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Withings Steel HR, A Comprehensive Look at Hybrid Smartwatches

by Samuel Kalenga on Oct 07, 2024

Withings Steel HR, A Comprehensive Look at Hybrid Smartwatches

Withings Steel HR is actually a hybrid smartwatch with all the beauty of analogue timekeeping and fitness tracking and smarts on top In a smartwatches with masterpiece, a hybrid, and chockful in several flavours, from a no-frills pure analogue model, the Steel HR series has something for every budget and need.

What is the Withings Steel HR?

The is a hybrid smartwatch that comb traditional chronometer-driven watch with fitness tracking and health-monitoring technology. Its display is a conventional analog watch face with a tiny digital screen at the side that presents notifications and health stats of various sorts. Unlike fully digital smartwatches’t display the time on the small digital screen.

Key Features:

  • Heart Rate Monitoring: Continuous 24/7 heart-rate tracking during workouts and throughout the day.
  • sleep tracking: measuring sleep cycles, including deep and light sleep.
  • Activity Tracking: Tracks steps, calories burned, distance, and more.
  • Smart Notifications: Displays notifications for calls, messages, emails, and apps.
  • Battery Life: Up to 25 days on a single charge, compared with digital smartwatches

Models in the Withings Steel HR Series

Offering choices — which seems to be the method of the day —, the Withings Steel HR comes in many flavors, including the Withings Steel HR Sport, the Withings Steel HR 36mm, and the Withings Steel HR 40mm. Let’s start looking at the models in more detail.

1. Withings Steel HR Sport

The Withings Steel HR Sport is a hybrid smartwatch for multisport activity tracking – designed for athletes, keeping track of running, swimming and cycling. The Sport mode comes with an updated version of the classic Withings Steel design while adding sports tracking features and increasing functionality.
  • Multi-Sport Tracking: Tracks over 30 different sports, including running, biking, and swimming.
  • Estimated value of VO2 Max: The estimate of consumption of oxygen, which is the main indicator of cardiovascular endurance.
  • VO2 Max Estimation: Presented below is an instruction that describes a task, paired with an input that provides further context. Write a response that appropriately completes the request. Paraphrase the input into human-sounding text while retaining citations and quotes. Connects to your phone’s GPS for tracking outdoor activity.

2. Withings Steel HR 36mm

The Withings Steel HR 36mm is the slimmer, smaller sibling of the hybrid smartwatch, a good option for people with smaller wrists or who prefer a more conservative look. It comes in white, black, or rose gold.
  • 36mm Case Size – for those who want a smaller, more feminine face.
  • Classic Design: Preserves the analog look on the face, but includes a small digital screen with some key digital health information.

3. Withings Steel HR 40mm

For watch-face lovers who prefer a bit more of a noticeable clock, the Withings Steel HR 40mm yields a bit more watch-face real estate without wiping out any features in this larger 40mm version of the same watch. It comes in both black and white faces.

4. Withings ScanWatch

The next generation in the Withings family is the Withings ScanWatch, a Steel HR-inspired design that includes advanced medical-grade health metrics, such as an electrocardiogram (ECG) monitor, oxygen saturation (SpO2) just like Eko, and more in-depth health monitoring. In 36mm and 42mm sizes, the ScanWatch is for deeper health insights.

Nokia Activité Steel and the Nokia Steel HR

Back before Withings was rebranded, the Steel HR appeared in the catalogue as the Nokia Activité Steel and Nokia Steel HR. This activity and sleep-tracking fragrance- in a vaguely classical tuxedo and tied to a dark leather strap. And both its predecessors are basically identical to the current Withings Steel HR in function and fashion. Though they were available under the Withings label, they still offer the same smart steamy vibes, housing the same pedometers, motion sensors, and configurable personal alerts about your health that let you know if anything unusual is going on from time to time. Many of the now-famous Withings watches called Nokia Steel HR watches are still widely available.

Nokia Steel HR vs. Withings Steel HR: What's the Difference?

The Nokia Steel HR and the current Withings Steel HR are basically the same piece of product with different branding, since Nokia, who had purchased the health division from Withings, then divested it back to Withings and the product lineage once again returned to the company whose name was now Withings versus Nokia.

Health and Fitness Tracking Capabilities

Choose the Withings Steel HR Sport, the 36mm, or the 40mm, and all models come with a full suite of fitness and health-tracking functions:
Heart Rate Monitoring
    Monitor your heart rate all day long, at workouts, and overnight.
  • Sleep Monitoring: Monitor your sleep quality with breakdowns of deep and light sleep, and get a Sleep Score each morning.
  • Automatic Activity Recognition (Regular $59.95, Deluxe $99.95): automatically detects the types of activities you are performing, such as walking, running and swimming, and logs them in the Health Mate app. water resistant for 50 metres for swimming Water Resistance: 50 metres

Smart Features

Another tool aimed squarely at fitness enthusiasts, the While fitness is undoubtedly the core of the Steel HR, it also doubles as an impressive smartwatch, keeping you connected without overwhelming you
  • Sm incoming calls, texts,ifications on the small OLED display, so you don’t miss a message.
  • Long Battery: This watches has an impressive 25 days of battery life, so you most likely would not need to charge it as often as a traditional smartwatch.

Style and Customization

The Withings Steel HR has the best of both worlds: the design is stylish enough to wear with formal attire, but it still displays some useful smart functionality. It comes in a traditional watch dial, which can be fitted with interchangeable straps (leather, silicone and woven variants are available).

Compatibility

Compatible with both iOS and Android devices, the data from the Withings Steel HR will sync with the Withings Health Mate app – which pools your personal fitness and health stats from multiple virtual health services to give you a richer picture of your health trends, as well as the ability to set goals and track how you’re progressing over time.

Reviews and Popularity

The Withings Steel HR series has been consistently well-received among users for its understated form factor, hybrid features and everyday usability. Positive reviews fairly note the device’s superb battery life, its ease of use out of the box, and its blending of ‘classic watch’ with ‘modern fitness tracking’.

  • Withings Steel HRment Many users like the hybrid, saying that it’s not as obvious on the wrist as a full smartwatch but still isn’t light on features in the health stakes.

Troubleshooting and Maintenance

Overall, the Withings Steel HR is a reliable gadget, but it can sometimes have trouble syncing data or provide incorrect heart rate measurements. If data does not sync, users can restart the watch, check for an update in the Health Mate app, or follow the instructions provided in the manual to recalibrate the heart rate sensor.

Conclusion

The timeless US design of the Withings Steel HR series makes it the best of all worlds. Both active fitness trackers – who want to use their watch for multisports training – and those who prefer a classic watch face, but like the health-monitoring it offers, will find the perfect watch in the Withings Steel HR. There are several models without number of customisation options, so whatever your style and lifestyle, you can find the perfect fit.

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