OS: N/A | Display: OLED | Size: 40mm | Battery: 28 days | Water resistance: 50m | Heart rate: Yes | Connectivity: Bluetooth | Works with: iOS, Android
When we talk about smartwatches, we tend to think of full-on OLED screen-toting wrist computers. But there is another way. Withings (now part of Nokia) has a pretty slick hybrid smartwatch that uses an analogue watch face to pack invisible tech into the case. Even almost a year since we first reviewed it, the Nokia Steel HR strikes a balance between smarts and style better than anyone else out there. Let us explain.
These past few months have brought many hybrids, a lot from Fossil's cohort, which try to deal with notifications, sometimes fitness, while maintaining the mystique of being a regular timepiece.
The Nokia Steel HR might not look like a classic in the way the Kate Spade Metro Grand or the Skagen Jorn are, but its tiny screen lets it deliver information that won't require guessing whether the hands whirring to 9 o'clock mean a phone call from your gran or a sexy Snapchat from your significant other, something you don't want to confuse. That said, keep your expectations low on how much information that screen can deliver.
Even the larger of the two size options, the 40mm, is still very reasonable for what Nokia is cramming in here. But the biggest strong to Nokia's bow here is the 25 days of battery life, which wipes the floor with anything mentioned up until this point.
As well as accelerometer-based step tracking and sleep monitoring, the Steel HR has a heart rate monitor built in, which measures bpm 24/7, reporting useful data such as resting heart rate into the impressive Nokia Health Mate app. For high intensity workouts, it's not the best in the business, but for resting heart rate, the watch was mostly on the mark in testing.
Feature check: Water resistant to 50m, heart rate monitor, 25 day battery.
Wareable's Nokia Steel HR review verdict:
"Withings has made a watch that walks the line between smartwatch and analogue timepiece with impressive skill. As a fitness tracker it's among the most feature-packed and best looking; as a running watch it's still quite pared down."
£169.99, nokia.com
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