Withings ScanWatch 2
The Withings ScanWatch 2 offers a lot of high-end health tracking features, such as 24/7 temperature and blood oxygen levels, in an attractive hybrid smartwatch design. Its stainless steel case and sapphire crystal provide excellent protection against scuffs and scrapes, and its 30-day battery life makes it a great choice for daily wear.
Withings ScanWatch Light
The Withings ScanWatch Light offers a lot of the benefits of its more expensive sibling without the additional cost, in a more compact case. It features a stainless steel case, and excellent health tracking options from heart rate to sleep, with an outstanding 30-day battery life. It is offered in silver and rose gold case options, with black and white watch faces available on the silver case variant.
Hybrid smartwatches are an attractive option for many people. You get most of the health-tracking benefits of thebest smartwatchesbut also the aesthetic and flexibility of an analog watch. It’s a combination that works well in a more formal setting or if you just prefer the look of an old-school watch on your wrist.
Withings offers two new watches to fill that need: theScanWatch 2and ScanWatch Light. Although they share many similar features, a few important differences will help you decide which one is right for you.
Price, availability, and specs
The ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light are available through Withings. The ScanWatch 2 comes in 42mm and 38mm configurations, while the ScanWatch Light is only offered in 37mm. Both watches are offered in silver and rose gold case options, and you’re able to choose either a white or black watch face with the silver stainless steel case.
The ScanWatch 2 starts at $350, while the ScanWatch Light is cheaper at $249. Additional watch bands are available for purchase, with a fluoroelastomer band included by default.
Design and display
Withings kept the design for the ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light relatively similar, featuring stainless steel cases and identical colors. At first glance, only the dedicated step count complication included on the ScanWatch 2 differentiates it from the less expensive ScanWatch Light.
However, the ScanWatch 2’s face is protected by tough sapphire crystal. While the Gorilla Glass on the ScanWatch Light isn’t disappointing, it does not provide the same peace of mind as sapphire. Withings watches appeal to those who enjoy the look of an analog watch but don’t want to miss out on digital features, and, as an analog watch lover, nothing will ruin your day faster than micro scratches on your glass. For the sapphire upgrade alone, I would consider spending the extra money on the ScanWatch 2.
The sapphire glass and additional tracking features of the ScanWatch 2 come at a cost to weight. While the ScanWatch Light tops out at just over 27g, the ScanWatch 2 can weigh as much as 56.2g depending on case size. If you’re looking for something breezy on your wrist, the Light is the better option.
Both designs depart from the original ScanWatch, which features red accents for the step count register. So, if you’re used to the sporty look of the original, the ScanWatch 2 and Light will look more like a dress watch. It’s not a bad change, though, just a different feel to the design.
Unlike traditional smartwatches, the case size does not determine the display size on either watch — both devices use the same 0.63-inch 16-shade grayscale OLED panel capable of 282ppi. It’s a high-contrast display with good viewing angles that shows enough information while keeping the analog aesthetic. While neither is designed for turn-by-turn navigation nor WhatsApp messages, the OLED panel will display heart rate and other health information at a glance.
Software and performance
As you would expect, the ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light take advantage of Withings' excellent Health Mate app, which is available for Android and iOS. Unlike the barebones Fossil app for its hybrid smartwatch, the Health Mate app is surprisingly full-featured. It also helps you connect the watch to the wider ecosystem of Withings fitness products, like its scale, which gives you a better overall picture of your health. Normally, I’d encourage using the included Google Fit or Apple Health integration, but with Health Mate, I’m comfortable with the feature set and health insights provided.
The ScanWatch 2 offers three free months of the company’s Withings+ subscription (normally $10 a month). Unfortunately, that’s limited to one free month on the ScanWatch Light. Fortunately, the subscription is an optional extra, and most users will be fine skipping it - all of the core tracking works without paying with Withings+, and the paid service mostly adds additional analysis and guidance options.
Performance is also similar between the two watches. Because neither timepiece is meant to be an app-intensive experience, there is little difference between variants. Unlike a traditional smartwatch comparison, where the more expensive version will have more RAM or a larger display, those specs don’t figure into the buying equation as much as the build materials and health tracking features.
Health and activity tracking
If you’re looking to justify spending more, the ScanWatch 2’s additional tracking features might give you enough of a reason. In addition to the standard heart rate and sleep tracking, the Watch 2 sensors are capable of 24/7 temperature tracking. It’ll record your workout and cool-down temperatures and display them on the OLED screen, much like your car displays water temperature.
The Watch 2 offers ECG capabilities with Afib detection and VO2 max readings for the particularly health-conscious. It can also read SpO2 levels on demand and with overnight sleep tracking. It’s a suite of features you’re used to seeing on a premium smartwatch, and it sets the ScanWatch 2 apart from its less expensive sibling.
Despite not including those features, the ScanWatch Light still tracks several data points. It will log heart rate and workouts, sleep quality and duration, and cycle tracking. Withings claims that a later update will bring respiratory rate tracking with sleep, but it’s not included on release for either model.
Beyond aesthetics, the smaller OLED display and simple watch movement produce outstanding battery life. The ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light boast 30 days of battery life on a single charge. When it is time to fill back up, the included USB-C dock can charge either watch from 0% to full in about two hours. Bluetooth doesn’t bleed through power, and the lack of apps on the watch face itself ensures a fantastic battery experience. If you’re looking for a difference between watches, how long they can go on your wrist without a charge isn’t one of them.
Which is right for you?
I always love the allure of saving money, but I believe the extra $100 you’ll spend on the ScanWatch 2 is justified. Aside from the additional tracking benefits, the sapphire crystal on the ScanWatch 2 makes it a daily wear device. I can’t count how many times I’ve banged one of my smartwatches against a wall or a door and cringed at the thought of a scuff on the face. Personally, the extra peace of mind is worth it.
High-end build quality with a price to match
If you’re looking to save money and you don’t mind the smaller 37mm diameter, the ScanWatch Light offers a lot for your money. It’s still a premium stainless steel construction and offers plenty of health data tracking points.
Most of the features without the extra cost
The Withings ScanWatch Light offers a lot of the benefits of its more expensive sibling without the additional cost. It features a stainless steel case and excellent health tracking options from heart rate to sleep, with an outstanding 30-day battery life. It is offered in silver and rose gold case options, with black and white watch faces available on the silver case variant.
