Withings ScanWatch Review: 30-Day Battery in a Classic Form

The Withings ScanWatch is the anti-smartwatch. It looks like a normal analog watch, has a 30-day battery life, and includes medical-grade ECG, SpO2, sleep tracking, and heart rate monitoring hidden inside a classic watch case. For longevity users who hate daily charging and don't want a screen full of notifications, it's the unique option in the wearable market — nobody else offers anything quite like it.

This review covers the ScanWatch's hybrid design, its ECG and SpO2 performance, the 30-day battery claim, and when the lighter, cheaper ScanWatch Light variant makes sense instead.

Our verdict at a glance

The Withings ScanWatch is the best longevity wearable for people who hate smartwatches. The 30-day battery is genuinely transformative (we charged it roughly monthly), the hybrid analog design is understated and classic, and the medical-grade ECG and SpO2 tracking are competitive with Apple Watch and Fitbit. The trade-offs: there's no real smartwatch functionality (no apps, no notifications beyond basic, no touchscreen), workout modes are limited, and the small PMOLED screen only shows minimal data. For the right buyer, those are features, not bugs.

Design: a real watch with hidden smarts

The ScanWatch looks like a normal watch. There's an analog dial with traditional hour and minute hands, a small PMOLED screen at the bottom (or top, depending on the model) that lights up on demand, and a physical crown button. From across the room, nobody would guess this is a smartwatch.

The case is stainless steel with a domed sapphire glass — premium materials that match the $280-330 price tag. Available in 37mm, 40mm, 42mm, and 43mm sizes (depending on the model variant), it works for most wrist sizes. The included silicone sport band is comfortable for 24/7 wear, and Withings sells leather, steel, and fabric bands separately if you want to dress it up.

The PMOLED screen is small but surprisingly readable. It shows time, date, heart rate, step count, and notifications when needed. It's not for browsing — it's for quick glances. The analog hands are always visible, even when the digital screen is off, so you can read the time the traditional way.

Medical-grade ECG

The ScanWatch includes a medical-grade ECG with regulatory clearance in the EU, UK, and (for some ScanWatch models) the US. You trigger an ECG reading by tapping the watch face and placing two fingers on the bezel for 30 seconds. The watch records a lead-I ECG and analyzes it for atrial fibrillation.

In practice, the ScanWatch ECG works similarly to the Apple Watch and Fitbit Sense 2 ECGs. The main difference is regulatory: depending on where you live, the ScanWatch ECG may or may not be cleared for use. Check Withings' website for current regulatory clearance in your country before buying if ECG is a primary reason for purchase.

The ScanWatch also includes the typical high/low heart rate notifications, which passively monitor for unusually high or low heart rates — useful for catching asymptomatic arrhythmias.

SpO2 and breathing disturbances

The ScanWatch measures blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) on demand and during sleep. The sleep tracking includes a "breathing disturbances" metric that uses overnight SpO2 patterns to flag potential sleep apnea. Withings doesn't (yet) offer FDA-cleared sleep apnea notifications like Apple Watch, but the breathing disturbance data is informative for users who suspect apnea and want a screening tool.

For users at altitude or with respiratory conditions, the on-demand SpO2 readings are convenient — you can check your oxygen saturation anytime without pulling out a separate pulse oximeter. Readings take about 30 seconds and are reasonably accurate (within 1-2% of a finger pulse oximeter in our testing).

Sleep tracking from a hybrid watch

Sleep tracking on the ScanWatch is good but not best-in-class. It tracks sleep stages (light, deep, REM, awake) using heart rate, movement, and SpO2 data. The sleep score in the Withings app (0-100) is comparable to Fitbit's, and the app provides useful trend data.

The ScanWatch's main sleep advantage is comfort. Because it's a real analog watch, it's lighter and lower-profile than a full smartwatch. Many users find it more comfortable for overnight wear than an Apple Watch, even if the sleep data itself isn't quite as detailed.

One note: the ScanWatch doesn't track HRV as a primary metric. If HRV is your main interest, Oura or Whoop is a better choice. The ScanWatch is more focused on heart rate, SpO2, sleep, and activity.

30-day battery: does it hold up?

Withings promises 30 days of battery life on a single charge. In our testing, we got 25-30 days depending on use — closer to 25 days when we used the ECG and SpO2 features daily, closer to 30 days with lighter use. That's a transformative difference from the Apple Watch's daily charging or even the Oura's weekly charging.

The practical impact: you charge the ScanWatch roughly once a month, and you stop thinking about battery at all. We made a habit of charging it on the first of every month while showering — by the time we were dressed, it was charged. The charging cable is magnetic and works smoothly.

One quirk: the ScanWatch uses a coin-cell-style battery chemistry that degrades over time. Withings estimates 3-5 years of typical use before the battery needs replacement (which requires sending the watch in). This is longer than Oura's 2-3 year estimate but shorter than a traditional watch's lifetime.

When the ScanWatch Light makes sense

The ScanWatch Light is a cheaper ($250-280), lighter variant of the ScanWatch. It drops the ECG feature but keeps heart rate, SpO2, sleep tracking, and the 30-day battery. It's available in smaller sizes (37mm and 40mm only) and is designed for users with smaller wrists or who don't need ECG.

The ScanWatch Light makes sense if:

• You have smaller wrists and find the 42mm+ ScanWatch too big.
• You don't care about ECG and would rather save $30-50.
• You want the lightest possible hybrid watch for 24/7 wear.

It doesn't make sense if:

• ECG is important to you (you have a family history of AFib, for example).
• You want the larger 42mm or 43mm size options.
• The $30-50 savings isn't meaningful to you — get the full ScanWatch.

ScanWatch vs ScanWatch Light vs Oura

How to choose: ScanWatch vs alternatives

Choose Withings ScanWatch if:

• You hate daily charging and want months between charges.
• You want a hybrid analog design that looks like a real watch.
• You want ECG, SpO2, and sleep tracking without a smartwatch.
• You want a watch that's discreet and professional-looking.

Choose Oura Ring 4 instead if:

• You primarily care about sleep, HRV, and recovery scoring.
• You want the most comfortable 24/7 wearable form factor.
• You don't want a watch at all (already have one you love).

Choose Apple Watch Ultra 2 instead if:

• You want a full smartwatch with apps, notifications, and cellular.
• You need the most accurate wrist HR and GPS during exercise.
• You want fall and crash detection.

The bottom line

The Withings ScanWatch is the best longevity wearable for people who want health tracking without the smartwatch experience. The 30-day battery is genuinely transformative, the medical-grade ECG and SpO2 are competitive with Apple Watch and Fitbit, and the hybrid analog design is discreet and classic. If you've ever been turned off by the "another screen on my wrist" aspect of Apple Watch, the ScanWatch is the answer.

If you have smaller wrists or don't need ECG, the ScanWatch Light is the same watch in a lighter, smaller form factor for $30-50 less. Either way, this is the longest-lasting health-tracking wearable on the market in 2026.

For more context, see our best longevity wearables comparison, our Oura Ring 4 review, and our Fitbit Sense 2 review. For sleep-focused users, our sleep optimization guide covers how to use wearable sleep data to actually improve sleep. For the broader picture of how wearables fit into longevity, see our guide to lowering biological age.