Withings ScanWatch 2 vs Apple Watch: Which Is Better for Health Tracking?

Choosing a smartwatch can be a little confusing, especially when two watches offer completely different experiences. Some people want a watch that keeps them connected, helps them manage daily activities and puts useful information right on their wrist. Others prefer something simpler that quietly tracks their health without making them feel like they are wearing a tiny smartphone all day.

The Withings ScanWatch 2 and Apple Watch Series 12 bring these two approaches together in an interesting comparison. While one combines the familiar look of a traditional watch with health-tracking features, the other focuses on bringing more technology and everyday convenience to your wrist. Both have their own strengths, but they are designed for people with different expectations from a smartwatch.

Personally, I find this comparison interesting because choosing between these two is not just about counting features. It is also about deciding what kind of experience you want from something you wear every day. So, let’s take a closer look at the Withings ScanWatch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 12 and see how they compare in terms of design, health tracking, sleep monitoring, fitness features and everyday usability.

Withings ScanWatch 2 vs Apple Watch Series 12 #

Design and Comfort#

With regards to aesthetics and physical design, the Withings ScanWatch 2 and the Apple Watch represent two distinctly different approaches to wearable technology for day to day use. The Withings ScanWatch 2 is accompanied by the classic analogue watch face, making it appear as a regular luxury watch right away. The design of this watch has been implemented in the form of a premium quality stainless steel casing, encased by a very durable scratch-resistant sapphire crystal. On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 12 is characterized by the sleek rectangular casing with the rounded corners, which leaves no place for any kind of physical hands at all. The casing is made of either aerospace-grade aluminum or premium titanium, depending on the selected version. Moreover, in comparison with the Withings device, the Apple Watch goes totally for the futuristic digital design.

As for the display technology itself, the distinctions between these wearables become even more evident. ScanWatch 2 comes with a tiny 0.63 inch grayscale OLED sub-display having a resolution of 282 PPI located discreetly in the top portion of the analogue dial. It turns on only when you need to check a notification or a health stat but remains invisible all other times. In contrast, Apple Watch Series 12 is equipped with a huge edge to edge, always-on LTPO OLED Retina touchscreen display that provides a tremendous maximum brightness level of up to 3000 nits. As a result, one can navigate through various applications and work with color images on the Apple Watch while ScanWatch 2 allows only to scroll through text and icons.

Regarding everyday comfort and interaction, there are different wearables in use along with some disadvantages associated with each. It is possible to purchase ScanWatch 2 models in both 38mm and 42mm designs, providing the light feeling from 34 to 52 grams. Unfortunately, the major disadvantage of this hybrid model is an extremely tiny digital display that fails to be readable in sunny weather and displays long texts badly. Apple Watch Series 12 is controlled by touch interactions, advanced gestures and the Digital Crown. Even though the interactivity of the device is perfect, the major disadvantage of the Apple Watch Series 12 is its highly visible, computer-like display making it look like a technical gadget that conflicts with elegant clothes. For more information on interacting with the digital interface, please check our article about Apple Watch Series 12 performance.

Verdict: In this case, the winner is obviously the Apple Watch Series 12 due to the fact that it has an exceptionally bright, edge-to-edge Retina touch screen and intuitive gesture controls.

Health Tracking: Which Watch Monitors Your Health Better?#

When we are comparing the Withings ScanWatch 2 and Apple Watch, the key cardiovascular monitoring features represent highly sophisticated techniques used differently to monitor users’ health in everyday conditions. To be more specific, the Withings ScanWatch 2 employs an improved version of the multi-wavelength photoplethysmography (PPG) sensor to ensure continuous heart rate monitoring along with HRV parameters. Additionally, this watch is equipped with medical grade stainless steel electrodes located in the bezel and back case of the watch to record an FDA-cleared single-lead Electrocardiogram (ECG) to detect any potential atrial fibrillation. Meanwhile, the Apple Watch Series 12 is equipped with an extremely advanced optical heart sensor in addition to an electrical heart sensor located inside the Digital Crown. Although both watches can identify abnormal heart rhythms, one of the major downsides of the Withings ScanWatch 2 is its small digital display, which means that you will have to use your paired smartphone to examine the ECG graphs.

In addition to the advanced heart measures, inclusion of advanced physiological sensors also distinguishes the two high end wearable devices. First, the Withings wearable comes equipped with a very sophisticated miniature heat flux sensor for continuous monitoring of daily and nightly baseline skin temperature fluctuations providing an instant view of the user’s thermal baseline. At the same time, the approach of the Apple Watch Series 12 to temperature monitoring revolves around the use of dual sensors that traditionally serve the purpose of ovulation prediction and nightly sleep cycle tracking as opposed to daily skin temperature variations. Moreover, while the ScanWatch 2 provides SpO2 on demand monitoring in all countries of availability, the same can hardly be said for the Apple Watch. Indeed, one of the biggest drawbacks of the Apple Watch Series 12 is the limited availability of SpO2 monitoring due to regulatory and patent disputes in the US market.

But keep this thing noted that both devices differ in terms of how they analyze respiratory and overnight metrics. The ScanWatch 2 continuously tracks your respiratory rate and uses an innovative algorithm to scan for any respiratory disturbances during your nighttime sleep, offering you an extensive Breathing Quality Index of your lung health. In turn, the Apple Watch Series 12 uses a very precise onboard accelerometer and advanced algorithms to detect small wrist movements linked to disturbances in your breathing patterns. Hence, this helps the device provide sleep apnea notifications on compatible models in certain countries. This is a very complex feature that is not yet available to Withings in such a formal manner. The drawback of Apple’s ecosystem is that processing all those metrics requires a lot of power from the processor, so if the battery runs out during the nighttime, you will not get any useful information. It is essential to bear in mind that none of the two devices is a substitute for a professional medical diagnosis.

Verdict: so wth respect to health monitoring, I would say the Apple Watch Series 12 will be a better option since it has the capability to transform complex information into alerts, such as those that monitor advanced sleep apnea, in real time, making it a very useful tool right on your wrist.

Sleep Tracking: Which Watch Is Better for Overnight Monitoring?#

The debate between the Withings ScanWatch 2 vs Apple Watch becomes particularly interesting when we look at overnight monitoring. Sleep tracking requires a device to be comfortable enough to wear in bed and have enough battery life to survive the night.

The Withings ScanWatch 2 keeps track of your sleep duration, sleep cycles and nighttime HRV effortlessly. In addition to that, it records your breathing rate and has a Breathing Quality Index that helps you figure out how much you slept. Also, the device offers an intelligent wake up feature that will wake you up while you are in the lightest stage of sleep. The best thing about it in terms of health tracking is the great battery life that enables comfortable overnight wear. There is no need to charge it before going to bed. The downside of the ScanWatch 2 in this case is the clinical nature of sleep analytics that could be better supplemented with some coaching features.

On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 12 measures how many hours you spend sleeping, your sleep stages and your sleep trend over time. It also has a temperature sensor that monitors your overnight body temperature and gives you health information related to your sleep through the Apple Health app suite. In addition, it offers sleep apnea alerts for some compatible watches, thereby ensuring your overnight health safety. The main drawback of the Apple Watch Series 12 is the issue of battery life, which you need to charge before going to bed if you want it to survive the whole night.

Fitness Tracking and GPS: Which Is Better for Workouts?#

In terms of dynamic training, the comparison between Withings ScanWatch 2 and Apple Watch makes it obvious that there is a big difference in their tracking mechanisms inside the watch. The Withings ScanWatch 2 includes a precisely calibrated 3-axis accelerometer that allows detecting the activity and measuring basic statistics, such as number of steps taken, swimming strokes and even physical activity in general. Additionally, it keeps monitoring your heart rate while exercising and estimates a Fitness Level based on the estimation of VO2 Max during outdoor running sessions. On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 12 relies on a specially designed high-g accelerometer and high dynamic range gyroscope to monitor three-dimensional activity. As a result, this smartwatch can track more complex running dynamics, such as vertical oscillation, stride length and ground contact time. Nevertheless, a major drawback of the ScanWatch 2 is that its small OLED screen cannot show complicated live stats therefore, you will have to look at your data after the training session is finished.

Moving on to location tracking, the technological gap between the two wearables is further emphasized. In this case, the ScanWatch 2 does not have any in-built GPS sensors, utilizing the connected GPS functionality. Consequently, it requires constant connection of its Bluetooth to your smartphone with access to cellular and location data in order to be able to accurately plot your jogging route or measure the speed of your cycling. The Apple Watch Series 12 has an in-built and independent GPS sensor which connects directly to satellite networks to log your pace, distance and route maps instantly. As such, you can confidently go running without taking your smartphone with you because all your metrics will be logged without problem. One of the major disadvantages of the Withings approach is that it causes physical discomfort for the runner who has to keep a heavy phone in his pocket in order to get accurate mapping. As for the Apple Watch Series 12, the major disadvantage of it is that it consumes a lot of power, thus, constant usage of its built-in GPS functionality quickly discharges its battery which sometimes cause the watch to struggle through a full marathon on a single charge.

From the perspective of the whole software system, there is a significant difference in how the exercise routine is experienced. For example, the Apple Watch Series 12 is packed with an extremely interactive interface for the workouts, providing customizable heart-rate zones, pacing warnings and extensive support for various third-party applications for training directly on the watch display. No matter whether you want to connect your training to the Strava, Nike Run Club or even Apple Fitness+, the process will be fully seamless. Conversely, the ScanWatch 2 allows using your data only via the exclusive Withings Health app without a huge number of third-party live applications that you can use on digital smartwatches.

Verdict: The Apple Watch Series 12 easily dominates the fitness tracking category, thanks to its independent built-in GPS, advanced kinematic sensors and flawless support for third-party workout applications that keep you informed in real time. 

Battery Life: Withings Has a Major Advantage#

The battery life and overall energy efficiency is definitely one of the most important elements when comparing Withings ScanWatch 2 and Apple Watch Series 12, determining how you will operate with your smartwatch on a day to day basis. The Withings ScanWatch 2 works thanks to a very efficient 300 mAh lithium-ion battery that guarantees impressive usage of 35 days from one charge. Even with real-world usage scenarios, when the smartwatch is used to monitor your health state and track all your physical activity, this hybrid device is capable of functioning for weeks. In comparison, the Apple Watch Series 12 comes with a bigger 377 mAh battery, but is only capable of working for 24 hours with normal usage or 38 hours in Low Power Mode mode. Such difference in numbers comes from the fact that Apple Watch consumes its battery resources by continuously powering its brilliant Retina screen and executing background tasks, while the Withings model consumes energy to keep basic hands and OLED screen functional.

As far as the charging is concerned, both smartwatches operate on completely different principles in terms of keeping the user charged up. The ScanWatch 2 comes with a proprietary USB-C-compatible charging dock, that provides a steady recharge of the device to 80% within one hour and reaches 100% in about two hours. In case when you need to charge your Withings gadget once in a month, such a charging time is rather usual for overnight users. On the other hand, the Apple Watch Series 12 largely depends on the fast charging technology that compensates for the shorter lifespan of the device during a day. Using the special Apple USB-C Magnetic Fast Charging Cable together with a 20W or higher power adapter allows charging the gadget from 0 to 80% in 30 minutes and in 15 minutes, you will get extra 12 hours of battery life.

Smart Features and App Ecosystem: Apple Watch Takes the Lead#

The Apple Watch Series 12 makes use of a powerful and custom-made processor, which allows it to function like an autonomous digital watch in almost all respects. The watch comes equipped with dual-band Wi-Fi, an Ultra Wideband (UWB) chip for highly accurate position detection and a cellular radio for wireless functioning independent of any phone usage. On the other hand, the Withings ScanWatch 2 runs on an extremely stripped-down and ultra-low power proprietary operating system without the presence of Wi-Fi and/or cellular antennas. All that it needs is a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) link to connect to your smartphone and the minute you are out of the phone’s Bluetooth range, the watch will no longer function digitally.

In the software ecosystem, the experience of the user is completely different, especially in relation to the way in which daily activities and health information are performed. The Apple Watch Series 12 works on the strong watchOS operating system platform, allowing users to have access to the huge on-wrist App Store, where you can easily install thousands of third-party applications. In addition, it has a built in microphone and speaker that allows users to make phone calls using their wrist, works with the help of Siri for advanced voice command capabilities and also has an NFC chip that enables the process of making secure contactless payments through Apple Pay.

On the other hand, the ScanWatch 2 uses the dedicated Withings Health application to collect all your daily vitals and also synchronize them externally on other platforms such as Apple Health and Google Fit. Although the Withings watch is highly compatible with both the Android and iOS operating systems, it is a closed system where third-party apps cannot be installed.

In both cases, the digital wearables come with a certain set of drawbacks which depend on the level of interaction with the notifications that you expect from them. One of the most significant cons of the Withings ScanWatch 2 is the lack of interactive functions, the watch does not have an ability to respond to the messages received through the on-screen keyboard, answer the phone calls or pay for the purchases. In turn, the major con of the Apple Watch Series 12 and its incredibly vast ecosystem is the extreme platform exclusivity. The watch works exclusively with the iOS platform and is impossible to use by people who have Android smartphones.

Who Should Buy the Withings ScanWatch 2 and Who Should Choose Apple Watch?#

You should choose the Withings ScanWatch 2 if: #

• You like wearing analogue watches instead of digital watches.
• You are more concerned about health monitoring in the background than using applications.
• You like longer battery life for weeks rather than hours.
• You don’t want to be distracted by your phone while wearing the watch.
• You want a health-related watch that works flawlessly with your iPhone and Android phone.

You should choose Apple Watch Series 12 if:#

• You only have an iPhone and you want a seamlessly integrated ecosystem.
• You need access to apps, messaging and wrist-wear contactless payments.
• You like to exercise and you require detailed information on your workout routine.
• You need GPS functionality for running or biking without your phone.
• You like a totally interactive digital watch.

Final Verdict#

If I had to choose one watch, I would happily go with the Withings ScanWatch 2. The biggest reason is its impressive battery life, as getting up to 30 days on a single charge means I don’t have to keep looking for a charger every other night. I also like the idea of having a watch that quietly tracks my health and sleep without constantly asking for my attention. After all, I want my watch to keep an eye on me, not give me another reason to worry about its battery percentage! Overall, its traditional design, useful health features and excellent battery endurance make it a watch I would genuinely enjoy wearing every day.

FAQs#