Withings ScanWatch Nova Review: A Hybrid Smartwatch That Finally Feels Premium
Wearable technology has continued to improve ever since the first smart wearables entered the market. However, while modern smartwatches now offer more advanced features than ever before, many of them still rely on plain, overly digital designs that lack the timeless style of a traditional wristwatch. As a result, many people prefer hybrid smartwatches that combine smart functionality with the elegant appearance of a classic timepiece. For those looking for a smartwatch that delivers essential health-tracking features without sacrificing on style, the Withings ScanWatch Nova is an excellent option.
The Withings ScanWatch Nova is a next-generation hybrid smartwatch that features a luxury diver-style design while integrating multiple health- and activity-tracking functions. It boasts 24/7 heart rate tracking, on-demand medical-grade electrocardiogram, blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, 24/7 body temperature tracking, monthly cycle monitoring, advanced activity tracking for 40+ activities and in-depth sleep analysis.
The watch offers up to 35 days of battery life. Via the Withings app, users can customize the information displayed on screen such as heart rate variability, steps walked, body temperature variation, activities and more. They can also receive personalized insights, trends, and recommendations to optimize their health journey.
Designed to deliver powerful health scans, this next-gen hybrid smartwatch accurately helps you track crucial health metrics and daily activity, providing you with health data you can act on.
Here’s our review of the Withings ScanWatch Nova, where we discuss its design, health monitoring and activity tracking capabilities, battery life, app features, and real-world usability to see whether the premium price actually makes sense.
Design and Build Quality That Rival Luxury Watches
Starting with the watch’s size, this hybrid smartwatch has a slim, lightweight form factor. Its case measures 42 mm in diameter and is 12.79 mm thick. The watch comes equipped with an oyster metal bracelet that tapers from 20 mm to 18 mm for a secure, comfortable fit.
The watch also comes with a fluoroelastomer sport wristband, which you can easily swap with its oyster bracelet if you prefer a more practical strap, allowing for more comfort during your training sessions. Alternatively, you can also change the watch’s bracelet with your own wristband of choice (sold separately).
Design-wise, the Withings ScanWatch Nova sports a beautiful diver-style design that gives it a stylish, timeless appearance. Its design makes it feel like a real diving watch. For our review unit, we received the Green color model. However, you can also get it in Black or Blue.
More importantly, the watch also packs a premium construction. Withings has done a great job quality-wise. The watch’s case is made of stainless steel, giving it outstanding durability against everyday wear. Its case also has a mirror-polished finish along its edge, which further enhances its sophisticated, luxurious look.
Furthermore, the watch also has a 10 ATM water-resistant rating, meaning it can withstand underwater pressure up to a depth of 328 ft. (100 meters).
Analog Display, Built-in Illumination, OLED Screen
The watch’s case includes a ceramic and stainless-steel rotating bezel with laser engraved markings that incorporate the standard codes of diving practice. Its bezel integrates a sapphire glass crystal cover that has a layer of anti-reflection coating, making it easy to read the time.
For its face, the watch comes equipped with a refined sunray dial, featuring Super-LumiNova hollow watch hands, indicators, and thick raised indices that allow it to be used in low light conditions.
Integrated at the top of the watch’s face there’s a 0.63-inch, high-resolution grayscale OLED screen, which clearly displays health and activity metrics at a glance.
On the right side there’s a stainless steel crown that enables you to easily select and scroll through the watch’s different features.
Health- and Activity- Tracking Features
Heart Rate Tracking and On-Demand ECG
Featuring leading-edge sensor technology, the Withings ScanWatch Nova is powered by MultiWave PPG sensors and HealthSenseTM—Withings’ proprietary operating system. This makes the it capable of tracking advanced cardiovascular vitals including heart rate and heart rate variability (HRV).
Additionally, the watch can also perform an on-demand medical-grade electrocardiogram to detect potential heart anomalies at any time such as atrial fibrillation, which is one of the most prevalent forms of arrhythmia, characterized by irregular heart rhythms. Atrial fibrillation is thought to be responsible for around 30% of strokes, and 90% of these events could be prevented if diagnosed earlier. In just 30 seconds, through two built-in electrodes by simply touching the bezel with the hand, users can launch an ECG reading with live-results being displayed on the Withings app.
The watch monitors your heart rate to help you optimize workouts, provides 24/7 heart rate tracking with notifications to let you know if your heart rate is too high or too low, and features overnight heart rate variability monitoring to track health over time.
Blood Oxygen (SpO2) Monitoring
The ScanWatch Nova also features on-demand blood oxygen (SpO2) monitoring, making it capable of measuring peripheral capillary oxygen saturation, an estimate of the amount of oxygen in the blood. This functionality brings you advanced respiratory insights. You can see your blood oxygen levels at any time, plus track overnight breathing disturbances as well as average blood oxygen during sleep.
Body Temperature Tracking
The watch also features 24/7 body temperature tracking, letting you track your baseline body temperature variations throughout the day. This helps you be aware of potential baseline day and night temperature fluctuations, which may indicate the onset of an illness or other health condition, while also boosting your ability to manage performance and recovery via workout temperature variation zones.
This functionality is powered by proprietary TempTech24/7 module technology, for which the watch combines miniaturized heat flux sensors (measuring energy transit) with a high-accuracy temperature sensor (measuring ambient & skin temperature), alongside heart rate and accelerometer input calibrations to deliver a best-in-class body temperature variation assessment.
Monthly Cycle Monitoring
The ScanWatch Nova also features cycle tracking, letting women log cycle phases, period duration, period symptoms, flow and moods over time to create a personalized routine to align with their needs.
Advanced Activity Tracking
What’s more is that the watch also features advanced activity tracking. Not only can it track parameters such as steps, burned calories, elevation, and workout routes (via in-app connected GPS), but it can also automatically recognize more than 40 daily activities such as walking, running, swimming, and cycling.
In addition, it offers Fitness Level assessments through estimation of VO2 Max, which measures the heart and muscle’s ability to convert oxygen into energy during physical exercise.
Sleep Tracking
Last but not least, the watch also features advanced sleep tracking, providing you in-depth sleep analysis. Upon waking up, you can check your Sleep Quality Score, and you can also view a detailed report of your sleep metrics including sleep stages (light, deep), duration, interruptions, and regularity. Plus, you can also get useful advice via the app on how to improve your sleep.
Phenomenal Battery Life
For its power, the ScanWatch Nova uses a high-capacity Lithium-Ion battery that can offer up to 35 days of battery life. This enables users to rely on it for continuous health tracking without frequent recharging.
When it comes to recharging its battery, the watch comes with an USB-C charging cable and supports fast-charging. It takes approximately 2 hours for the watch’s battery to fully charge.
The Withings App
Best of all, users can also connect the watch to the Withings app (available for Android and iOS), which features an elegant and user-friendly interface. It’s worth noting that the Withings app remains one of the cleaner health platforms available today. The app’s interface organizes key health metrics in a clean, straightforward manner without feeling cluttered or aggressively gamified.
Via the Withings app, users can customize the information that’s displayed on the watch’s screen such as heart rate variability, the number of steps they’ve walked, the variation of their baseline body temperature, activities and much more. The app also provides you with personalized insights, trends, and recommendations to help you optimize your health journey.
Users can also can set their notification preferences for their favorite apps directly on the app. A long press on the dial can also launch their preferred feature, while a quick look option enables them to activate the watch display when the user’s wrist is lifted.
The app also supports weight integration with Withings scales. Additionally, it supports Apple Health and Google Health Connect integration, allowing users to combine smartwatch data with broader wellness tracking systems.
How the Withings ScanWatch Nova Compares to Rivals
The biggest competitor to the Withings ScanWatch Nova is arguably the Apple Watch Series lineup. Apple offers far deeper smartwatch functionality, stronger app ecosystems, and better fitness integrations. However, Apple Watches still struggle with battery life and traditional aesthetics. The Withings ScanWatch Nova appeals to an entirely different buyer.
Garmin hybrid watches also compete in this space. Garmin devices generally provide stronger sports tracking and built-in GPS. However, most Garmin hybrids do not match the luxury styling and material quality of the Withings ScanWatch Nova.
Samsung Galaxy Watch models offer strong Android integration and excellent displays, but they feel much more digital and require frequent charging. That said, the closest real competitor may actually be traditional luxury watches. That comparison sounds unusual until you wear the device daily.
The Withings ScanWatch Nova succeeds because it looks appropriate alongside premium mechanical watches while quietly delivering advanced health monitoring behind the scenes. The price reflects that positioning. At roughly $600, the watch sits firmly in premium territory.
For buyers focused purely on fitness metrics, cheaper smartwatches deliver more functionality per dollar. On the other hand, for buyers prioritizing design, health tracking, and battery life together, the equation changes considerably.
Who Should Buy the Withings ScanWatch Nova
The Withings ScanWatch Nova works best for users who dislike conventional smartwatches but still want modern health tracking. It particularly suits executives, consultants, frequent travelers, professionals wearing formal attire, users looking for a hybrid smartwatch with reduced screen distractions, buyers who prioritize battery life, and health-conscious users wanting discreet monitoring. The watch also works extremely well for people transitioning away from full smartwatches.
Many users eventually realize they rarely use advanced smartwatch apps yet still value health insights and notifications. The Withings ScanWatch Nova strips away much of the distraction while preserving the most useful features.
There are still things to consider. Athletes wanting detailed sports analytics may prefer Garmin. Buyers deeply invested in smartwatch apps should choose Apple Watch or Galaxy Watch models instead.
The Withings ScanWatch Nova succeeds because it refuses to chase every smartwatch trend. Instead, it focuses on elegant design, meaningful health tracking, and long-term wearability. That clarity makes it one of the most compelling hybrid smartwatches currently available.
Pricing and Availability
The Withings ScanWatch Nova is available in three stylish color models: Black, Blue, and Green.
If you’re interested in purchasing this next-gen hybrid smartwatch, know each unit goes for $599.95.
You can buy it on Amazon via the link below.
Last update on 2026-10-05 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
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