Withings launched a new health and fitness tracker called the Pulse HR, which is now available for online purchase at $129.95 directly from the manufacturer’s website, with current shipping dates ranging from three to four weeks. The wearable boasts a heart rate monitor, activity tracking and sleep monitoring, GPS tracking when connected to a smartphone over Bluetooth, and up to twenty days of battery life on a single charge. The unit has a rectangular OLED display capable of showing relevant fitness information, as well as notifications for calls, messages, apps, and events from a connected smartphone.
The wearable’s name is already familiar since a device referred to as the Pulse HR was approved by the FCC last month, foreshadowing the tracker’s potential launch before the end of the year. Now that is official, all of the technical details surrounding the Pulse HR have been revealed, and the list includes a back case manufactured from 316L stainless steel coupled with a polycarbonate top case, as well as a silicone wristband attached via anodized aluminum hinges. The device weighs 45 grams and is water resistant at depths of up to 50 meters (165 feet), while also being capable of recognizing more than ten activities including swimming. It provides a variety of metrics including calories burned, number of steps, and distances traveled, while the PPG-based heart rate monitor can track BPMs at intervals or continuously while in workout mode. The wearable takes advantage of a MEMS 3-axis accelerometer, and sleep tracking is enriched with a silent vibrating alarm alongside a Smart Wake-up feature. The battery should last for up to twenty days on a single charge in normal mode, or up to five days in workout mode. The device charges through a magnetic connector and users can expect a full recharge in roughly two hours.
The Pulse HR is the first wearable released by the company since the Nokia Digital Health arm was sold back to Withings earlier this year after it was initially acquired by the Finnish tech giant back in 2016. Following the reacquisition last May, it was confirmed that the Withings brand would relaunch before the end of the year, and the Pulse HR is proof of the company’s efforts towards achieving this goal. The product seems to be feature-rich and competent for the fitness-tracker market, being priced lower than the $150 Fitbit Charge 3, although the aforementioned wearable does come with a SpO2 sensor on top of a heart rate monitor.
