Be smart but not too obvious like an Apple Watch. With the Withings Steel HR, you can wear a smartwatch where it is sometimes not appropriate, as some businesses. This amazing smartwatch looks like a regular watch, but it will track a lot of personal information which is shown in a clear, good working application. Let’s find out more how this (former Nokia Health) smartwatch is performing, and why I can not go without!
Introduction & Specifications
While being on vacation in South East Asia, I was looking for a new smartwatch that had all the basic features, like steps, calories, activities, sleep, and heart rate. Also, the battery must last longer than a week. After searching long and heard, I ended up with the classic looking Withings Steel HR, which I immediately ordered. Looking at the specifications, they are just what I’m looking for! I couldn’t be happier with it and I haven’t taken it off since I’m back from holiday, only to charge it. What do you think of the specifications?
Specifications | |
---|---|
Brand: | Withings |
Model: | Steel HR |
Compatibility: | iOS10+, Android 6.0+ |
Bluetooth: | Bluetooth Low Energy needed |
Water Resistants: | 165 feet, 50m, 5ATM |
Operating Temperature: | -10°C to 45°C (14°F to 113°) |
Storage Temperature: | -20°C to 85°C (4°F to 185°) |
Alarm: | Slight vibration |
Sensors: | Heart rate, Day & Night motion, MEMS 3-axis accelerometer |
Battery (normale use): | Up to 25 days |
Battery (workout mode): | Up to 5 days |
Battery (power reserve mode): | +20 days (time and activity tracking only) |
Dimensions and weight (36mm): | 36.3mm diameter (1.4’’), 13mm thickness (0.51’’), 18mm wristband width (0.71’’), 39g (watch only) |
Dimensions and weight (40mm): | 39.5mm diameter (1.6’’), 13mm thickness (0.51’’), 20mm wristband width (0.79’’), 49g (watch only) |
Hardware & Design
Classical looking, all the features I look for in a smartwatch, long battery life? This might be the perfect smartwatch, right? The materials used are premium and feel solid and durable. The button presses easily, but not unwanted. The back, with the heart rate sensor, does not irritate my skin at all. Also, the sport band, the leather band, or a metal band from AliExpress are all working perfectly fine and they do not irritate the skin at all.
I really like the different design Withings picked for the Withings Steel HR. Instead of one big display (that uses way more battery), there is a smaller circle display on top which shows the data, once you press the button or there is a message coming in. This way the battery life is extended tremendously and it looks like a normal watch. Very impressed by the materials, the design, and the usability of the Withings Steel HR.
Go fully hybrid with the Withings Steel HR! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS!
Battery
If I have a smartwatch, I want to keep it on at night to track and measure my sleep. To be able to do this, the battery must last at least 2 days, right? Well, you are covered with the Withings Steel HR. This smartwatch has an amazing battery life. You can get up to 30+ days of battery life out of a single charge (depending on the usage).
I usually get around 14 to 20 days of battery life, with regular activities and 24-hour heart rate monitoring turned on. I’m very happy with this score and do not want to go back to a smartwatch that I have to charge every single night.
Bands
Just like other, “old school”, watches, you can easily change the bands on it to make it suite you even better. I bought mine on sale where I got the sport band and the leather band with it. In this case, you can easily change the strap while doing a work-out and change it back when you are done and ready for work again.
There are multiple straps available, like a metal chain band, Milanese loop or different color leather or sports bands. This way you can make it personal and it is fun to change around. It is like you have a different watch every other band.
Display/Time/Progress
On the watch face, you can see more than just the time. Since this is a smartwatch, you can see your message and notifications, heart rate, steps, calories, and other information on the top inner display. The lower inner display is showing you the progress of your step goal for the day. This way you can see if you need to walk a bit more to reach your daily set goal. The watch itself shows the time, of course.
This way, Withings remained the classic look of a watch, but still managed to get way more information in it. First I thought that the top display might be too small to read the actual messages, but that is not the case at all. I really like the design and look of this watch as not everybody notices that it is a smartwatch right away.
Software
In order to use the Withings Steel HR or any other product within the Withings product line, you need the Health Mate app. This app is available for Android and iOS (download link below), and it works surprisingly well.
In the app, you can see your steps taken, your weight, see your activities, and follow programs, and see your profile. All the information is shown clearly and you can find what you are looking for within a few seconds. I never had a bug or any issue with the app, only once it won’t sync my night. Overall, the app works well and I actually don’t want to switch product/app. When testing, I will just wear two watches now! The best thing, a dark theme is available too!
Go fully hybrid with the Withings Steel HR! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS!
If you are an Android user, CLICK HERE to download the Health Mate app.
If you are an iOS user, CLICK HERE to download the Health Mate app.
Health Mate
You have different menu’s in the Health Mate app, Timeline, Dashboard, Programs, Devices, and Profile. On the Timeline tab, you get a nice overview of your day with your weight (if you have the Withings Body+, your sleep from your watch or the Withings Sleep, any activities started/tracked, and your current steps. Super handy to have this overview every day and you can see it all in a few seconds.
The Dashboard tab is showing somewhat the same, but you can customize what is showing here in order or just turn something off completely. You can make your own Dashboard with all the relevant information for you.
The Programs tab is a great feature if you ask me. From here, you can start different programs to get to know more about your body, follow meditation, or start a leaderboard with your friends or family. This makes it somewhat more unique compared to others and I like it a lot.
The Devices tab takes care of all the connected devices. From here, you can change settings, see the battery life, or change other settings like the workout order, screen order or set an alarm. The options depend on the product, but for the Withings Steel HR you see the following:
In the last tab, we find Profile information. You can see your total steps taken with the Withings Steel HR, which is around 1.8 million for me so far. You can see your goals and connected apps, like Google Fit, IFTTT, or Strava. Here you can also add Family Members to follow in the leaderboard program. Great application and I love to use it. No big problems so far for me, expect a single time where my night was not synced.
Syncronisation
The Withings Steel HR will automatically syncronize when you open the Health Mate app, but when it doesn’t, you need to swipe from top to bottom to force synchronization. This will take about 5 to 10 seconds maximum. Once done, all the information is correct in the app again and the steps should reflect your activity that day.
I can happen that it will not synchronize right away, just give it a few seconds (sometimes a minute or 2) to make the connection itself. If it doesn’t happen, try to go to the Device tab and see if it synchronizes now. Otherwise, a restart of the Health Mate app might be needed.
Go fully hybrid with the Withings Steel HR! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS!
Features
This Withings Steel HR looks like a classic watch, but does it have the features of a smartwatch? Yes! There are some requirements for me before I buy/use a smartwatch. I must be able to track the basics (sleep and steps) and it must be waterproof. What else does this Withings Steel HR have to offer that makes it stand out?
Sleep Tracking
A must-have feature for a smartwatch if you ask me. Due to the long battery life, you can easily capture your sleep multiple nights without charging it in the meantime. How accurate it is, depends on how tight your watch is strapped to your wrist. I like to have my watch a little loose on my wrist and this will make the data less accurate.
The overview of your night sleep is clear and gives enough and detailed information. You can buy the extra Withings Sleep, which gives an even more accurate reading. Personally I use both, but the Withings Steel HR gives me enough information and it works well. Never had a night that it skipped tracking.
Activities
A big benefit of a smartwatch is that you can start activities from your wrist. Pause them, start again or end an activity, all from your wrist. With the Withings Steel HR, you can start the following activities: Walking, Indoor Cycling, Running, Swimming, Cycling, Indoor Running, Badminton, Baseball, Basketball, Boxing, Climbing, Dancing, Elliptical, Equestrian, Fitness, Football, Golf, Handball, Hiking, Hockey, Ice Hockey, Ice Skating, Indoor Walking, Kitesurfing, Pilates, Ping Pong, Rowing, Rugby, Skiing, Snowboarding, Soccer, Squash, Surfing, Tennis, Volleyball, Weights, Windsurfing, Yoga, Zumba, and Other.
Go fully hybrid with the Withings Steel HR! CLICK HERE TO GET YOURS!
This is the most diverse list I’ve seen so far on a smartwatch that is capable of tracking activities. It does not matter if you are going for an indoor or outdoor walk, a football match, swimming or kitesurfing. You can track and gain the insights all using the Withings Steel HR.
This is the overview you are getting when an activity is done. In this case, I made an outdoor walk:
Heart Rate Monitoring
A feature that is a must if you want to use this watch to get a better insight into your fitness level or improve the quality of your activities. In general, the heart rate monitoring function on the Withings Steel HR works well. I like to have my watch a little loose and it makes only sense that the heart rate is less accurate than. If I use the sports or leather strap, I see that the heart rate is way more accurate because it is tighter.
For the best results, you should wear it tightly and without a tattoo or a hairy surface. All those things could cause this heart rate monitoring to be less accurate. Here is an example of a heart rate monitoring during a sport session: (This is with the tight sports strap!)
Waterproof
With activities like kite surfing, swimming, and windsurfing it is no surprise that the Withings Steel HR is waterproof. Swim with it, shower with it, do the dishes with it, it does not matter. The watch has a waterproof rating of 5ATM, which means it is waterproof up to 50 meters! A quick dive from a boat or snorkeling should be no issue with this amazing Withings Steel HR smartwatch.
Conclusion
A watch that is secretly smart. On the outside, it is hard to see that this is a fully functioning smartwatch. Withings made a great working, classic looking watch with a lot of good working functions. It doesn’t matter if you want to swim, run, walk, or fitness, with the Withings Steel HR you are able to monitor the activity. The price is higher than other smartwatches/bands from China, but I like the design and the good working software better. I’ve had no issues so far while I had issues with Chinese smart bands from different brands.
Overall, this is a very good working product, it looks good, supports a lot of activities and the software works well. I’m really happy with the purchase of this watch and recommend it to everybody who is looking for a smartwatch.
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