Entertainment Best hybrid smartwatch 2022: great hidden tech in the watch on your wrist
Best hybrid smartwatch 2022: great hidden tech in the watch on your wrist
Knowing what the best hybrid smartwatch for you can feel complicated. Unlike a regular smartwatch, a hybrid smartwatch looks more like a regular analogue piece of wristwear while taking the best features of a smartwatch.
Basically, a hybrid smartwatch is an analogue watch with mechanical hands that adds smart features to its traditional look. These smart features are the kind of thing you see amongst the best smartwatches such as step counting, run tracking, as well as smartphone notifications. Unlike a smartwatch, it does so in a more subtle manner.
What is a hybrid smartwatch?
Want a deeper explanation of hybrid smartwatches? We’ve put together a full beginner’s guide to watches with hidden tech under traditional faces so you know what to look out for.
If you want the benefit of technology while still enjoying a more subtle look, this is the device you need on your wrist.
Hybrid smartwatches also have longer battery life thanks to not having digital screens, so you save plenty of time by not needing to charge them up so often.
However, not all hybrid smartwatches share the same features. That’s why it’s important to read up on them and know whether you truly need phone notifications using mechanical hands, or if you’d prefer a small dial for a quick-glance readout. Look out for if you need GPS and heart rate sensors too, as not all hybrid smartwatches offer those features.
Below are six of the very best hybrid smartwatches. Make sure to read each to see what suits your needs.
Best hybrid smartwatch 2022
Our second favorite hybrid watch is from Withings and it’s the only device on this list that comes with an electrocardiogram monitor. This is a feature that gives you a reading on your likelihood to suffer from atrial fibrillation, which is a specific heart condition where you can have an irregular beat.
It’s not the most accurate tech, but it has been included on watches like the Apple Watch 4 and this Withings to give you an idea of whether it’s something you should investigate further with a doctor.
On top of that, you’ll also get a slick looking hybrid smartwatch that is well designed and comes with a selection of impressive fitness features. Plus, it’s by no means the most expensive device on this list either.
Read our full Withings Move ECG review
Looking for a small hybrid watch that looks fashionable but can track your heart rate and has a comfortable strap for the odd jog? The Withings Steel HR (sometimes known as the Nokia Steel HR) may be the perfect watch for you, and it sits in second place on our list of the best hybrids.
It has a small second dial so you can see your daily step count (your target can be set in the app), and there’s a small screen above it to show other stats.
If you want to know your heart rate it’ll appear on the screen along with your step count and notifications such as incoming calls, messages and events coming up in your calendar.
There’s a single button on the right of the watch that’s sort of disguised as a crown, while the watch is waterproof (opens in new tab), so you can wear it in the shower without ruining it.
Read our full Withings Steel HR review
While this is perhaps the sportiest device on our list, don’t be fooled by the fact that it carries the Garmin name. The Vivomove HR isn’t going to give you high-end running watch features like the brand’s Fenix 5 range.
It does, however, offer a heart rate monitor and step tracking, and there are also gym tracking features for when you’re doing indoor cardio or recording reps during a weights workout.
The Vivomove HR will also work in the pool as it’s waterproof, but it’s not particularly great at tracking your swimming, so don’t buy it specifically for that task. There are stress-monitoring features, which is something you won’t get on any other hybrid watch, and we found that these worked well.
If you’re after a good-looking watch with some hidden fitness features, the Vivomove HR from Garmin may be the perfect device for you.
Read our full Garmin Vivomove HR review
The Withings Steel HR Sport is very similar to the Nokia Steel and Nokia Steel HR on this list (the company has recently been renamed Withings) and while the design looks similar there are some important differences.
It comes with better notifications as well as VO2 Max monitor that will be able to give you an overall fitness score that you can improve over time.
The battery is meant to last for around a month, and it has connected GPS and heart rate monitoring that means this is suitable for more fitness activities than a lot of other devices on this list.
Read our full Withings Steel HR Sport review
The Withings Move is one of the cheapest devices on this list and you’ve got a great variety of different designs to choose from too. This is a good choice from you if you don’t need many fitness features and you’d just like a way to track your daily step count and sleep with an attractive watch on your wrist.
You’ve got 18 months of battery life, according to Withings, and while the watch doesn’t come with top-end features like a heart rate tracker it is capable of tracking lots of your basic stats.
The design and price are the key highlights here though, and while it won’t suit fitness fanatics it may be your perfect idea of a simple hybrid smartwatch.
Read our full Withings Move review
One of the most stylish hybrid smartwatches available right now comes from Fossil, and it’s called the Q Commuter.
Fossil specializes in hybrid watches (although it makes Wear OS watches too), and this is one of the best-looking of the bunch, with a vast array of finish and strap combinations to match your look.
The Q Commuter can give you a variety of notifications – although these are sometimes hard to notice as the vibration isn’t particularly strong – and there are some limited fitness features here too.
One of the real highlights is the battery life, which can run to a year or more.
Read the full Fossil Q Commuter review
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