Withings ScanWatch Light Review – The Smartwatch That Doesn’t Need Charging Every Day

The Withings Scanwatch Light stands as Withings’ latest hybrid smartwatch, merging advanced health monitoring, a sleek premium design, and an impressive 30-day battery life. Priced at $500 AUD, it’s the go-to choice for those in search of a timeless, classical-looking watch with smartwatch capabilities and a battery life so impressive it might make you forget it ever needs charging.

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW – PACKAGING CONTENTS

Along with the smartwatch, the packaging also comes with the USB-C compatible charging doc and a USB-A to USB-C cable, as well as instruction manuals.

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW – BUILD QUALITY AND DESIGN

Screen

Unlike other smartwatches that have touchscreen displays and run on dedicated operating systems, the hybrid smartwatch design of the ScanWatch Light retains the classic appearance of a traditional analogue watch, with a small circular screen at the 12 o’clock mark. The grayscale OLED screen is quite simple. It is a monochromatic display but offers ample brightness for outdoor visibility. Although lacking an “always-on” display, there is an option to twist your arm to activate the screen. 

Navigating the screen is intuitive, facilitated by twisting and clicking the crown.

Size, Design, and Colours

The 37mm diameter is a great size for a watch, and I love the sleek and modern design, available in 5 colours: sand (off-white dial with rose gold case), pearl white (white dial with silver case), blue, green, and black. I opted for the black colourway as it seems most versatile, but the sand colourway also stands out for its truly classy and premium aesthetic. The 17mm wristbands are also interchangeable, and you can purchase a wide range of colours and materials (including rubber, leather, and metal clasps) from the Withings website.

Materials, Water Resistance, and Weight

Build quality is solid. Featuring a durable Gorilla glass and stainless-steel case, with 5 ATM water resistance rating suitable for showers or swimming sessions (though not intended for scuba diving). Weighing a mere 27 grams, the ScanWatch Light strikes a balance between durability and lightweight comfort.

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW – SETUP

Setting up this watch is straightforward. Download the Withings app, navigate to the “Devices” section and add a new device to set up. Then just follow the on-screen instructions. The in-app tutorial is clear and user friendly, making the set-up process effortless and uncomplicated.

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW – FEATURES

Activity tracking

The Scanwatch Light seamlessly incorporates automatic activity tracking, a feature that notably improved during my testing. Initially, manual logging of workouts was necessary as it couldn’t automatically track activities. However, after about a week, it started doing this automatically and quite accurately.

It accurately records steps and measures distance travelled using GPS.

A diverse range of workout options is provided, including walking, running, cycling, swimming, badminton, basketball, football, golf, padel, pilates, yoga, and even horseback riding and gaming

Heart rate monitoring

The Scanwatch Light provides comprehensive heart rate monitoring, measuring your heart rate at rest, during exercise, and throughout sleep. It can notify you of any high or low resting heart rate events, offering a proactive approach to cardiovascular health management.

I did notice that in order to track heart rate and activity accurately, the watch had to be put on quite tightly onto my wrist, which may be slightly uncomfortable for prolonged use.

Sleep monitoring

Provides detailed analysis including sleep duration, wakefulness periods, light and deep sleep, interruptions, and weekly sleep trends.

The sleep quality score combines 6 parameters (duration, depth, interruptions, bed and rise-time regularity, and time to sleep & time to get up) aiding in tracking sleep patterns for potential adjustments

Average sleep heart rate monitoring provides some insight into cardiovascular health, while the Respiratory Scan periodically detects breathing disturbances during sleep.

Menstrual cycle tracking

For users seeking menstrual cycle insights, the ScanWatch Light facilitates period tracking and symptom logging directly on the watch. Symptoms like cramps, breast tenderness, diarrhea, headache, and acne can be recorded, and the app provides in-depth cycle analysis and educational material about tracking and understanding various menstrual cycle aspects.

Phone notifications

Effortlessly staying connected, the ScanWatch Light notifies you with gentle vibrations for calls, messages, and app-specific notifications. The convenient setup for these notifications can be easily configured through the user-friendly Withings app.

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW – BATTERY EXPERIENCE

The ScanWatch Light’s charging speed is commendable (It had 41% charge when I got it and took about 30 minutes to reach full charge. With a promoted 30-day battery life, it stands out in the smartwatch market, and I was quite excited to test this claim.

In my real life testing so far, after 12 days of basically continuous use (including during sleep), the battery has gone down from 100% to 15%. Despite initial faster drainage (3-5% per day), the rate slowed down to 1-2% per day as it reached lower percentages. This suggests the remaining 15% might last another 10 days or so. So, although I suspect it won’t reach exactly 30 days, not having to think about battery for close to a month is still incredibly convenient.

All in all, just an amazing battery life. 

WITHINGS SCANWATCH LIGHT REVIEW CONCLUSION

The Withings ScanWatch Light is a remarkable hybrid smartwatch that seamlessly integrates advanced health monitoring, an elegant design, and an impressive 30-day battery life. Priced at $500 AUD, it caters to those seeking a timeless watch appearance coupled with smartwatch capabilities. The setup and health monitoring are seamless through the Withings app, and the user-friendly interface adds to the overall positive experience.

It’s available at Australian retailers like JB Hi-Fi, Harvey Norman, etc. Also available at Amazon.

Disclosure: Withings ScanWatch Light review sample was supplied for reviewing