Amazon.com: Customer reviews: Withings Steel

Reviewed in the United States on May 11, 2020

I've had this watch for a little over two years and I still love it. I've had a few other hybrid watches, but they either look too techy, the face is too big, or they don't hold a charge. This watch looks really elegant even with the features it packs in. I get compliments on it all the time. The battery life is also another thing to rave about. The battery on mine lasted almost a year and a half before the watch started to slow down, then I ordered a pack of 6 batteries on Amazon for a few bucks. I've never gone swimming with this watch on but I'll do dishes with it fully submerged and it's always come out perfectly fine. Sleep tracking isn't always completely accurate but that's to be expected since there is no heart rate tracking on this model so it really just relies on movement. I don't really care too much about the sleep tracking though, so my only real complaint is I wish the vibrations on the silent alarm were stronger because I can't rely on it to wake me up. All in all, super attractive water resistant watch with some nice bonuses like step tracking, sleep tracking, and a silent alarm.

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Scientist Sam

High quality and reliable

Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2018

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

I have been wearing my Nokia Steel for 3 months now. As promised, it was easy to set up and use. I like tracking my steps, sleep, weight and activities on my phone. The Steel has made me much more aware of how much exercise and sleep I get on a daily basis, and it seems very accurate. It took me a while to get used to the fact that this watch is totally waterproof. I never take it off, even when showering and swimming. The watchface is very durable as well. Mine has one tiny scratch, and I have accidentally hit it against something or had it rub against rough surfaces on many occasions. Each time that happens I expect to find the cover scratched or scraped or broken, but no. . . which makes me so appreciative. It still looks beautiful. The only slight downside is that it takes my Android phone a few minutes to "find" the watch and update my stats, but maybe that's an issue with my phone. Not sure. But other than that it works like a charm.

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Kendall Giles

Activity and Sleep Watch, but Not a Fitness Watch

Reviewed in the United States on July 3, 2017

Vine Customer Review of Free Product( What's this? )Verified Purchase

Fitness watches are all the rage these days — some come with quite a bit of functionality, others not so much. Some look nice, others not so much. This new Nokia Steel watch says it is an “activity” and “sleep” watch — but is it a fitness watch? Let’s take a closer look.

In the box you get the watch, a reset tool, and a quick installation guide. I chose the “white” version, which comes with a light parchment colored background (in other words not exactly stark white), steel casing, and a black silicon band.

The watch overall has an attractive design — it’s a sleek, modern watch. The watch face has hour and minute hands, as well as a separate dial that tracks your daily step goal, from 0% to 100%. There are no buttons or knobs on the watch, save for the recessed button on the back used only during setup. The face is 36mm in diameter, and it has an 18mm band with a buckle-style closure, so in general this is a unisex design.

I thought it had an elegant or delicate styling — this watch would look fine to wear to an office job, for example. Personally, I would have preferred a leather band with this watch. Instead, it comes with a silicon band, allowing it to be immersed into 50m of water (say when swimming). I’m considering purchasing a second band.

I found the analog watch face to be not very readable unless you are standing still in good lighting. Forget easily tracking your time by glancing at the watch while running. I wish the tick marks at least were bolder.

You cannot set up the watch without using the accompanying Heath Mate app, available for iOS and Android. On both platforms, it was easy to set the time and easy to set alarms. However, getting the step detection functional took multiple resets, and in the end only worked on iOS. The watch wants Bluetooth and location services enabled.

The Health Mate app can set up the watch, sync to download sleep and activity data, and set alarms. There’s also a social function. To sync, you simply open the app on your paired device — on iOS you can see the sync as it happens. The watch uses a Bluetooth Low Energy protocol.

The graph functionality in the app could be improved. There are no units of measurement on the y-axis, you cannot zoom into the graph, and you cannot see the underlying data. Thus, you can only get an overall feel for what parts of the day were more active than others, rather than specific measurements.

If you sleep at night, then the watch will display your sleep “quality” — when it thought you were in deep sleep (dark blue), light sleep (light blue) and awake (tan). In testing, the watch did an OK job of detecting when I was sleeping, though it seems to have trouble detecting when I fall asleep. Possibly related, it missed a short one hour nap, and it misjudged when I went to bed last night.

One useful function is the ability to setup alarms (using the app) and have the watch vibrate you to wakefulness. I liked being able to have an alarm that doesn’t wake my spouse.

The activity tracking functions of the app were less useful. You can manually enter entries for many aerobic activities, though for each activity you can only log activity duration, “intensity”, and how many calories you used — these are all values you must calculate and enter into the app yourself. Also, there is no stopwatch functionality on the watch or app. And, for example, weight lifting is a generic category, without the ability to track reps, amount of weight lifted, or type of lift.

The battery life of the watch is unclear, as the manual is silent on the topic. One part of the Amazon page for the watch says 8 months, whereas another says 25 days. Either way, the battery is not rechargeable, so the watch must be taken to a jeweler to get new batteries in order to ensure your watch remains waterproof after the battery change (though the Nokia website provides instructions in case you would like to change the battery yourself).

In conclusion, I cannot say that this is a fitness watch. Rather, it is a timepiece that when paired with the app has an alarm as well as step counting and activity tracking functionality. If you are an office worker who needs a stylish timepiece that can survive a shower or swim, as well as count your steps, this might be your new watch.

44 people found this helpful

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Tiago

After ten years, I am giving Nokia a second chance...

Reviewed in the United States on August 20, 2017

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

Before, some background: I used to be a Nokia fan, but I had a huge problem with Nokia ten years ago when I bought a mobile phone model 6131. The model used to scratch itself, and Nokia`s customer service in Brazil denied that was a problem with the model. I had a lot of trouble and had to contact other clients that were having the same problem; then we contacted the Consumer Affairs in that country, and we finally proved that Nokia was wrong, and I got my money back. That was in 2006, and I never wanted to hear the name Nokia after that, and never considered buying any Nokia product since then, until now. This watch was exactly what I was looking for. That`s a beautiful watch that looks like a usual analogic but has additional functions without compromising aesthetic and battery life. The sleep and activity trackers have been showing consistent results, and I like the Health Mate app, which has frequently been updated, which at least show some commitment from Nokia, although some users are not happy with some of the changes. I was waiting for the HR version to be released next month but decided that HR and notifications were not important to me. The 6-month battery life was a breakthrough, and that is something I value. I will never buy a watch or a tracker that has to be charged every single day, or almost every day. Another thing is the size, which is the right one for my wrist (I don`t like big watches). With these criteria, we eliminate almost all the options. I`ve been reading about the model made by Withings, and the "foggy" display issue, which seems to have been solved with the new rebrand from Nokia. Therefore, after ten years, I am giving Nokia another chance, and there is much expectation from my side. I am pretty much much enjoying the product, and I hope I will not be disappointed. I would like to have reasons to become a Nokia fan once again.
My negative comment is not related to the product itself, the reason why I am keeping the 5-star rating: I wanted to buy additional wristbands, but I could not do it using Amazon as they are not delivered to Australia (while the watch is). I will have to find the wristbands somewhere else.

Update 30/08/17: My watch is no longer tracking my sleep. The synchronisation takes too much time. Some limitations such as only one alarm time and the fact that we cannot stop the alarm are other issues. My 20-dollar Mi Band had both resources. I am not happy; Nokia you have a lot of work to do and your customers cannot wait months for that. Release beta updates if that is the case but don't let us without basic functions. I've paired the watch and I hope the sleep tracker will be back tonight.

Update 1st Sep 2017: the sleep tracking stops working. I paired the device three times and the sleep is again no being tracked. After a good night night I wake up and the device shows 20 minutes sleep. Next day it works and then it fails again. I am willing to return the product to Amazon as the basic functions are not working. Very disappointed and frustrated.

21 people found this helpful

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Sailor

Great watch with a short lifespan

Reviewed in the United States on October 12, 2021

Verified Purchase

I love this watch and wore it daily for just short of four years. No abusive or high impact activities, just normal business wear. It is stylish enough for business wear, and allowed me to track my steps through the day. But after three years, the step counter began seriously undercounting my steps, and finally quit altogether. Then, just short of the four-year mark, the hour hand stopped working, too. This, in my opinion, is FAR too short a lifespan, especially for a watch in the over-$100 price range (as this one was when I first purchased it). I liked it well enough that I recently bought a replacement at the current price, which is about half the earlier price, and seems more appropriate.

One person found this helpful

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LadyLauran

Perfect step count motivation and looks classy!

Reviewed in the United States on January 25, 2019

Verified Purchase

If you want motivation to get more steps in and get compliments on how nice your watch looks, you should look into getting this watch. I did a lot of research on smart watches and glad I narrowed it down to this one! Compared to my iPhone, if I take 10,000 steps according to my watch, my iPhone says I've taken more like 12,500. This is alright since even if it's off on step count, it's pushing me to possibly get 2500 more steps in which I'm definitely good with! It also seems to fall behind on time every once in a while, but it's really easy using the app to fix the time. I had an issue a while back with syncing, but the help staff from Withings was very accommodating and helpful, also resolved the issue within a couple days. I use the silent vibrating alarm all the time to not wake up my roommate with my otherwise loud alarm. I've never had an issue with not being woken up by it (it's one of my favorite features). The app is also very easy to use and motivating! Not perfect, but great for me! Would recommend if you want a very simple smart watch. :)

One person found this helpful

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Amazon Customer

Less is more

Reviewed in the United States on October 9, 2021

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

I have been using whithings since 2017. I love this product.
I work in high tech, and I am convinced we do not need yet another screen in our life. This watch does everything you need (if you are not a pro) and works even better with the accessories (got the sleeping mat so i don't have to wear the watch at night). I am disappointed is no longer available bon the official site and will soon be deprecated, in favor of another with a days long battery life (in lieu of 8 months! How enjoyable!) and with a stupid heart rate analogical screen. Takes away all the beauty of it. Luckily Amazon still had the old version. May stock up on it at some point.

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Don65

Works Better with New Batteries

Reviewed in the United States on April 7, 2019

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

My new Withings Steel would not sync with my phone nor would it vibrate when "poked" with the special tool provided. I thought maybe the watch had been sitting on a shelf somewhere so long that the battery had died. I opened the back of the watch (easy with a small screwdriver, no big deal) and was surprised when I removed the battery to see one of those little stickers that prevents the battery from making contact with the battery holder. I removed the sticker, put the original battery back in, closed the case and the watch synched just fine. I am surprised there was no suggestion that I could see anywhere in the set-up directions on the paper included in the box or on the app to remove that little sticker.

So if your new Withings Steel won't work right out of the box, open the case and make sure you don't have one of those little stickers preventing the battery from making contact.

I have only worn the watch about an hour now so have no idea if it is working. It has kept good time for that hour and has counted a few steps.

Mine has the black face and I will say that it is almost impossible to see the hour markings on the face of the watch. If seeing those markings is important to you - don't buy the version with the black face. If you just want a good looking watch and can live with approximations of the time - the black face does give the watch a sophisticated, Movado type look.

Update posted 4/26/2019. My Withing Steel worked for exactly 19 days and then stopped. It wouldn't sync, bluetooth couldn't find it, it wouldn't vibrate when the tiny button was pressed. The Withing support website suggested that the battery was dead (after 19 days?) so I installed a new battery. The watch is still dead. I really like the way the watch looks and it worked really well for those 19 days so I decided to give it another chance and am sending it back to Amazon for replacement. I did reduce my rating to two stars for the early failure.

Update posted 6/12/19: My replacement Withings Steel worked for exactly 44 days and then failed. It connects to the app but does not transmit any data to the app. I can set alarms and change the time. Steps are still showing on the dial of the face of the watch but they are not transferred to the app when the watch is connected. I have reduced my ranking to one star. I like the physical design and idea behind this watch but either the electronics or the software just aren't robust enough to make this a successful product. It is past the date I can return the watch to Amazon so I will try to communicate with Withings and see if they will refund my money. I reluctantly suggest you seek an alternative product if you are considering buying a Withings product.

Update added 11/20/19 - My view of this watch is improving. I have resolved many of my problems by putting in a fresh new battery and syncing the watch to my iPad rather than to my android phone. I am starting to like the watch more and more and have now had nearly five months of good service. I have had to put in a new battery after about four months to get it to sync properly.

Update added 1/25/21 - My watch has failed. It lasted a little over twenty months. At first, it just failed to count steps consistently. Then it stopped resetting the step counter over night and finally it stopped sending step info to the app. It would still link to the app. It still showed that it was sending info to the app but there were no data being transmitted. I could still set an alarm using the app and the watch still kept good time. I have had a long and good email conversation with the Withings support staff. We tried new batteries (plural, we tried two). We tried reloading the app. We tried resetting the watch to factory settings (it would not reset). They have finally declared that my watch has had a mechanical failure. It is out of warranty but they did offer me a 25% discount on a new Withings. I was pleased with the customer service but disappointed in the watch - I didn't expect it to last forever but I did expect it to last more than twenty months. I am going to take my rating down to two stars and probably buy a watch from a competitor. It makes me sad. I really liked the way the Withings Steel looked.

4 people found this helpful

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Photoguy

Nice but somewhat basic

Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2018

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

This is a good looking watch that simultaneously serves as an activity tracker. It tracks mostly two things: Your sleep and how much you walk. Everything else requires additional effort and/or additional gadgets. For instance, it won't recognize biking without you specifically telling it that you're biking, which is, of course, a huge pain. That said, both the sleep tracker and the step tracker are pretty good, though the sleep tracker is not always tracking correctly. I suspect that the app is easily confused, e.g. when you travel through different time zones. And sometimes, the sleep tracker does not register correctly when you fall asleep, thus producing wrong data. Fortunately, this doesn't happen very often. The customer service is not particularly responsive when being contacted about these issues. They appear to send more or less boiler plate responses without actually reacting to your concrete concern. I sent them a screen shot that showed an impossible recording (treating 7 hours of sleep as 40 minutes) and received some gibberish about how the watch won't track less than two hours than sleep. However, overall, the device works pretty well most of the time and allows you to get a pretty good idea about the length, depth, and quality of your sleep.

6 people found this helpful

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Aquabucks

a feature of my Fitbit that I enjoyed. Second

Reviewed in the United States on January 22, 2018

Color: Black/SilverVerified Purchase

I purchased this watch for 3 reasons. First I wanted the silent alarm...a feature of my Fitbit that I enjoyed. Second, this watch also has a replaceable battery and wrist band which is also really nice. The third reason was that I was expecting to be able to read the watch dial (instead of small digits) without my reading glasses. I got the black face thinking the contrast with the watch hands would be good. It's not. In many lighting situations the hands actually disappear! I have to keep moving the watch to get the angle just right so light reflects on the hands. Of course, it's not nearly as bad when I put my glasses on, but I purchased this watch partially because I thought I would not have to put my glasses on. I notified Nokia to ask if there was a way to swap hands with something more visible. They were quick to respond saying that they have had similar complaints but no fix as of yet. Another issue with the visibility is that there is no light on the face so no way to tell the time in the dark. These issues are not deal breakers for me. I think I'll try to see if a watch repair place can put white or luminou paint on the hands. It''ll void the warranty probably, but at least I'll be able to tell the time without putting on my readers.

33 people found this helpful

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