Withings Steel HR Sport review

Verdict

Withings knows what it is good at, and the Steel HR Sport is almost certain to prove a popular fitness tracker because of that.

There aren't many people making small hybrid watches with this much tech packed in. It's quite a marvel considering the size of the Steel HR Sport and everything you get here.

Design is also a big selling point of this watch, and if you're after mid-range fitness features on a good-looking watch you may want to go for the Steel HR Sport as your next wearable.

Who's this for?

If you're looking for a fitness tracker that doesn't look like a plastic toy on your wrist, the Withings Steel HR Sport will suit you.

The hybrid design makes it one of our favorite fitness trackers to wear for a variety of occasions and you really can wear this both in a meeting and on a trip to your local swimming pool.

That said, the same goes for the Nokia Steel and Nokia Steel HR products, which are cheaper. You may want to consider those if you aren't looking for the VO2 Max and connected GPS features.

If you do want a heart rate monitor, you'll get that from the Nokia Steel HR and if you don't want one you'll want to opt for the Nokia Steel. The design of all three of these products is similar enough that you should be happy with that aspect.

Should you buy it?

If you're after a top-end, fitness-filled smartwatch you'll want to look elsewhere as the sports features here aren't the best you can get on a piece of wristwear.

But if you are looking for an understated device that's lighter, thinner and better looking than a lot of fitness trackers and sports watches, the Steel HR Sport will suit you.

You'll really need to want to have those extra sporting features to buy this over the Steel or Steel HR, but if VO2 Max is something you'll make the most of and you want to use the connected GPS while running then it's probably worth that bit of extra money.

First reviewed: October 2018

Competition

Don’t think the Withings Steel HR Sport is made for you? Below you’ll find a variety of alternative watches we think may suit you.

Nokia Steel HR

Don’t want the VO2 Max features of the Steel HR Sport? You may be better off opting for the slightly cheaper Nokia Steel HR. It comes with the same heart rate tracking technology, a very similar design and a few less features that you may be able to live without.

You won’t save a great deal of money by opting for the Steel HR, but if you’re looking to save a little you may want to go for this slightly older watch instead.

Read our full Nokia Steel HR review

Misfit Phase

Not set on the design of the Withings Steel HR Sport? The Misfit Phase is another beautiful looking hybrid smartwatch, but this isn’t as petite and slimline as the one from Withings, so you may prefer the look of it.

It offers a massive six months of battery life and features a classic design. There’s no screen to see your stats, but it does come with notifications that use the hands on the watch face to tell you what your phone it up to.

It’s a similar price to the Withings option, but we’d recommend reading our full review to work out if it’s designed for you or not.

Read our full Misfit Phase review

Garmin Vivomove HR

We’ve called this one of the best looking watches Garmin has ever created, and while it may not offer you the top-end running features of the Garmin Fenix 5 Plus range it will give you some interesting gym tracking and an attractive yet simplistic design.

There’s a small screen at the bottom of the watch face that disappears when you’re not using the watch for fitness, and this watch also comes with great battery life, so you won’t have to worry about charging it up every night.

Read our full Garmin Vivomove HR review