Does the Withings Move have a heart rate monitor?

Withings Move on swimmer

Does the Withings Move have a heart rate monitor?

Best Answer: No. The Withings Move keeps track of many things, but heart rate is not one of them. The Withings Move will seamlessly track your fitness activities and a built in GPS. Withings is also releasing the Move ECG later in the year, which has a built in ECG monitor, but it won't be able to track continuous heart rate, unfortunately.Get a move on: Withings Move ($70 at Amazon)Fitness and Heart Monitor: Fitbit Inspire HR ($100 at Amazon)The whole package: Apple Watch Series 4 44mm ($414 at Amazon)

No tracking my heart rate with Withings Move?

Unfortunately not. The Withings Move is an affordable analog watch with built-in fitness tracking features and it costs a fraction of other smart watches, including Apple Watch.

One of the standout features of the Withings Move is the outstanding battery life, which lasts up to 18 months on a single coin battery. If it had continuous heart rate monitoring, you definitely would not be getting such amazing battery life.

So, what does the Withings Move keep track of?

The Withings Move is a simple, bare-bones fitness tracker that will count your calories, steps, sleep patterns. It also has GPS built-in so you can see where you walked, ran, or cycled. While it looks like a regular watch, it's actually smart enough to automatically detect when you walk, run, swim, or bike. There are also 10 other activities that it automatically recognizes, so you don't even need to manually start a workout to keep track of your activity.

If you're doing an activity that isn't automatically detected, don't worry! Withings Move supports over 30 other different types of physical activity so you can choose what you're doing from the list and start keeping track. The Withings Move tracks your burned calories and even distance, plus the integrated GPS lets you see your own path.

Sleep tracking is also a big part of the Withings Move. It can detect your light and deep sleep cycles, any interruptions in your slumber, plus sleep depth and regularity. You get a sleep score every morning based on your rest from the night, and there is Smart Wake-Up with a silent alarm.

How do I view all of the data?

The Withings Move syncs all collected data back to the Withings Health Mate app. You'll see all of your information displayed in clean bar graphs in the app and your sleep scores are highlighted each day.

This information is also what you should use when checking out Withings Wellness Programs, which are coaching programs that help guide you on the road to better health. They are all optional, but they can definitely help you improve your own results. All of the data collected from the Withings Move that goes into the Health Mate app also get synced with Apple Health.

How about the Withings Move ECG?

Withings Move ECG is a different version of the Move that is coming out later this year. The Withings Move ECG is pretty much identical to the Move, except there's an ECG icon on the watch face and you get the built-in ECG monitor. The ECG is helpful in detecting atrial fibrillation, a common heart rhythm disorder that can lead to heart failure and is a risk for stroke.

Since it includes ECG, it only has 12-month battery life, which is six months short of the regular Move. Including advanced features like an ECG monitor already reduce the previously amazing battery life, so including continuous heart rate monitoring will only shorten it further.

The Move ECG will only be able to do ECG, which is activated by placing your fingers on the watch case, and in 20 seconds it'll record an electrocardiogram. Since the Move ECG only does ECG readings on-demand, it's not the same as a 24/7 heart rate monitor. For that, you'll want something like an Apple Watch or even one of the new Fitbits.

Christine Chan

Christine Romero-Chan was formerly a Senior Editor for iMore. She has been writing about technology, specifically Apple, for over a decade at a variety of websites. She is currently part of the Digital Trends team, and has been using Apple’s smartphone since the original iPhone back in 2007. While her main speciality is the iPhone, she also covers Apple Watch, iPad, and Mac when needed.

When she isn’t writing about Apple, Christine can often be found at Disneyland in Anaheim, California, as she is a passholder and obsessed with all things Disney, especially Star Wars. Christine also enjoys coffee, food, photography, mechanical keyboards, and spending as much time with her new daughter as possible.