Withings Steel HR Review: The Perfect Blend of Style and Fitness Tracking

It’s possible to find fitness trackers with sleek, everyday-friendly designs as well as ones with flashier, more sporty features. One of the few gadgets that can mix basic fitness tracking features with a stylish look is the Withings Steel HR. This unique mix of a fitness tracker and a traditional analog watch is great for people who want to keep an eye on their health while looking good.

The Steel HR has a sleek, classic design and costs $179.95. It can track your heart rate, activities, and sleep, and send you messages. But how well does it work in terms of being accurate and useful? If you want to know if the Withings Steel HR is right for you, this review will go over its design, features, and how it works in great depth.

Specifications of Steel HR

• Quality in Design and Construction

The Withings Steel HR has an elegant, understated appearance. Perfect for both formal and informal occasions, its polished stainless steel casing exudes an air of refined elegance. You can see the time on the larger dial and your percentage progress toward your daily activity target on the smaller secondary dial of this watch. This modern timepiece avoids shouting “fitness tracker” in favor of the understated beauty of an analogue timepiece.

For those with smaller or wider wrists, the watch is offered in two sizes: 36mm and 40mm. Perfect for swimming or other outdoor activities, the silicone strap is both comfortable and waterproof to a depth of 50 meters (5 ATM). Anyone who prefers a fitness tracker that also functions as a conventional watch will love this one because of its understated design, which allows it to complement a wide range of outfits.

• Monitoring of Heart Rate

The optical heart rate monitor that comes with the Withings Steel HR isn’t very accurate, though. Consistently greater heart rate measurements were reported during testing compared to more trustworthy equipment, including a chest strap monitor. When the wearer was either at rest or engaged in vigorous exercise, the disparities were most apparent. After a few seconds of use, the heart rate data did settle, but the feature isn’t trustworthy enough for professional athletes or anyone who needs accurate heart rate data due to the delay in reaction and mistakes.

The Steel HR might not meet your expectations if you’re seeking a fitness tracker with precise heart rate monitoring, but it serves its purpose well for casual fitness tracking.

• Monitoring physical activity and fitness

The Withings Steel HR automatically tracks steps, distance, calories burned, and sleep. It can detect popular activities like walking, jogging, and swimming without having to initiate a training mode manually. You can manually track other actions by pressing and holding the crown. To keep you motivated to meet your daily activity target, the small secondary dial on the watch face advances as the day progresses.

Furthermore, it can automatically detect when you go to sleep and when you get up, so it can keep track of your sleep. It captures reasonably accurate data, including the amount and quality of sleep. The inability to change the identified sleep or wake hours is a downside, too; this can be annoying if your gadget incorrectly identifies late-night quiet activities as sleep.

• Charging and Battery Life

Among the many great things about the Withings Steel HR is its long battery life. The watch has a maximum runtime of 25 days on a single charge, which is sufficient for regular use that includes recording workouts and heart rate on occasion. Compared to rival smartwatches and fitness trackers, this is a huge improvement, especially when compared to the Apple Watch, which needs charging every day. A USB cable with magnetic connectors can be easily attached to the rear of the watch to facilitate charging.

• Advanced Functions

In addition to its ability to track your fitness, the Withings Steel HR stands out from the competition thanks to several clever features. You can see incoming calls, texts, and calendar events on the little LCD screen. When you get a notification, it will vibrate a little bit as well. Despite their simplicity, these alerts are ideal for people who don’t want to be constantly connected but still want to know when something important has happened.

While many fitness trackers provide features like idle warnings to get you moving after sitting for a while, the Steel HR doesn’t support these or any of the more advanced notifications, such as alerts for third-party apps.

Shall I purchase it?

Invest in it if:

• You want a hybrid device that looks like a watch but can track your fitness. It should be both elegant and functional.
• You are looking for a simple heart rate monitor for your everyday activities and exercises, not one with pinpoint accuracy.
• A device that boasts an extended battery life and exceptional water resistance is precisely what you require.

Stay away from it if:

• When training hard or competing at a high level, you need a reliable way to monitor your heart rate.
• An idle alarm and the option to fix sleep data are examples of the advanced features you’re looking for.
• You prefer a smartwatch that can do more than answer calls and texts, like notify you of new apps.

How to Use the Withings Steel HR

1. Scan the QR code to pair the Steel HR with the Withings Healthmate app. Then, follow the on-screen instructions to link your device to your mobile.
2. Maintain a record of your step count, calorie burn, and distance traveled by wearing the Steel HR throughout the day. It will automatically detect when you walk, run, or swim.
3. The optical heart rate monitor monitors your heart rate in real-time. To see it, activate the screen by pressing the crown.
4. The Steel HR has an integrated sleep tracker that tracks your slumber in an app. The software does a good job of recording data within a fair range; however, it does not allow you to change sleep hours.
5. Set up several alerts, including phone calls, text messages, and calendar reminders, right on the little LCD screen.
6. Use the USB charging cord that came with the watch to charge it. The magnetic connectors on the rear of the watch make it easy to attach the cable.

Final thought

For people looking for a fashionable, all-day wearable that combines fitness tracking with a more classic, attractive style, the Withings Steel HR is a great choice. Among its functions are activity tracking, heart rate monitoring, sleep tracking, and smart alerts, which provide a fair balance. For those searching for a more exact fitness tracker, though, the inaccuracy of the heart rate monitor and the inability to change sleep hours might be deal breakers. The Withings Steel HR is a great option for casual users who want a fashionable device that can track their everyday activity without stressing them with sophisticated capabilities.

FAQs

• How often does the battery on my Withings Steel HR charge and discharge?

Because it can be used normally for up to 25 days, the Withings Steel HR is great for people who don’t like to charge their fitness tracker very often.

• Can you put the Withings Steel HR in water?

Because it has a 5 ATM rating, the Withings Steel HR can be submerged up to 50 meters, so the answer is yes. This capacity makes it great for water activities like swimming.

• Can I change the heart rate numbers if they’re off?

Unfortunately, you can’t manually alter the app’s heart rate data. You’ll have to believe that the device will resolve any problems it finds after just a few seconds of use.