Quick review
The good
The not-so-good
Watches are different from health trackers, but in the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant, Withings’ mouthful of a name aims to keep the idea the same.
Elegance isn’t something that comes naturally to technology, but some wearables have it factored in. The latest from Withings takes its ScanWatch 2 to a specific style, while bringing the time and health metrics you expect.
Design and features
A little smaller than the standard Nova, but slightly bigger than the ScanWatch 2, the Nova Brilliant is a slightly more feminine take on the Withings ScanWatch 2 formula, which harks back to the original ScanWatch and the slightly luxurious “diver” style of the ScanWatch Horizon.
This reviewer isn’t typically a fan of the gendered approach to watches — a watch is an accessory, and doesn’t come with a style specific to either gender; wear what you want — but there are some looks that have over the years been worn more by one gender than the other. That’s not to say women can’t wear a Nova and men can’t wear the Nova Brilliant — again, wear what you want — but the Nova Brilliant does have a design more like a luxury women’s watch than one for men.
However, the hardware is identical between the Nova and Nova Brilliant, and again between these and the ScanWatch 2.
That means you’ll find an electronically-controlled timepiece in a 39mm design, sensors to cover steps, heart rate, SpO2 blood oxygen, electrocardiogram (ECG), temperature, and menstrual cycles, all in a design that looks identical to a classic analogue timepiece in its stainless steel case and protected by sapphire glass.
There’s also a small circular OLED screen that shows the few notifications and health alerts, and it’s controlled by the only button on the watch: the crown on the side with its button.
Otherwise, the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant is swimproof and comes with 50 metre (5 ATM) water resistance, supports replaceable wrist bands and comes with two (metal link and elastomer), and a battery capable of maxing out at 30 days dependent on what you use the watch for.
In-use
Using the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant is rather like using every other ScanWatch, and probably any other watch in that there’s not a lot to understand.
A crown is found on the right side, and this acts as both your button (when you push it in) and your controller (dial it forward and backward). Pressing the button once will show the time on the tiny OLED screen, and dialling up and down will scroll through the menus, which are basically just health metrics widgets. Heart rate, steps, and so on and so on, with an option to run the SpO2 blood oxygen test or the electrocardiograph, the ECG.
Before you do either of those last ones, you’ll need to log into the app, and admittedly, you’ll need to do that anyway because the Withings watches require it. Setup goes through the app, available on Android and iPhone, and it will match the time to your watch automatically.
And just like that, an analogue watch is timed to match your phone perfectly. No messing about.
That could be one of the best usability aspects of the Withings range: it’s just simple. Your time from your phone is the time on your watch, even if it changes for daylight savings or travelling somewhere else.
The ease of use for controlling the Nova Brilliant works throughout the hardware, which is really just a dial of the crown and a push button away to getting your health metrics tracked and your time checked.
Performance
You don’t really need to worry about performance on this watch, because Withings builds its wearables to act more like watches. That means it doesn’t really have performance, or rather noticeably weak or strong performance.
Every so often the OLED screen might take a half second or so to switch on or move around, but that’s it. The performance isn’t bad in anyway, it’s just more like a watch.
Battery
And like a watch, the battery is actually decent.
This is a consistent trend amongst Withings’ wearables, with a rough 30 day maximum from the spec sheet, but a runtime closer to two weeks for anyone using the watch to monitor health, get notifications, and check the time.
Unsurprisingly, the battery life of the Nova Brilliant appears almost identical to the ScanWatch 2, meaning you won’t need to reach for the charger for days… literal days.
There is roughly two weeks of battery life in this watch. If you’re planning a two week holiday, forget about bringing the charger. You won’t need it. (And even if you did, the charger is so small, you wouldn’t fret, either.)
Value
About the only potential quibble is the price: available for $799 in Australia, the Nova Brilliant is the exact same price as the ScanWatch Nova, which makes it more than quite a few other smartwatches, but also less than some, as well.
For a hair under $800, you get a watch that is mostly a watch, but still offers the health tracking smarts and phone notifications in a tiny screen.
It’s a great little system, but it mightn’t be as fun as say another smartwatch with apps, mobile payment support, music playback, and a variety of faces.
This is more like a classic watch made modern. Which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, it’s just something different.
To Withings’ credit, the cost isn’t terrible value at all, especially since you get a durable wearable made to be as strong as its siblings.
Our one quibble might be its lack of moving parts: the ScanWatch Nova includes a rotating bezel to match the diver aesthetic.
The Nova Brilliant? None of that. Granted, the style the Brilliant goes for doesn’t need anything like it, but it still can make you feel as though it’s that little bit more expensive than it needs to be.
What needs work?
About the only major issue the Nova Brilliant has is that nothing has changed between it and the other Nova models, or even the other ScanWatch variation.
The Nova Brilliant isn’t much of an upgrade path. It’s more just a variation on a theme.
For people shopping for a new wearable designed to look trendy or classic or just, well, like this, that may not matter. But make no mistake, this is no upgrade path for someone with a ScanWatch 2 or any other wearable at this point.
This is more for someone buying a new wearable looking for a wearable designed to keep going with battery life and track their metrics. And that’s what it does. There’s no mobile payment or call taking on this watch, so if you need them, look elsewhere. It stays the Withings approach of remaining focused on health and the time.
Nova Brilliant vs the competition
At this point in the ScanWatch 2’s life, the Nova Brilliant is technically the third variation on this theme we’ve seen, and is really just the ScanWatch 2 in a different skin. There’s nothing different about it beyond arriving in a slightly more feminine-focused design with a set of bands marketed more for women.
It’s not dramatically different from the more masculine ScanWatch Nova, which is a diver-styled edition of the ScanWatch 2, as well. These two are very similar, with a design geared at men (Nova) and women (Nova Brilliant).
But they are both ostensibly just the ScanWatch 2, which means their competition is also that model, a watch that comes in for at least $100 less.
Back when we reviewed the ScanWatch 2, it was difficult to argue for the wearable, largely because its predecessor was still in the market. These days, the sequel is the minimum entry you can find, making it a better value now that the first-gen has disappeared.
In the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant, you’re actually getting a ScanWatch 2 in a different design. Despite the name, it’s the sequel you’re getting. And there’s absolutely nothing wrong with that, unless you own one already.
If you own a ScanWatch or ScanWatch 2, look elsewhere and thank us later. Alternatively, if you need a full-featured app-focused watch with support for mobile payments, customisable watchfaces, and less battery life, there are a bunch of others out there worth considering too dependent on your phone’s operating system.
Final thoughts (TLDR)
Another similarly great wearable in a slightly different style, the ScanWatch Nova Brilliant keeps what worked in the recent ScanWatch 2, but with a more elegant angle.
It’s still the same great ScanWatch, it’s just a little prettier. Recommended.
