I Nearly Replaced My Apple Watch With This Swanky, Luxe Hybrid Watch - CNET

A smartwatch is much than a computerized clip tracker, and the best versions excel astatine 3 tasks. They show assorted wellness data, look charismatic connected your wrist and supply bid of caput erstwhile you're distant from your phone. But not each smartwatches are the same: Some are amended telephone alternatives, portion others person a much stylish, watch-like appearance. That's the main favoritism betwixt hybrid smartwatches similar the Withings ScanWatch Horizon, which I reviewed, and accepted smartwatches (like the Apple Watch).

Traditional smartwatches bash a small spot of everything. They're comparatively chic, person plentifulness of wellness and enactment tracking functionality, and are packed with phone-like features specified arsenic NFC for mobile payments and a talker and microphone for taking calls. The Apple Watch, Samsung Galaxy Watch 4, Fitbit Sense and Pixel Watch autumn into this category.

But hybrid watches usually harvester the qualities of analog timepieces and smartwatches, arsenic the sanction implies. They thin to look much similar regular watches with accepted faces that person carnal hands for the hr and minutes alternatively of integer numbers. Hybrid watches don't person arsenic galore "smart" features, but they typically past longer connected a azygous complaint and battalion plentifulness of health-tracking options. 

I similar accepted smartwatches and usually deterioration an Apple Watch. But spending a mates of weeks with the $500 Withings ScanWatch Horizon reminded maine wherefore hybrid smartwatches tin beryllium appealing -- and besides however they autumn abbreviated compared with general-purpose smartwatches.

Read more: Google Pixel Watch: What We Know (and Don't) So Far

Tethered to my phone

I felt much reliant connected my telephone erstwhile switching from the Apple Watch to the ScanWatch Horizon. Withings' hybrid ticker tin amusement notifications (like calls, texts and app alerts), and you tin besides usage the ticker to acceptable timers and alarms. 

But adjacent these basal tasks are easier to execute connected accepted watches. Since the ScanWatch Horizon lone has a tiny circular surface that occupies a fraction of the watch's face, it's not perfect for speechmaking afloat notifications. As I wrote successful my review, the ScanWatch Horizon's deficiency of a interaction surface and dependable controls besides made it little convenient to acceptable times and alarms from my wrist.

It's overmuch easier to work notifications and respond to texts connected the Apple Watch. The Series 7 (pictured) has a larger surface with a QWERTY keyboard. 

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

If you privation a smartwatch that tin instrumentality immoderate of the load disconnected your phone erstwhile it comes to mundane tasks, the ScanWatch astir apt isn't it. Think of the ScanWatch Horizon arsenic a ticker archetypal and a smartwatch second. Even though I don't person my Apple Watch connected to my information plan, it's inactive a utile surrogate for my phone. I don't person to instrumentality my telephone retired of my pouch for tasks similar replying to substance messages, browsing quality headlines portion I'm waiting for the elevator oregon checking retired astatine the currency registry astatine my section Rite Aid.

That's not the lawsuit with the ScanWatch Horizon. I grabbed my telephone astir instantly whenever I felt the buzz of a notification. The ScanWatch Horizon feels much similar a manner accessory with built-in wellness tracking. I loved the mode it looked connected my wrist, but didn't find myself utilizing the surface for overmuch different than to cheque the clip oregon commencement a workout. Most of my engagement happens wrong the Withings HealthMate app, which provides a breakdown of bodily metrics and activity. 

Read more: How the Apple Watch Can Become an Even Better Fitness Tracker

The ScanWatch Horizon is much constricted than the Apple Watch erstwhile it comes to mimicking your phone's functionality, but it has a antithetic advantage. With its stainless-steel casing, rotating laser-engraved bezel and analog ticker face, the ScanWatch Horizon is 1 of the astir elegant smartwatches you'll find. 

Amazing artillery life

The Apple Watch whitethorn person much smarts, but it can't travel adjacent to the ScanWatch Horizon's artillery life. Withings claims the ScanWatch Horizon tin past for 30 days connected a azygous charge, acold outlasting modular smartwatches. In my experience, the ScanWatch Horizon's artillery depleted to 35% aft a small much than a week. I haven't spent agelong capable with it to spot if it lives up to Withings' 30-day claim, but that's awesome nonetheless. 

I usually complaint my Apple Watch nightly, but Withings says the ScanWatch Horizon tin past for 30 days connected a azygous charge. 

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

The Apple Watch Series 7, connected the different hand, usually lasts for 1 to 2 days connected a azygous charge. But that's besides due to the fact that the Apple Watch has a batch much exertion built into it. The OLED colour touchscreen unsocial has a immense interaction connected the artillery compared with the ScanWatch Horizon's tiny display. Some different wearables similar the Garmin Venu 2 Plus that besides usage OLED displays tin past up to 9 days. It is imaginable to get much artillery beingness retired of today's smartwatches without sacrificing a agleam colour display.

Both watches spell heavy connected health, but person antithetic strengths

The location surface connected Withings' Health Mate app. I admit that Withings offers overmuch much slumber information than the Apple Watch.

Screenshot by Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

If there's 1 country wherever neither ticker compromises, it's wellness tracking. The ScanWatch Horizon and Apple Watch Series 7 tin some measurement each of the hallmark wellness metrics recovered connected high-end smartwatches. That includes electrocardiogram (EKG oregon ECG) measurements -- some watches person Food and Drug Administration clearance for this diagnostic -- on with wide bosom complaint data, enactment and exercise, slumber and humor oxygen saturation levels. Withings' humor oxygen diagnostic besides has FDA clearance, dissimilar Apple's. 

Even though they stock galore similarities erstwhile it comes to wellness tracking, the smartwatches person their ain strengths. Withings, for example, has much slumber information to offer. You tin spot a breakdown of however overmuch clip you spent successful airy oregon heavy sleep, sleeping bosom complaint and breathing disturbances, akin to the Apple Watch. Beyond that, Withings besides issues a slumber people that assesses the prime of your sleep, akin to products from Fitbit, Oura and Amazon. 

The Apple Watch shows slumber duration, clip spent successful furniture and sleeping respiratory rate. When WatchOS 9 launches this fall, it volition besides amusement slumber stages, which addresses 1 of the Apple Watch's large shortcomings compared to different slumber trackers. That accusation is utile too, but having entree to a slumber people helps maine recognize wherefore I mightiness beryllium feeling bushed oregon energetic successful the morning. It besides motivates maine to deed the sack earlier than accustomed if my slumber people hasn't been precise precocious lately. 

The Apple Watch's plan gives it an vantage implicit the Withings ScanWatch Horizon successful a fewer different areas. It's smaller and lighter, which makes the Apple Watch overmuch much comfy to deterioration during workouts and to slumber (although I usually complaint my Apple Watch overnight instead). Plus, the Apple Watch has built-in GPS for tracking outdoor runs, portion the ScanWatch Horizon indispensable trust connected your phone's GPS. The Apple Watch is besides much effectual astatine encouraging maine to enactment progressive passim the time since I tin customize the show to amusement my Activity Rings. 

The bottommost line

The Withings ScanWatch Horizon (pictured) is an elegant ticker and fittingness tracker successful 1 device. But I similar accepted smartwatches similar the Apple Watch that bash a amended occupation of separating maine from my phone.

Lisa Eadicicco/CNET

The Withings ScanWatch Horizon inherits immoderate of the biggest advantages of analog watches: a classy plan and a artillery that doesn't request to beryllium charged nightly. It's besides a top-notch fittingness tracker that doesn't necessitate a subscription to unlock deeper insights similar devices from Fitbit and Oura do. 

That said, it hasn't convinced maine to stray from much accepted smartwatches similar the Apple Watch. I worth the convenience of being capable to verbally inquire my ticker to commencement a workout, oregon respond to texts from my wrist, much than having the best-looking watch. I mightiness person appreciated the ScanWatch Horizon's distinguished plan much backmost successful 2013 erstwhile smartwatches inactive looked similar this. Now that smartwatches person gotten smaller and lighter and they're much common, they don't look retired of spot connected your wrist astatine weddings and meal parties. 

The ScanWatch Horizon is perfect for those who privation some a classical ticker and a fittingness tracker successful 1 device. I could spot wherefore immoderate mightiness similar the ScanWatch Horizon's simplicity, since it means the ticker itself is little distracting. But the Apple Watch does a amended occupation of freeing you from your phone, and that matters much to me.