Withings ScanWatch 2 Review ⭐

Yesterday, it occurred to me to charge my Withings ScanWatch 2, but with over 30 percent battery life remaining, it didn't really need it. And that's one of my favorite things about this hybrid smartwatch: It runs for two to three weeks on a charge, and this was only the third time I've charged the device since I got it in early September.

At-a-glance
Pros

✔️ Two to three weeks of battery life

✔️ Handsome and minimalist analog watch design

✔️ Tracks every important health and fitness metric

✔️ Tracks activities automatically, unlike Apple Watch

✔️ Never annoys with superfluous notifications

✔️ At-a-glance and health/fitness notifications if you want that

Cons

❌ None

Best purchase ever? It's on the list, that's for sure. As I discussed in Watch Out ⭐, my Apple Watch--like my Pixel Watch--was too complicated and it interrupted me regularly with notifications I didn't want and couldn't figure out how to disable, and it only lasted a day on a charge. I had had enough.

But I had been thinking about going back to a less capable but also less annoying fitness wearable because such a thing is closer to my needs. But then it occurred to me that there's another class of wearable that maps even more closely to my needs. And that was good timing, because I might have otherwise been tempted by the Fitbit Edge that Google just announced.

I'm glad that didn't happen. Fitbit is still part of the Google empire, and though this Big Tech product will work with both Android and the iPhone, ecosystem lock-in is only part of the problem. Fitbit is too annoying as it is--among other things, you can't even disable its horrible sleep tracking functionality--and I'm always leaning towards more customer-centric Little Tech solutions when possible these days. The Fitbit Edge gets less than a week of battery life at best. And, perhaps most important, the Fitbit Edge isn't minimalist enough. It still does too much and more than I need or want.

The Withings Scanwatch 2 may not be the only wearable that more closely aligns with all my needs, but it does so effectively and I love it. The goal here was to get a wearable that still did all the important health and fitness tracking one expects from a modern device that has the simplest possible display, ideally as analog as possible, doesn't interrupt me ever, if possible, and works for weeks on a charge. And that is precisely what the Scanwatch 2 does.

The Scanwatch 2 looks and (mostly) works like an analog clock with a round face, and several people, not knowing any better, saw it and then complimenting me for not having a smart watch. But there are smart watch features hiding in there. Inside the round watch face, there are two smaller circular cutouts. One is a tiny black and white screen that provides a selection of live updates. And the other is a clock-like analog activity dial with a single hand that displays how far along you are to accomplishing your goals each...