Product test

Withings Steel HR: The shoulder shrug on the wrist

29.3.2019

Translation: machine translated

The Withings Steel HR is a hybrid of mechanics and technology. Has Withings succeeded in bringing a successful invention to the market? The Steel HR Sport promises exactly that, but was it convincing? The answer: not really, no.

My life in Canada mainly revolves around two activities, school and sports, which is why I own two watches. A regular watch that does nothing but tell the time and look good, and a sports watch that I mainly use for my workouts.

You're probably thinking to yourself now that two watches are neither practical nor necessary.
The same thought probably gave Withings the idea to bring the Steel HR Sport onto the market. The watch is described on the Withings website as a "multi-sport hybrid smartwatch". With a name like that, what can you expect when you're already feeling overwhelmed without the actual product?

Smartwatches

Withings Steel HR Sport

40 mm

Smartwatches

Withings Steel HR Sport

40 mm

In fact, the Steel HR Sport doesn't quite live up to its complicated description. Simply put, it is an ordinary everyday watch that can be used for sporting activities thanks to its additional built-in electronics.

By an ordinary watch, I mean nothing more than a watch face with an hour and minute hand and, at best, a second hand. As the Steel HR can be described as an ordinary watch equipped with a sports tracker, I'm hoping for simple operation with a sensible mix of ordinary and electronic. Just a hybrid.

Less is not more

The Multisport Hybrid Smartwatch in your hand gives you a simple first impression. The design still has room for improvement. Initially, I found the watch to be clunky and bare. The saviour of the design gap is the comfortable way it is worn thanks to the silicone strap. The watch has a large dial with two smaller dials built into it. The lower one shows the daily activity level. The upper OLED display is the centrepiece of the electronics. You operate the display with the single button on the right edge.

The Withings Steel HR (centre) compared with an analogue watch (left) and a smartwatch
Source: Vivienne Sommer

The heart rate sensor is on the back. The measurements in idle mode are good, but you can't connect an external chest strap for sports. I still think it's a shame: the chest strap for the sports watch is a must-have for me.

Too much "smart"

Nowadays, you'll find the word "smart" in many product descriptions. I still have my problems with this word, but I'm not the only one. In 2016, Nokia considered the acquisition of Withings for 191 million dollars to be smart. Barely two years and millions of dollars in losses later, the idea wasn't so smart after all, Withings goes back to the original founder... for not quite as much money. for not quite as much money.

But back to the topic at hand. Like me, you may have a vague idea of what a smartwatch or a smart TV is, but neither of us can define it precisely. However, we do agree on one point. A smartwatch can usually be connected to your smartphone via an app. This is also the case with the Multisport Hybrid Smartwatch, although this is my main point of criticism.

Too smart? The Withings Steel HR looks analogue, but has no obvious analogue function
Source: Vivienne Sommer

Without the app, you've thrown your 200 francs out the window. No connection to the app means a virtually non-functional watch. I experienced major problems and time-consuming pairing of the app with the watch, even though my phone received the Bluetooth signal from the Steel HR Sport. Without the app, I couldn't even set the analogue time. So is the Steel HR Sport not a hybrid of normal and digital? Can I seriously not expect to at least be able to set the time manually? The normal everyday watch look seems to me to be a fake for what is obviously just an electronic watch.

Solidly boring

Although pairing the watch with the app didn't work perfectly, the rest is refreshingly simple. After installation, the app gives you a short briefing on how to use and operate the Steel HR. The digital screen has six windows:

Date and time
Current heart rate
steps taken
metres travelled
Alarm clock
Battery in per cent

This is where the side button comes into play. Press once to switch sides. Press and hold to select a sport and start timing.

The simple handling of the watch is very pleasant, you don't need to read long operating instructions. But that's where it ends, because the Steel HR doesn't get any more interesting than this.

The Multisport Hybrid Smartwatch can't do anything that other smartwatches can't already do. The watch is too dependent on electronics for the balanced normal-electronics hybrid - it can do too little for a sports watch, which is why it is really only suitable for hobby sports enthusiasts.

My conclusion: The Steel HR Sport is robust and easy to use, but the wow effect doesn't materialise as the main concept of normal and sports watch doesn't work in this case.

9 people like this article

Vivenne Sommer

Schülerin

vivienne.sommer@bluewin.ch

Shooting and cross-country skiing are my world. I am a biathlete abroad in Canada and write about this experience.<br> <a href="http://viviennesommer.ch/w_biathlon/site/s_0.asp?GID=113&RID=274&AID=1352" target="_blank">viviennesommer.ch</a>

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