Shootouts

Shootout: The best hybrid smartwatch that doesn’t look like a pocket calculator

By Alvin Soon - 18 Dec 2017

Withings Steel HR

Withings Steel HR

Activity tracking

Steps, calories, activities, distance, sleep

Notifications Call, text, alarm, calendar
Case sizes 36mm, 40mm
Water resistance 5ATM
Battery type Rechargeable
Weight 39g (36mm), 49g (40mm)
Price US$179.95 (36mm), US$199.95 (40mm)

Editor’s note: Since this review was written, Nokia has bought Withings, and this smartwatch is now known as the Nokia Steel HR.

The Withings Steel HR is the hybrid smartwatch I wanted to like the most. In theory, it checks a lot of the right boxes, but dig deeper and problems surface. The first obvious problem is that the classy watch face comes with anorexic watch hands, which are difficult to make out and impossible to read in the dark (I wore the black version with silver hands).

Setup was iffy; I had to reboot my iPhone 7’s Bluetooth connection to pair, and performed a factory reset when my notifications refused to vibrate. The vibrations are also weak and easy to miss. I was disappointed that the watch doesn’t automatically update the time when I switched time zones, it only did so after I launched the Withings app.

The Withings app is well designed, and collaborates with the rest of Withings’ products.

The Steel HR’s optical heart rate monitor is erratic; when resting it’d sometimes show a similar reading to my Apple Watch Series 2 (which has a good reputation for tracking heart rate), but when it came to working out, the Steel HR was slow to update or just outright wrong. After one high-intensity bout with a kettlebell, my Apple Watch showed that my heart rate rocketed to 140bpm, while the Steel HR still had my heart rate at 80bpm.

Now, the monochromatic digital screen is easily the watch’s best feature. Tap the right dial to scroll through the various displays, like date, time, and the number of steps taken. It lights up in the dark too.

The digital display can cleverly tell you who’s calling or messaging.

Unlike the other hybrids, you can actually read what you’re being notified for — like a message or a call — and the screen displays the caller’s name or number. Plus, it’s the only hybrid to properly keep buzzing as long as the phone is ringing. Unfortunately, the Steel HR’s notifications range is weak; it can only notify you for calls, SMS and events.

The Steel HR’s battery life isn't as long as the other hybrids’, but that’s because it uses a rechargeable battery, which I prefer since you don't have to replace the battery. At up to 25 days and an additional 20 days after that in power saving mode, it still lasts far longer than a full-on smartwatch. Using the magnetic charger is a frustrating experience, however, it’s hard to align it properly to the watch.

I wanted to love the Withings Steel HR. After using it though, I can only say that I kind of like it — the watch has a lot going for it, but falls short when it comes to the execution.

Like

+  Elegantly designed

+ Digital screen is brilliant

+  Rechargeable battery

Don’t like

-  Difficult to tell the time

-  Lack of smart notifications

-  Heart-rate tracking is unreliable

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