Best hybrid smartwatches.

 

Best hybrid smartwatch: Our pick of analog watches with hidden smart tech

Find the balance between a traditional look and smart features

If you're put off by full touchscreens, boxy wrist computers and short battery life, the answer could be to explore the world of hybrid smartwatches.

A hybrid smartwatch hides the tech behind a classic analog watch face, meaning it looks traditional but still offers fitness tracking, health tech and notification features. For some people, it's the best of both worlds.

In 2024, it's down to Withings and Garmin, which both make excellent health and fitness focussed hybrid smartwatches. Fossil Group is technically still in the game, but it's now way behind.

Withings ScanWatch 2 

Withings ScanWatch 2: specs and features

• 38mm and 42mm case size options
• Works with Android and iOS
• Connected GPS
• View notifications
• Tracks runs, swims, and cycles
• Up to 30 days of battery life
• Automatic run tracking
• Step and sleep tracking
• ECG sensor for detecting Atrial Fibrillation
• Heart rate and SpO2 monitoring
• Detects breathing disturbances
• 5ATM water resistance
• Temperature sensor

The ScanWatch 2 is the latest generation of super-charged hybrid health smartwatch from Withings. The older ScanWatch previously topped our list, but the second-gen offers some big improvements.

It adds a temperature sensor, which tracks changes from your personal baseline, which can be a leading indicator of illness and also menstrual cycle.

It also tracks excessive body temperatures during exercise, and advises on subsequent recovery needs. It’s a good integration, although a minor change from the ScanWatch 1 overall.

Aside from that, the core experience is largely unchanged. It still features the same small monochrome OLED screen on the dial, for basic stats and notification alerts – and comes in 38mm and 42mm sizes. There are also a range of different colour and strap options – most more visually arresting than the one we tested.

Withings ScanWatch Light

Withings ScanWatch Light: specs and features

• 38mm and 42mm case size options
• Works with Android and iOS
• Connected GPS
• View notifications
• Tracks runs, swims, and cycles
• Up to 30 days of battery life
• Automatic run tracking
• Step and sleep tracking
• Heart rate
• Detects breathing disturbances
• 5ATM water resistance

The ScanWatch Light is a new addition to the Withings hybrid smartwatch range, offering an even smaller and lighter take.

It drops all of the advanced health features, so if you want ECG, SpO2 and temperature tracking, you’ll need to look at the 38mm ScanWatch 2. That means detection of Afib and sleep apnea is out.

But The ScanWatch Light comes in an even-smaller 37mm case, which is given a glow-up compared to the reserved ScanWatch 2.

It still features heart rate and sleep tracking – both delivering decent accuracy, albeit not the best in the business.

It’s more a fitness tracker than a health watch, without those key health sensors – so it’s better suited to those who want to keep tabs on step count and general heart health. 

But if that’s your main aim, then the ScanWatch Light comes recommended.

Withings ScanWatch

Withings ScanWatch: specs and features

• 38mm and 42mm case size options
• Works with Android and iOS
• Connected GPS
• View notifications
• Tracks runs, swims, and cycles
• Up to 30 days of battery life
• Automatic run tracking
• Step and sleep tracking
• ECG sensor for detecting Atrial Fibrillation
• Heart rate and SpO2 monitoring
• Detects breathing disturbances
• 5ATM water resistance

The Withings ScanWatch offers a superb blend of smarts and style - and, in our view, is the best hybrid smartwatch you can buy in 2023.

The ScanWatch is a fine example of a good-looking hybrid that still offers powerful features – with ECG, blood oxygen estimates and advanced sleep monitoring all coming alongside a 30-day battery life.

Available in 38mm and 42mm size options, the ScanWatch is built with premium stainless steel with a small AMOLED display at the top of the watch face to show off your tracking stats notifications, and heart rate data.

The ScanWatch uses a connected GPS to track outdoor activities like running, offers VO2 Max estimations, and automatically recognizes activities, which we found pretty reliable in our testing.

On the health front, you're getting an ECG sensor that can look for arrhythmia - so, low or high heart rates. There's also a SpO2 sensor to measure blood oxygen levels and can monitor for breathing disturbances during sleep.

Data is stored and synced to the impressive Withings Health Mate app, too.

If you're looking for a hybrid that looks like a lovely watch and shines with its innovative health features, the ScanWatch should be right up your street.

Garmin Vivomove 3

Garmin Vivomove 3: specs and features

• 44mm case size option
• Works with Android and iOS
• Connected GPS
• View notifications
• Tracks running, swimming, and cycling
• Up to 5 days of battery life
• Step and sleep tracking
• Heart rate and SpO2 monitoring
• 5ATM water-resistant rating

Despite launching back in 2020, the Garmin Vivomove 3 series is still one of our top recommendations - though it could soon be usurped by the 2023 Garmin Vivomove Trend, which we're conducting some testing on at present.

The emphasis here is on blending the hidden screen around physical hands, and now there are plenty of options to pick from, with case sizes coming at 39mm, 42mm, and 44mm.

We're fans of all the styles, as they offer largely the same on-screen experience - it's just a case of how much you're willing to spend and what fits your wrist best.

The Vivomove 3 and Vivomove 3S are at the more affordable end, with the hidden screen sitting on the bottom half of the watch face and delivering the likes of notifications, activity data, and more.

With the pricier Vivomove Style and even pricier Vivomove Luxe (the only variation to offer a color screen, as shown above), that hidden screen extends to cover the full face. With a double tap on the screen, you can start swiping to see your health, fitness, and other updates.

New features include a pulse oximeter to offer richer sleep data, Garmin Pay, the ability to track respiration rate (via heart rate), a sports tracking profile for cycling, and connected GPS to piggyback off your phone to map outdoor activities. You still get the best of Garmin's fitness tracking and notification support for both Android and iPhones.

Garmin Vivomove Sport

Garmin Vivomove Sport: specs and features

• 40mm case size options
• Works with Android and iOS
• Connected GPS
• View notifications
• Tracks runs, swims, and cycles
• Up to 5 days of battery life
• Step and sleep tracking
• Heart rate and SpO2 monitoring
• Stress and respiration tracking
• 5ATM water-resistance

The Garmin Vivomove Sport is the cheapest option in Garmin's hybrid family, and, while it might miss out on the AMOLED screen you get on the Style and Luxe, it's still a great feature-packed option to strap on.

It's got the look of a Swatch Pop and comes in three different looks, including the mint version above. The OLED display shows off smarts, which include the ability to view notifications, reject phone calls or respond with a text (Android only).

The Sport registers steps, heart rate, blood oxygen levels and stress, with Garmin's Body Battery energy monitor here, as well. It can also be used to track runs, swims, cycling, and even strength training, though it only offers connected GPS and goes light on training and analysis insights.

Battery life is around five days, which is similar to what you can expect from other Vivomove watches.

If you want a cheaper route to using Garmin's hybrid smarts and can live without the higher-quality display, there's plenty to like here.

Garmin Instinct 2 Crossover

Garmin Instinct 2 Crossover: specs and features

• Hybrid analog & digital watch face
• Solar charging
• Up to 70 days battery life and infinite analog
• 10ATM water-resistant
• MIL-STD-810 shock resistance.
• Built-in GPS
• Smart notifications on your wrist
• Advanced workout analytics

A curioius option, the Garmin Instinct 2 Crossover is a full-far Garmin Instinct outdoor watch, but with two physical hands.

It’s water resistant to 10ATM (100m) and features MIL-STD-810  shock resistance.

Garmin says you can get 70 days with smart features enabled and infinite using the analog dial, as long as it gets three hours of solar exposure at 50,000 lux. 

The Garmin Instinct 2 Crossover also boasts 31 hours of GPS battery life, as long as the workout is constantly exposed to 50,000 lux. Achievable in summer, but less easy in winter. 

It's also a proper sports watch, with scores of workout profiles, and when you get back from a workout, you can access
VO2 Max, Training Status data and HRV Status insights.

In our review time we found the addition of the hands frustrating to live with, and didn't add much to the overall Instinct 2 experience.

But if you're set on an analog experience, no-one can argue that this isn't one of the most advanced sports options money can buy.

Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid

Fossil Hybrid Gen 6: specs and features

• 41mm and 45mm case size options
• Works with Android and iOS
• 1.1-inch E Ink screen with mechanical hands
• Heart rate sensor
• Up to 2 weeks battery life
• View notifications, messages, and emails
• Heart rate and blood oxygen tracking
• Activity and sleep tracking
• Connected GPS
• Amazon Alexa built-in
• 3ATM water resistance rating

The Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid is the latest version of the fashion watch brand's Gen 6 hybrid series, offering stylish options for both men and women.

Instead of a hidden screen or smart dial, the Gen 6 Hybrid instead brings the smarts in an E Ink display that works around the physical watch hands.

This is still far away from the functionality you'll find in a touchscreen watch, but it does impress by taking the hybrid concept and pushing it into a place we haven't seen before.

There's a range of looks to pick from - including the Wellness Edition we tested, seen above - with an E Ink display that sits beneath the screen to show off notifications and weather updates, as well as activity metrics, such as heart rate, steps, and calories.

There's also the ability to track heart rate and SpO2, and you can even receive non-verbal responses from Amazon's Alexa thanks to the onboard mic.

We weren't overly impressed by the accuracy of data in our testing, but we do still think there's value here for those who truly just want basic smarts - namely, notifications in a very stylish-looking watch.

Each model will also last around two weeks on a single charge, too, so it'll go longer than most 'proper' smartwatches.