Withings Steel HR Sport is the company’s first post-Nokia smartwatch
- Withings (formerly Nokia) just launched the Withings Steel HR Sport smartwatch.
- The Withings Steel HR Sport is a hybrid analog/digital smartwatch with a focus on activity tracking.
- Although the watch is missing some key features, it crams a lot in considering its analog face and $200 price tag.
If the headline of this article confuses you, here's a refresher: the Withings brand of smartwatches came rushing out of the gate a few years ago, earning high praise for its simple-yet-functional designs. Nokia came along and bought up the company, rebranding its products under the Nokia Digital Health banner.
However, things didn't go so well, and Nokia ended up selling the company after losing millions. The buyer? One of the co-founders of the original Withings brand. In other words, Withings just went full circle from Withings to Nokia and back again.
Nokia sells Digital Health back to Withings (Update: Withings brand will return)
Now, the Withings Steel HR Sport is the first smartwatch release from the company after the branding shakeup.
Fans of the Withings Steel line (or Nokia Steel line, naturally) will feel right at home with the Steel HR Sport, as it looks and functions much like the previous models. However, there are some nice design tweaks and a few new features which might entice you to upgrade.
As with previous Steel smartwatches, the face of the Steel HR Sport is mostly analog, with the traditional hour/minute hands spinning around a clock face. At the bottom where the 6-hour marker would be is an activity tracker which, by default, tracks your daily step goal. At the top where the 12-hour marker would be is a small, circular digital screen that can show you other health-related stats as well as show you smartphone notifications.
Unlike previous Steel watches, the minute, hour, and activity hands have splashes of red, and there's a red chevron marker at the top of the watch dial. This tiny little splash of color adds some class to the watch that makes it quite the looker.
But the Steel is a smartwatch first and foremost, so you probably want to know more about what it can do. As with most smartwatches, it links to your smartphone via Bluetooth which allows you to monitor your activity throughout the day. It tracks steps, workouts, sleep, heart rate, and can even track your runs and bike trips using connected GPS (i.e., you'll have to have your smartphone with you for the GPS functions).
The Withings Steel HR Sport also tracks your oxygen consumption via a built-in VO2 sensor. You can also take the watch for a swim as it's waterproof at up to 50 meters of depth.
Finally, according to Withings, the Steel HR Sport's battery can last up to 25 days on a single charge. That's not something many smartwatches can claim.
Luckily, the Withings Steel HR Sport won't set you back too much cash: the smartwatch starts at $200 and you have the choice of two watch faces (white or black) with a black silicone sport band. There are additional bands you can get as well including leather (brown or black) and silicone (red with black accents or black with red accents).
Click the button below to grab your Withings Steel HR Sport smartwatch now!
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