The world of smartwatches and quantifying bracelets has grown exponentially in recent years. We have seen how there are few models and with limited functionality, today we have options that can even work as a mobile phone and make calls without the need for a mobile phone or even carrying the headphones inside.
We are talking about a revolution of options in a market that is committed to devices with large screens on to display and digitally imitate the faces or dial of a traditional watch.
Withings is a French company that has a big business orbiting healthcare and connected devices. They have scales, thermometers, pressure gauges and even smart watches like this one Withings ScanWatch Horizon.
We talk about the jewel in the crown with high end materials: a finish in steelcrystal Sapphire and an aesthetic that can be reminiscent of Rolex / Omega watches, bridging the gap, but in that vein.
Let’s see how it is and if it is worth this hybrid watch from Withings, what it can offer us and what it can’t to find out if it may be the perfect device for you.
Contents of the Withings ScanWatch Horizon Review:
ScanWatch Horizon Specifications and Features
A traditional watch with the heart of a smartwatch
If we talk about design with this ScanWatch Horizon we are facing the line that goes from a traditional watch in look and it equips it with smart functions, instead of what Apple, Samsung and the rest of the brands follow.
In these cases we have what could be a miniaturized smartphone with a complex operating system and all kinds of features that, depending on the type of person, could be useful in a watch or not.
This watch is finished in 316L stainless steel, both case and strap, and is somewhat reminiscent of the design of the Rolex Submariner or Omega SeaMaster. The French company has used high-end materials in a watch that has a clear premium focus.
The crystal is sapphire, therefore, one of the most resistant to shocks and scratches. During the 3-month test that I have done, I assure you that more than one watch would not have survived any of the “caresses” that this Scanwatch Horizon received.
The mounting bezel is rotatable and inside the sphere we can see two small watches or complications as Apple likes to call it. The one below shows the percentage of steps that we have set as a daily goal and the one above we have the multipurpose screen.
This screen is PMOLED, that is, it lights up in a single color. It is activated by pressing the crown and shows the time and date by default and by turning that crown we navigate through the customizable menu, which can show us: heart rate, steps, distance covered in the day, floors climbed, ECG, SpO2, exercises, breathing (relaxation mode).
Within the Clock option, you will have a stopwatch and countdown function. And, of course, this screen will also show notifications, scrolling the text horizontally.
Turning that crown, we find a haptic vibration very comfortable and natural. When we receive a call or notification that we set the vibration is strong enough to notice.
The steel strap is typical of a traditional 20mm watch, with links that you can remove or put to adjust to your wrist with the kit that comes in the box. You can also put the blue fluoroelastomer that also comes in the box.
Automatic quantifier of activity, health and notifications
This smartwatch has a very remarkable health function quantification system. It goes beyond steps and heart rate. Has a measurement option SpO2 and even to do an electrocardiogram on request.
has a way of sleep tracking in depth that not only detects the stages of sleep and the time you spend in each one, but can also detect interruptions or sleep apnea and notifies you to visit a doctor.
In terms of sports activity quantificationIt is interesting to mention that you can start doing the activity without touching the watch and it will record the activity by detecting the correct one from the pre-programmed ones (walking, cycling, running, swimming and others). It is true that sometimes it is not correct, if I go on a motorcycle sometimes it is indicated as a bike ride, for example.
From the application you can correct the type of activity afterwards or delete it, as happens with some motorcycle trips.
If you enter the function Exercise You can activate the active quantification mode where it shows you the heart rate and the activity time you have. It is useful if you go to the gym, or go out with the bike on your own and you want to carry out a training in a specific heart rate range.
training | available | Withings | ScanWatch | Horizon |
---|---|---|---|---|
Career | Dance | indoor walk | Yoga | Table tennis |
Swimming | Tennis | Hiking | Pilates | Baseball |
Bicycle | Fitness | Elliptical | zumba | Basketball |
Walk | indoor running | body building | Badminton | Soccer |
Others | Indoor Cycling | Rowing | squash | Football |
Rugby | Volleyball | Climbing | Boxing | kitesurfing |
Handball | ice hockey | Golf | windsurfing | Skiing |
snowboarding | Ice skating | Horse riding | Gaming |
As we can see, there are all kinds of sports activities to monitor and the one that has caught my attention the most is, for example, gaming, which was not located in other smartwatches. you can choose that use the GPS geolocation of the mobile to record the path traveled during the activity, as we say, of the mobile, the watch alone cannot record it.
The precision in the measurements is not bad for a device that is attached to the wrist, in fact, I recommend tightening it a little more if you are going to do activities that require movement of the arms so as not to have some periods in which the pulse is lost.
I have tested the clock on both Android and an iPhone to see if there were any differences or missing features and no, the clock is exactly the same on both systems.
Notifications can be configured from the application, by default only calls and SMS are active, but you can choose the notifications you want to receive on the watch from the list of applications. Are notifications they appear by swiping on the top screen and moving the hands out of the way at 10:10 to get a clear view of the screen.
In my particular case, I prefer that you notify me of calls and SMS (very useful for double-step verification) and leave application notifications on the mobile and that’s it.
From the clock settings you can enable the screen to turn on every time you look at the clock, but taking into account that it shows the time with the hands and that they are luminescent, I have not seen it as necessary. In case I want to see something, I press the crown.
You will forget having to charge it in weeks, its great strength
This watch is basic in terms of extra functions of other smartwatches and that works against it, but in favor of its autonomy.
withings promises up to 30 days in smart mode, that is, with synchronization to the mobile and showing notifications. And once the battery runs out, it enters a low power mode in which it turns off connectivity and screen, continues to record activity for 20 more days and continues to show the time with its hands.
In normal use, we have spent about three weeks without charging it, receiving daily call and SMS notifications and with about three sports sessions a week.
The interesting thing is that when you run out of battery, and you want to charge it, it doesn’t become a decorative bracelet like any smartwatch, but it continues giving you the time and also recording steps and activity. Once you put it to load, reconnect to the mobile and dump that information.
To charge, it uses a proprietary connector with usb-a cable which stays fixed at the bottom of the watch so magnetic making contact with its PoGo pins.
It takes time to charge from “out of battery” up to 100% about 2 hours and reaches 80% in just over 1 hour. As we can see, it takes care of the battery to get the most possible number of cycles.
Review: Is the Withings ScanWatch Horizon worth buying?
Faced with this question, there is only one way to answer: It depends. Here factors come into play such as the use you want to give it and what you expect from a smartwatch.
If you want a device with which to answer messages, use as a hands-free or be a more active extension of the mobile, this device is not for you.
If on the other hand you are looking for a very complete quantifier, with advanced health monitoring, traditional design and great autonomy. You can bet on this Horizon from Withings. In fact, it is the most updated version of the Scanwatch and with a more traditional design and better materials. But that comes at a cost.
Here we come to discuss yes 499 euro It is a price for a watch that is not as smart as we are used to or that does not have extra functions of interaction with the smartphone.
From my point of view, this price is high, but the quality of the watch, whether smart or not, in addition to the health monitoring options, more than meets the expectations and, if we look at prices for aesthetically similar watches such as Omega or Rolex, we are looking at prices much higher.
If you are a bit out of budget, you can always take a look at its little brother Withings ScanWatch, which changes in design and shares almost all the same features.