Fitness Trackers / Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) vs Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) vs Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Nothing paywalled and the best data export in the category — but the GPS is your phone's.
Wins overall by 0.6 points
Quick Verdict
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) is the stronger all-round pick, ahead by 0.6 points. Nothing paywalled and the best data export in the category — but the GPS is your phone's.
The Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) and Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) are both closely matched fitness Tracker models, and the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) is $100 cheaper than the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) ($149.99 vs $249.95). On Battery Life, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) leads (9.5 vs 6.5/10) — real endurance once continuous heart rate, SpO2 and the always-on display are enabled, not just the headline figure.. On Subscription Freedom, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads (9.5 vs 8.0/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.. On Health Features, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads (7.0 vs 5.5/10) — depth of the health sensor suite and how much of it is FDA-cleared and enabled in the US.. Overall, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 6.9/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.3/10 for the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm). Below, we break down the full spec sheet, category-by-category scores, and exactly who should buy which one.
Side-by-Side Comparison
| Spec | Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) | Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $249.95 | $149.99 |
| Release Year | 2024 | 2022 |
| GPS | Connected GPS at best — the Amazon listing advertises 'Connected GPS' using the phone, while Withings' own shop spec sheet does not list GPS at all. Sources conflict; either way there is no GPS chip in the watch | Connected GPS — the band has no GPS chip and uses the paired phone's location for outdoor distance and route |
| Display | Analogue hands plus a 0.63-inch grayscale OLED sub-display (282 PPI) | OLED touchscreen, 66% larger than the vívosmart 4 (Garmin's press release does not state the panel dimensions) |
| Rated Battery Life ( days) | 30✓ | 7 |
| What the Battery Claim Assumes | Sources conflict: Withings' own shop page claims up to 35 days, while the Amazon listing title and launch coverage say 30 days. No SpO2 sensor is drawing power | 'Up to 7 days' in smartwatch mode. Garmin does not publish a separate figure for all-day Pulse Ox enabled, which is the setting that drains it fastest |
| Subscription Model | Optional — Withings+ adds cardiologist ECG review, the AI Health Assistant, NutriCare and Readiness scoring. One month is included. Withings does not publish the Withings+ price on its US product or subscription pages | None for anything on the device. Garmin Connect is free; the optional Garmin Connect+ tier adds AI summaries but gates nothing the vívosmart 5 measures |
| Annual Subscription Cost ($) | Not published on Withings' US Withings+ page | 0 |
| Water Resistance | 5 ATM / 50 m, swimproof | 5 ATM — Garmin rates it swim- and shower-proof |
| ECG / AFib & FDA Status | No ECG on the Light — Withings reserves ECG and AFib detection for ScanWatch 2 and Nova. The cardiologist ECG review sold under Withings+ therefore does not apply to this model | No ECG hardware and no AFib detection on this model — Garmin's ECG app is limited to its Venu/fenix lines |
| SpO2 Sensor | No — Withings explicitly omits the SpO2 sensor on the Light | Yes — Pulse Ox, spot-check, all-day or overnight |
| Phone Compatibility | iOS and Android via Withings Health Mate | iOS and Android via Garmin Connect |
| Charger | Proprietary magnetic puck | Proprietary 4-pin Garmin clip charger |
| Data Export | Health Mate offers a full account data export in CSV, and Withings publishes a developer API | Garmin Connect exports individual activities as GPX/TCX/CSV, offers a full account data export, and has a documented developer API |
| Warranty | 24 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Black & Silver, White & Rose Gold, Green, Blue | Black, White, Cool Mint |
Category Scores
Tracking Accuracy
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 8.0 against 7.0 — a 1.0-point margin on how closely steps, heart rate and sleep match reference devices — and how badly the optical sensor falls apart at high intensity.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Subscription Freedom
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 8.0 — a 1.5-point margin on the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Phone Independence
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 3.0 against 2.0 — a 1.0-point margin on how much the device can do with the phone left at home — a real GPS chip and on-wrist readouts score high, connected-GPS screenless bands score low.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Battery Life
The Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 6.5 — a 3.0-point margin on real endurance once continuous heart rate, SpO2 and the always-on display are enabled, not just the headline figure.. If that is what you are buying for, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Display & Usability
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 6.0 against 5.0 — a 1.0-point margin on screen size, brightness and how much you can actually read on the wrist mid-workout.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Health Features
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 7.0 against 5.5 — a 1.5-point margin on depth of the health sensor suite and how much of it is FDA-cleared and enabled in the US.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
App & Data Portability
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 8.0 — a 1.0-point margin on quality of the companion app and whether you can get your own data out in a documented format.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) leads clearly here, 6.5 against 5.5 — a 1.0-point margin on what the first year genuinely costs — purchase price plus any subscription needed for the advertised features.. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) if…
- • Battery Life matters most to you — the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) scores 9.5/10 here (real endurance once continuous heart rate, SpO2 and the always-on display are enabled, not just the headline figure.).
Choose the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) if…
- • Subscription Freedom matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 9.5/10 here (the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying.).
- • Health Features matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 7.0/10 here (depth of the health sensor suite and how much of it is FDA-cleared and enabled in the US.).
- • Tracking Accuracy matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 8.0/10 here (how closely steps, heart rate and sleep match reference devices — and how badly the optical sensor falls apart at high intensity.).
- • Phone Independence matters most to you — the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores 3.0/10 here (how much the device can do with the phone left at home — a real GPS chip and on-wrist readouts score high, connected-GPS screenless bands score low.).
- • You want to spend less — it's $100 cheaper.
Pros & Cons
Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm)
Pros
- +A month or more per charge, by far the longest run time in this comparison
- +Stainless steel and real analogue hands — it passes as a watch, not a fitness band
- +CSV account export and a public API make your data genuinely portable
- +Two-year warranty and HSA/FSA eligibility
Cons
- −$249.95 buys no ECG, no SpO2 and no GPS chip — the 'Light' name is doing a lot of work
- −Sources conflict on both battery life (30 vs 35 days) and whether connected GPS is supported at all
- −The Withings+ features most people want, including cardiologist ECG review, need hardware this model does not have
- −Withings does not publish the Withings+ price on its US pages, so the real cost of ownership is unclear at purchase
- −The 0.63-inch grayscale sub-display shows very little at a glance
Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)
Pros
- +Nothing it measures is paywalled — Body Battery, stress, sleep and Pulse Ox are all free, forever
- +Best data portability in the category: per-activity GPX/TCX/CSV plus a documented API
- +Bands are genuinely user-replaceable and come in two wrist sizes
- +Garmin Connect's training and sleep history is deeper than anything Fitbit gives away free
Cons
- −$149.99 for connected GPS only — the $159.95 Fitbit Charge 6 has a real GPS chip for $10 more
- −Four years old with no successor, and the screen is small and dim next to a $52 Xiaomi band
- −Garmin does not publish what all-day Pulse Ox does to the 7-day battery claim
- −No ECG, no AFib detection, no exercise-equipment heart-rate broadcast
- −Yet another proprietary clip charger
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) or Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) comes out ahead overall. See the full breakdown in the scores section above — the right pick still depends on which categories matter most for your use case.
Which is better for Battery Life, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) scores higher on Battery Life (9.5/10 vs 6.5/10) — real endurance once continuous heart rate, SpO2 and the always-on display are enabled, not just the headline figure..
Which is better for Subscription Freedom, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Subscription Freedom (9.5/10 vs 8.0/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of what you paid for keeps working without a membership. A 10 means nothing is paywalled; a 1 means the hardware is unusable the moment you stop paying..
Which is better for Health Features, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Health Features (7.0/10 vs 5.5/10) — depth of the health sensor suite and how much of it is FDA-cleared and enabled in the US..
Which is better for Tracking Accuracy, the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) or the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) scores higher on Tracking Accuracy (8.0/10 vs 7.0/10) — how closely steps, heart rate and sleep match reference devices — and how badly the optical sensor falls apart at high intensity..
Is the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) worth the price difference over the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) is the cheaper option at $149.99 versus $249.95. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Battery Life.
What's the warranty on the Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) vs the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022)?+
The Withings ScanWatch Light (37mm) ships with a 24-month warranty; the Garmin vívosmart 5 (2022) ships with a 12-month warranty. Always confirm current terms on the manufacturer's site before buying.
Should I wait for the next model instead of buying either of these?+
If either model is more than two years old, a successor may be close — check the "Latest Model" link on each product page. Otherwise, both are current, well-supported options and there's no strong reason to wait.
Cheaper Option
Polar Loop (2025) — $199.99
Premium Option
Fitbit Charge 6 (2023) — $159.95
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.