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Smartwatches are great tools, but nothing beats the look of an analog watch strapped to your wrist. If you want a device that looks like a traditional timepiece but packs fitness tracking and smartwatch features under the hood, look no further: we’ve rounded up some of the best hybrid smartwatches on the market. Smart Watch Home Delivery
Hybrid smartwatches meld classic elements with smartwatch smarts. This usually means aesthetics inspired by analog watches, plus notifications and health or activity tracking. However, picking the right hybrid smartwatch largely depends on what tools you value. Although all the products we list below are stylish, each features a different strength. Consider the factors below when choosing your device.
The Withings ScanWatch 2 is our pick for the best hybrid smartwatch you can buy. The company’s latest flagship, thos gorgeous sequel keeps tabs on everything from basic activity to cardiovascular health, offering an ECG for atrial fibrillation section as well as an SpO2 monitor. It’s also well-regarded for highly accurate sleep stats and even adds temperature tracking to help users identify oncoming illnesses.
Additionally, Withings leverages the new temperature sensor to collect training and recovery insights for active users. To make sure you never miss a workout, the device also boasts automatic workout detection for more than 40 activities. Despite these and other major updates, including an update OS, the ScanWatch 2 offers the same 30 days of battery life as the last generation.
For those on a budget, Withings also introduced a pared-down model, the Withings ScanWatch Lite (€249.95 at Withings). Like its pricier sibling, the Lite offers sleep, heart rate, and activity tracking, as well as detailed female health tracking both on the device and in the Withings Health app. It does not, however feature a temperature sensor nor a handful of other advanced features.
Fossil Group brought its Hybrid HR platform to the SKAGEN brand with the SKAGEN Jorn Hybrid HR. This is one of our favorite hybrid smartwatches thanks to its attractive design, long battery life, and innovative e-ink display.
The Jorn Hybrid HR’s e-ink display is bigger than the tiny screens found on most other hybrid smartwatches. This allows users to see more information at a time without interacting with the device. With physical watch hands, the hybrid accessory retains the look of a traditional timepiece. Meanwhile, its e-ink display provides details like step count and heart rate data. It’s a beautiful design that’s practical as well.
In light of its innovative display, the watch can last up to two weeks on a single charge. Unfortunately, the SKAGEN device could use a design refresh on the software side. Navigating the user interface can be slow and cumbersome. That being said, we’re fans of the platform overall.
For a device that touts a fashionable aesthetic, the Fossil Gen 6 Hybrid Wellness Edition also pairs mechanical hands with an always-on e-ink display. However, what really sets this device off is its internal specs. Where the SKAGEN user experience can be clunky, Fossil offers an updated platform, as well as a newly improved companion app. For starters, the watch features a newly designed user interface that mirrors the device’s circular design. We found the user experience very user-friendly. It also boasts an SpO2 sensor, improved heart rate monitoring, smart notifications, and a new microphone to access Amazon Alexa.
In addition to customizable watch faces, this hybrid offers a Wellness Dashboard for at-a-glance stats related to your daily activity and health tracking. The watch also offers fantastic multi-week battery life and simple navigation. Remember that you won’t find Wear OS on this device like the Fossil Gen 6. That means no Google Play Store either for third-party app support.
The device is available in three colorways: black, navy, and blush. It also utilizes standard, 20mm quick-release bands to easily personalize your pick with a replacement band. Based on Fossil’s history, a launch date could be imminent for a Fossil Gen 7 lineup. However, we’ve yet to see any rumors suggesting that a new generation is coming.
We had to include the Garmin vivomove line on our best hybrid smartwatches list. These advanced fitness trackers have much of the same functionality as other Garmin watches, only with a unique “hidden” display that hides away when you’re not using it. It’s just as cool as it sounds.
The device is a powerful addition to the vivomove stable, and we found very little not to like about the device during our Garmin vivomove Sport review. With real, ticking watch hands, the vivomove Sport feels as analog as a hybrid can get. With a clever display and many of Garmin’s health and fitness tracking features, the device is also a very solid entry-level smartwatch.
The lack of built-in GPS is a bummer for runners and cyclists, but overall, the Sport offers a blend of style as well as substance. It also comes in four colorways, including brown, black, white, and green, so users can find the right look for their wardrobe. We wore ours everywhere, from hiking to horseback riding, plus out to formal dinners.
If the Garmin vivomove Sport doesn’t offer enough to match your training regimen, the Instinct Crossover very likely fills in any gaps. Pairing ticking hands with a full-size digital screen, the device is a unique option in the hybrid watch arena. It also offers shock and thermal resistance and a water resistance rating of 10ATM. In short, it’s a rugged multisport watch with analog timekeeping. During our testing period, we fell in love with the luminescent hands that spin out of the way depending on which data screen you view. We also found the device has even better GPS tracking than the Garmin Instinct 2.
Moreover, the device won’t just keep up with your runs; it will also keep up with your busy schedule. The Garmin Instinct Crossover offers 28 days of battery life, so you can track your data for weeks before finding time to charge up. In GPS mode, the watch will last 20 hours. It is also available in a solar model for even more impressive specs.
Beyond great battery and GPS tracking, the Instinct Crossover is loaded with the best of Garmin’s ecosystem, including everything users love about the Instinct line. Built-in sport modes include niche activities such as surfing, pickleball, and snowshoeing, as well as HIIT workouts. Tools like Fitness Age and VO2 Max help users maximize training. Body Battery, sleep tracking, and stress tracking help you round out wellness goals and gain insights into recovery. Finally, the watch offers smart notifications as well as compatibility with both Android phones and iPhones. We were disappointed not to find onboard music storage during our testing period. However, all models do offer NFC support for Garmin Pay.
A smartwatch is a full-featured wearable built to be a smartphone companion. Hybrid watches pair with your smartphone and typically offer some smartwatch features and tracking tools, but also feature aspects of an analog watch.
From this list, the Garmin Instinct Crossover is the best pick for athletes. It features all the top training tools Garmin has to offer.
Most hybrid watches support text notifications, and some offer quick replies to respond.
Smart Watch Launch Like any product, there are some very good hybrid watches, and there are some less-than-useful ones. If you want a robust smartwatch experience, you will likely be disappointed with a hybrid device. If you want an attractive wearable with health and fitness tracking, smart tools, and smartphone compatibility, there are plenty of great hybrids to shop.