Withings’ ScanWatch 2 Offers Enhanced Health Monitoring with Body Temperature Sensor
If you’re not interested in a smartwatch but still want a smart watch, Withings is likely the top choice for you. Over the past ten years, the company has been creating elegant hybrids that closely resemble traditional Swiss watches, fooling those who aren’t familiar with them. Now, three years after introducing the ScanWatch, Withings is unveiling its successor, the ScanWatch 2. Additionally, they are also introducing the ScanWatch Light, a more affordable version that doesn’t offer much to be excited about.
ScanWatch 2 is the most iterative of the updates, with a new temperature sensor that can detect early signs of infection. Other sensors have been improved for better accuracy and better power, but that’s all about the hardware. The only other change is that people can track their menstrual cycle by entering the data into their wrist. After a few months it starts to provide predictions, but surprisingly this doesn’t work in conjunction with temperature monitoring.
At first glance, it doesn’t seem like much has changed in the design of the case or the face, here are the same options as in the first generation. It has a 38mm or 42mm body with a thick or thin bezel and lugs attached to the black or white surface of the steel frames. There is a choice of stone or navy blue face and band combination with rose gold variations, as before. It’s a shame we didn’t get the Horizon version – which puts the same internals in a diver’s watch case – at the same time, but I’m sure it will come next year.
In Withings’ defense, there isn’t much to add to the ScanWatch that it didn’t already have. A few years ago I explained that the laws of physics and biology can only track so much data from the wrist. As much as I could curse the ScanWatch 2 for the lack of new features, it’s not Withings’ fault that it did such a good job last time. Let’s not forget its stylish analog and digital subdials, the depth and quality of its tracking, and its 30-day battery life. Not to mention Health Mate, which remains the leading fitness tracking platform in its class.
The focus on period tracking raises concerns for users living in a post-Roe US where this information can be weaponized. Withings told ReturnByte that its customer data is stored with a French service provider subject to EU law. Backups of its consumer data are stored in Google Cloud, but these backups are encrypted, and Withings is the only entity that can decrypt them. However, this may not be enough to prevent the mandatory release of information about a US citizen through the CLOUD Act.
The ScanWatch Light, on the other hand, is a ScanWatch stripped of many of the existing bells and whistles. Basic activity, sleep, and heart rate tracking are there, but EKG, SpO2, and temperature tracking tools disappear. The hardware has also been reduced, with the Sapphire Glass crystal replaced by Gorilla Glass and a less accurate accelerometer. Given their prices, it’s probably better to look for a discounted first-gen ScanWatch if you can. To me, this screams of an attempt to offer a cheaper model that makes its more expensive sibling look good.
Both ScanWatch 2 and ScanWatch Light are available for pre-order starting today, with shipping expected to begin in October. Prices for the ScanWatch 2 start at $349.95 for the 38mm model, while the smaller ScanWatch Light is priced at $249.95.
