ScanWatch Nova - a full-fledged smartwatch in classic format

I use the Apple Watch every day, both when I work out and at work. Now I have replaced it with ScanWatch Nova for a couple of weeks to see if it is a worthy replacement. First of all, I'm impressed with how well designed the watch is. Most people I meet think I bought a new regular watch and wonder what brand it is. When I then show the digital display and explain what the watch can do, most people are impressed.

The slightly small and low-resolution screen blends into the watch's other design. By default, it is off until you choose to wake up the screen. All interaction takes place with the crown of the clock, if the sages should be in the way, the pointers move on temporarily. Here you can access tons of features such as number of steps, heart rate, calories, or start a workout. You can also customize all the functions yourself in the Withings app.

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The well-designed package includes a steel bracelet that you can change by pulling on a small spike on the back. It is not easy to change the bracelet, but in the end you get the cut. You also get a kit to customize the length of your steel bracelet yourself.

When buying the watch, you can add more bracelets for an additional cost. There are bracelets in leather, reused P.E.T, fabric and rubber and in scores of colors. The watch itself comes in either black, green or blue dial.

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Quantities of measuring instruments

ScanWatch Nova is one of Withings's most advanced watches and can measure:

• Active minutes, steps

• Sleep Quality Score

• Exercise heart rate zones

• Exercises for cardiac coherence

• Height

• 24/7 temperature tracking

• Baseline variation of temperature day and night

• Temperature zones during exercise

• Temperature zones when you are awake

• Recovery temperature after exercise*

• Average heart rate

• High/Low Heart Rate Notifications

• Atrial fibrillation (via ECG recording)

• Notifications of irregular heart rhythm*

• Nocturnal HRV

• Acid level in the blood

• Detection of respiratory disorders

• Respiratory rate

• Tracking the menstrual cycle

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As you can see, it can be quite a lot to keep track of and it can be difficult to know where to start. In the Withings app, you will therefore get a simple and good review of the watch to understand all the functions that run for a couple of days when you start using your watch.

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The Withings app

In your app you will have access to all measurements and functions, this is where everything happens. The watch becomes more like a piece of jewelry and the app is where you actually partake of everything and learn more about your body and your values. Withings has put a lot of time into making sure that you as a user understand you on all the features through different types of walkthroughs and a solid onboarding.

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Easy installation

The mating process is really simple. Even your least technical friend could do it. The clock is automatically detected and you don't have to fuss with a lot of BT settings. Next, the app goes through the functions of the watch in an educational way divided into different sections to know easily what one has read and not.

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The app consists of three tabs, Home, Measure and Achieve. Under Home you will find your latest measurements and your reminders for different prompts. Under Measure you will find your measurements from the last week compiled and under Achieve you will find programs that you can sign up for, as well as some recipes, articles and workouts.

Most programs are under Withing+, a premium service that costs SEK 1,295 per year or SEK 129 per month. This subscription includes the “Helth Improvement Scoore” to help you keep better track of your health over time, daily challenges and exclusive content, as well as advanced health insights to help you understand how your data and actions impact each other.

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Impressive battery life

For those who are used to charging your smartwatch once a day, ScanWatch Nova is a delight. The watch's battery should last for 30 days, however we haven't had the watch long enough to answer if this is true. After a week of use, our battery is still at 100% so it will be exciting to see how it will go. Of course, it depends on how active you are with your watch. In the package you get a USB charger with a special mount that you insert the watch into to keep it in place.

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Detect heart problems at any time with precision ECG

ScanWatch Nova is equipped with a function to perform an electrocardiogram (ECG) on demand, allowing users to monitor their heart health. By using Withings Scan Monitor the watch can detect potential heart anomalies in 30 seconds. The function provides security for those who want to keep an eye on their cardiovascular health and thus be able to act in case of abnormalities.

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Monitor your respiratory health and measure blood oxygen saturation

This is crucial in assessing how well your respiratory function is working. ScanWatch Nova can measure your oxygen saturation and also helps monitor breathing disorders during the night. You can also monitor your average oxygen saturation during sleep, which gives a clear picture of your respiratory health.

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Get personal advice for better sleep

You can easily track your sleep quality and gain insights on how to improve it. The watch gives you a daily Sleep Quality Score based on your sleep cycle, deep sleep and breathing patterns during the night. Using this data, you can get personalized advice on how to achieve a more restful sleep.

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Activity Monitoring — Take Your Workout to the Next Level

For those who are active, ScanWatch Nova offers physical activity tracking. With over 40 recognized activities, you can follow every movement and analyze your performance based on heart rate, VO2 max estimation and heart rate zones. You choose which workout types you want to be available in the watch in the app.

We have had some problems with the automatic recognition of activity. The clock thinks I'm out riding my bike every time I'm out walking. We haven't been able to get this done and it seems to be a known problem that's been around for a while with other Withings watches. It will be time to contact support and see if it can be fixed.

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If you get sick

Since the watch can measure your body temperature, it should be able to detect if you are about to get sick. I myself have not been there during the test period so I have not been able to determine if this works. Then I think you can feel it anyway, so I don't know what this feature is supposed to contribute.

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Export your data to your phone's health app

You can of course pair your data with your phone to collect all your data in e.g. Apple Health if you're an iPhone user.

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In conclusion

Withings has undoubtedly developed a product that I think appeals to a large target audience, for those who want to combine a stylish and analog look with hidden and advanced health features, this is definitely an interesting product. Personally, I can find it difficult to understand what to do with all the data. After all, it is not until I actually change my habits that this product creates a greater value, it becomes the challenge itself.