScanWatch Nova

$599.99

Even though Apple and Samsung might make headlines with the Ultra smartwatches, Withings is quietly moving on with its business of creating smartwatches with a difference.

If you’re like me and frustrated by the downsides of smartwatches, such as poor battery life and touchscreens, Withings makes some of the best hybrid wearables on the market and the ScanWatch Nova is one of its final efforts.

The devices take the key features and functionality of the ScanWatch 2 and place them in a premium dive watch style casing. This is a sort of upgraded version of the Withings ScanWatch Horizon which is still on sale.

Design and build

• 42mm stainless steel case
• Three colors
• 10ATM

The hybrid design, if it’s new to you, means you have a traditional analog watch with minute and hour hands connected by a small dial with a third analog hand that tracks your step goal.

In the top half is a small screen that provides smartwatch features such as date, heart rate, skin temperature, ECG, blood oxygen, breathing exercises and much more.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

This screen can be activated by lifting to wake or by pressing the digital crown on the side. The crown is then used to scroll the interface and everything works well and intuitively.

What sets the ScanWatch Nova apart from its rivals and the company’s other watches is its bulkier, more premium design. The stainless steel case has a water resistance rating of 10 ATM and the design also includes an anti-reflective sapphire crystal and a rotating ceramic bezel.

There’s only one size available at 42mm and it weighs 63g without a strap, which is heavier than many smartwatches, although lighter than the ScanWatch Horizon.

The hands and indexes are “Super-LumiNova”, meaning they really glow in the dark. The mirror polished edges round it off nicely.

I’m a big fan of the look and feel of the Nova which oozes craftsmanship and it comes in three colors: black, blue and green.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Unlike most smartwatches, the Nova comes with a fluoroelastomer strap (color matched to the dial and bezel) and a metal Oyster bracelet. In the box you will also find all the tools you need to remove or add links to get the right size.

I love the design and really only have one complaint: putting the straps on the case is really tricky, especially the metal band which has two little quick release tabs on each end.

It’s aimed at a masculine taste, so if you want something more feminine, Withings has since unveiled the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant Edition which we awarded Best in Show at IFA 2024. It comes in a case smaller at 39 mm and in two colors.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Features and tracking

• Steps, floors and more
• Heart rate
• Skin temperature
• Blood oxygen

You might not think it from its looks, but the ScanWatch Nova has plenty of activity and fitness tracking capabilities. On the back and inside it has a TempTech24/7 module, a high dynamic range accelerometer, a multi-wavelength PPG with 16 channels and an altimeter.

This means the watch can track all sorts of stats and activities, including steps (which you’ll see on the analog dial), heart rate, skin temperature, and blood oxygen levels.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

The Nova’s small screen can show you your heart rate, skin temperature, steps, distance traveled, floors climbed, then you can optionally trigger workouts, ECG, blood oxygen check or guided breathing.

Opening the companion app will then give you a much more detailed breakdown of your daily, weekly and monthly stats. Again, you can watch your steps or delve into sleep tracking if you’re happy to wear the Nova overnight (which I found surprisingly comfortable with the fluoroelastomer strap).

Much of the tracking I’ve seen reported over the many months of using the Nova seems perfectly in line with other smartwatches. However, I came across various inaccuracies that I didn’t expect from such a high-end device from a company like Withings, which specializes in health products.

Floors climbed are almost always underestimated and from time to time I noticed unusual spikes in my heart rate (up to 180 bpm), which I think I would know if it was true. The blood oxygen check on the watch often reads “inconclusive,” which becomes frustrating.

The sleep tracking is pretty solid overall, but again, some nights I thought I was awake when I wasn’t and I also regularly thought I was falling asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow , which I know is not true. This leads to a better sleep score, so not too bad if you like that placebo effect in the morning.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

All this thanks to the fluoroelastomer strap which gives you a better fit for the operation of the sensors. If you have no luck with metal group adjustment, since you are limited to removing or adding links, tracking might be worse.

Also, the watch can automatically detect certain workouts, but it got it wrong more times than I can remember. The app has many swims and cycles recorded when in reality they were just occasional walks, perhaps confused by the fact that I’m walking a dog with one and pushing a pram with the other.

It can track menstrual cycles, but of course I haven’t been able to test it.

Many much cheaper smartwatches offer more precise tracking and usually have GPS which the Nova doesn’t have. Another surprise when you pay over £500/$500.

Battery life and charging

• Up to 30 days
• Cheap and easy to lose charger

Surprisingly, the ScanWatch Nova comes with a charger that resembles that of a sub-£50/$50 smartwatch. Simply a small plastic stand with a USB-C port, it doesn’t match the premium nature of everything else in the box.

I would much prefer a wireless charging stand that could live on my nightstand at this price. Fortunately, the charger is not needed very often since the ScanWatch Nova can last 30 days.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

If you want a “good” smartwatch that can last more than a few days, look at the OnePlus Watch 2 and 2R.

During my testing, I regularly forgot that the Nova was a device that needed to be charged, which is a refreshing change from most smartwatches.

It takes a few hours to charge completely from flat, but with a 30-day battery, you don’t need to wait for it to reach 100%, even if you’re going on vacation for a week.

Pricing and availability

For the privilege of wearing the ScanWatch Nova on your wrist, Withings charges £549.95/$599.95.

You can buy it directly from Withings as well as Amazon, Argos and Currys in the UK or Amazon in the US.

It’s far from affordable and while it’s not in direct competition, you can get a Samsung Galaxy Watch Ultra for £599/$649.

As you will have gathered from the review, the smartwatch has a different appeal than what Samsung, OnePlus, Apple and others have to offer. If you want a cheaper Withings, check out the ScanWatch 2 or ScanWatch Light.

It’s a premium experience when it comes to details like the box, straps, and hybrid design, and so it may be worth every penny.

Check out our list of the best smartwatches for the best options around.

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Chris Martin / Foundry

Should you buy the Withings ScanWatch Nova?

The ScanWatch Nova isn’t cheap, so you’ll want to make sure it’s exactly the type of wearable you’re looking for.

And to that end, it fits a rather unique bill being a sleek, high-end analog watch but with plenty of sensors and smart technology built into it.

If you don’t like the idea of ​​a full-screen smartwatch with short battery life, the ScanWatch Nova is a very interesting solution as long as you don’t mind that the activity tracking isn’t as accurate as ‘one would expect it at this price.

Specifications

• 0.63-inch, 282 PPI grayscale OLED display
• TempTech24/7 module
• High dynamic range accelerometer
• 16 multi-wavelength PPG channels
• Altimeter
• Detection of respiratory disorders
• Low consumption Bluetooth
• Silent alarm
• Tracks heart rate, steps, distance, calories and altitude
• 30+ workouts
• Sleep monitoring
• Up to 30 days of battery life
• Requires iOS 14 or Android 8 or later
• Stainless steel housing (316L)
• Rotating ceramic and stainless steel bezel
• Anti-reflective sapphire crystal
• Stainless steel crown
• 63g (42mm)
• 10ATM