The Withings Move ECG is a $130 hybrid watch that tracks your activity and sleep and has an ECG function. On request, it makes a heart film, just like the more expensive Apple Watch does. In this Withings Move ECG review, we take a closer look at the watch.
Withings Move EKG
Price € 130,-Colors Black or white
Display Analog with step dial
Format 38mm diameter, 13mm thick, 18mm strap
Weight 32 grams
Battery up to 12 months
Connectivity bluetooth and connected GPS
Other electric heart rate monitor, water resistant, altimeter
Website www.withings.com 7 Score 70
- Pros
- Complete app
- Long battery life
- ECG function
- Price
- Negatives
- Black dial not always easy to read
- Unsteady Sleep Measurements
- Incomplete activity registration
- Limited water resistance
The Withings Move ECG is a more expensive variant of the Move (75 euros), which is different on several points. For example, the ECG version has the option of making heart films and, for example, it uses a glass plate that is more scratch-resistant than the plastic finish of the Move.
Familiar design
The Withings Move ECG looks and wears like a regular analog watch. It has a housing of plastic and metal and uses a comfortable rubber 18mm strap, which gets dirty quickly. You can replace the strap – if desired – within ten seconds with another strap of this size. The watch has a convex glass plate that does not reflect (artificial) light very pleasantly. This, in combination with the black dial and gray numbers, made it difficult for me to check the time at a glance. The model with the white dial may look more pleasant.
On the time dial is a second, smaller dial that indicates how many steps you take per day. You set the goal yourself – Withings and experts guess between eight and ten thousand. The dial is accurate and has bars per thousand.
The housing of the watch is water resistant up to 5 ATM, according to Withings. You don't have to take off the Move ECG when you wash your hands or take a shower, but it is better not to wear it when swimming or snorkeling in fresh or salt water.
Battery life
A smartwatch needs to be charged a few times a week. The Move ECG is less smart and you notice that in the battery life. Withings promises that the built-in battery will last for a year, which is comparable to a regular analog watch. Of course, after two weeks of use, I can't say whether Withings' claim is correct. I do rely on it because I used the comparable Withings Steel for this, which ran out of battery after 14 months.
If the Move ECG's battery runs out over time, your local watch store will simply insert a new standard battery. If you are a bit handy, you can also do it yourself.
The Health Mate app
To use the Withings Move EKG, you need to download the Health Mate app. It is free and available for Android and iOS. The app guides you through the installation process within a few minutes. If you don't already have a Withings account, you'll need to create one. After installation, the watch remains connected to your smartphone via Bluetooth.
The Health Mate app is also required for other Withings wearables, so you may already know it. The home screen provides information about your day and uses your Move EKG stats for this. This way you can immediately see how well (or badly) you slept last night, how many steps you took today and what the last ECG measurement showed. By clicking on these parts, you will get more detailed information.
Via the app you can also calibrate the dials, update the watch and indicate on which wrist you wear the Move ECG. In addition, you can set a smart alarm so that the watch wakes you up quietly via vibrations if you sleep lightly. If you usually get up at 07:00, the watch can start vibrating in the half hour before if that is a better time, according to the measurements. I think this function works fine, but I can imagine that some find the vibration too soft and prefer an alarm clock with sound.
The EKG function explained
A major selling point of the Move ECG is that the watch can take an EKG. The abbreviation EKG stands for an electrocardiogram, which is a snapshot of the timing and strength of the electrical signals that make your heart beat. Experts therefore also speak of a heart film. With the data from an EKG you get an impression of your heart rate and if you make EKGs more often, a picture of your heart rhythm is created. That information is useful for doctors if you know you have a heart condition. There are few watches with an ECG function.
Withings warns that the ECG feature on the Move ECG cannot provide a professional diagnosis. See the EKG option especially to check yourself for atrial fibrillation, or an irregular heartbeat. In case of an abnormal heart rate, the watch may suggest a visit to a doctor. If you don't have any heart problems as far as you know, the EKG function is still useful. Checking your heart rhythm regularly can reveal an abnormality early, so you can get to a doctor more quickly. Conveniently, the app keeps track of the most important EKG statistics and immediately has a PDF ready for your doctor.
Personally, I – a 22-year-old without heart problems – have little interest in the EKG function. After two weeks of taking regular EKGs, I forgot the possibility. I consider that a positive thing, because the test function does not get in the way, but is directly accessible when you want to use it.
You start an EKG by pressing the crown on the right side of the watch once. Keep a finger on the crown and place your thumb on the left part of the metal rim. The Move ECG now records your heart rate for thirty seconds and counts down via the dial that normally shows your steps. After thirty seconds, the watch will vibrate to let you know that the EKG has been taken. In the app you see the result in the form of a 'video' and additional information, for example whether your heart rate is abnormal.
Measuring is very precise. Are you not keeping your fingers in the right place? No measurement. Do you move your arm or talk during testing? No measurement. Is the watch not tight enough on your wrist? Then no result. Are you removing a finger too early or are you pressing too hard or too softly? You guessed it, no measurement. In addition, the ECG function only works if you have a normal heart rate. It does not work during or just after exercise, and this usually also applies when you have just woken up.
It is not surprising that you can only make an EKG by sitting still for half a minute. The Apple Watch 4 and newer, for example, also has an EKG function and it works in the same way. However, such an Apple Watch also has a heart rate monitor that automatically registers your heart rate every ten minutes. This way you get a nice picture of your heart rate during the day. Several other, more expensive smartwatches do this as well. The cheaper and less smart Withings Move can't automatically record your heart rate.
Automatic activity tracking
Like other Withings watches, the Move ECG can automatically track activity. From walking and running to climbing stairs and cycling: the statistics automatically appear in the app. At least, on paper. In practice, the watch does not appear to record all my movement because certain activities have to last at least ten minutes. I cycle from home to the train station and it usually takes me just under minutes. That activity therefore doesn't appear in the app, except when I once encountered traffic and was congratulated on my ten-minute bike ride. Walking is always recorded, dancing and climbing stairs too.
In general, the Move EKG recognizes well what kind of activity I do and the statistics are correct in terms of time. I find it a disappointment that certain activities have to last at least ten minutes. A tissue for the bleeding is that you can manually enter such movement in the app. That option is somewhat hidden in the app and wants to know, among other things, how intensively and for how long you moved. There is a good chance that you do not know that information exactly (anymore).
Are you going to exercise and don't want to rely on the automatic activity recognition? Then start a workout by long pressing the crown on the right side of the watch. Recognition is activated after a vibration and the Move ECG keeps track of your route via connected GPS. When you have finished exercising, press the crown again longer.
Moderate sleep tracking
The Withings Move EKG can also track your sleep, but it does it better on some nights than others. The watch uses various sensors to measure how you sleep, but as mentioned before, it lacks a heart rate monitor for details about your heart rate. In the Health Mate app you can see how you slept according to the Move EKG the next morning. One time the information is surprisingly correct, the next day the watch says that I woke up at 06:27, while it was really around 09:45. As a result, the app reprimands me for my poor sleep score, even though I slept in.
Due to the erratic measurements, I took the Move EKG off after a week when I went to bed. I sleep – and that is very personal – better without a watch on my wrist.
Conclusion: Buy Withings Move EKG?
At 130 euros, the Withings Move ECG is a lot cheaper than well-known smartwatches from Apple, Samsung and others. He does not compete with that, because those watches have a much shorter battery life and show, among other things, interactive notifications from your smartphone. The Move ECG should last a year on a battery charge and is especially for those who find a traditional analog watch too stupid. With the Withings model you can automatically and manually track your activities, measure your sleep and make a heart film. Handy functions, although the activity and sleep registration works erratically and making an EKG requires your full attention after some practice. The design of the watch I tested is also not entirely to my liking because reading the time regularly requires some effort. The Withings Move ECG therefore leaves a mixed impression, although it is nice that you can now opt for an affordable watch with an ECG function.
