Smartwatches / Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) vs Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)
Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) vs Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)
Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)
FDA-cleared heart features for $249 — the best-value Apple Watch, with the worst battery here.
Wins overall by 0.6 points
Quick Verdict
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) takes this by a clear 0.6 points. FDA-cleared heart features for $249 — the best-value Apple Watch, with the worst battery here. The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) only makes sense if it wins on a category you care about more than the total.
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) and Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) are both current-generation smartwatch models, and the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) is $351 cheaper than the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) ($249 vs $599.95). On Ecosystem Freedom, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) leads (9.5 vs 1.0/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of the watch still works on a phone other than the maker's own. 10 means full parity on iOS and Android; 1 means one phone brand or nothing. On App Ecosystem, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads (10.0 vs 2.0/10) — whether there is a real third-party app store on the wrist or a handful of proprietary mini-apps. On Battery Life, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) leads (9.6 vs 4.5/10) — real endurance between charges, judged against what the claim actually assumes rather than the headline number. Overall, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores 7.0/10 across our 8 scoring categories versus 6.4/10 for the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm). 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 Nova Brilliant (39mm) | Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $599.95 | $249.00 |
| Release Year | 2025 | 2025 |
| Phone Compatibility | iOS and Android both fully supported — this is one of only three watches here that does not punish you for your phone choice. Nothing is gated to a Withings-branded handset because Withings does not make phones. | iPhone only. Requires iPhone 11 or later running iOS 26 or later. No Android support of any kind. |
| Claimed Battery Life (hrs) | 720✓ | 18 |
| What the Battery Claim Assumes | Sources conflict: Withings' own US shop page states 'up to 35 days'; the Amazon listing title states '30-Day Battery Life'. Either figure assumes the tiny greyscale sub-dial rather than a colour touchscreen, connected GPS (borrowing the phone's radio rather than its own), and no continuous SpO2. The 720 hours recorded here is the conservative 30-day reading. | Apple's 18 h figure assumes the same mixed-use day as Series 11 (90 time checks, 90 notifications, 15 min app use, 60 min workout) with the always-on display active and no LTE. Add overnight sleep tracking and you are charging twice a day. |
| Case Size (mm) | 39 | 40 |
| Display | Analogue hands over a small greyscale OLED sub-dial — there is no colour touchscreen | LTPO OLED, always-on (new to the SE line), up to 1000 nits |
| Operating System | Withings proprietary firmware (no third-party OS) | watchOS 26 |
| Third-Party Apps | None. There is no app store and no third-party apps — the watch shows a small greyscale sub-dial and notifications only. This is a health instrument in a dress-watch case, not a smartwatch platform. | Full on-device App Store — identical native watchOS catalogue to Series 11 and Ultra 3 |
| Health Features Enabled in the US | ECG with AFib detection, SpO2, 24/7 wrist temperature, respiratory scan, sleep staging with HRV, and cycle tracking — all available in the US. Withings' ECG holds regulatory clearance; the blood-pressure device Withings sells (BPM) is a separate cuff product, not part of this watch. | Live in the US: ECG, irregular rhythm notifications, sleep apnea notifications and hypertension notifications (FDA-cleared), plus wrist temperature. Blood Oxygen uses the same post-Masimo design as Series 11 — captured on the watch, calculated on the iPhone. There is no depth gauge and no skin-temperature-driven ovulation estimate beyond what Series 11 offers. |
| Subscription Wall | Withings+ is optional and includes a one-month trial. All baseline health data — ECG, SpO2, temperature, sleep score — is available without paying. Withings+ adds programmes, deeper reports and coaching. | None required; Apple Fitness+ ($9.99/mo) is optional. |
| LTE Option | No LTE variant exists; the watch has no cellular radio and no standalone GPS. | Separate SKU: Apple lists SE 3 GPS + Cellular at a $50 upcharge and it needs its own carrier line. The cellular 40mm has repeatedly been discounted to $249.99 at Amazon, closing the gap. |
| Water & Dust Rating | 5 ATM (50 m), swimproof | 50 m water resistant (WR50), IP6X dust resistant |
| Battery Replacement | Withings sells the watch as a sealed unit; there is no published consumer battery-replacement service, but at 30+ days per charge the cell sees a fraction of the cycles of a daily-charge watch. | Apple out-of-warranty battery service is a flat $99 — over a third of the watch's price. |
| Warranty | 24 months | 12 months |
| Colors | Two-tone gold and steel with cream dial, Silver steel with white dial | Midnight, Starlight |
Category Scores
Battery Life
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) leads clearly here, 9.6 against 4.5 — a 5.1-point margin on real endurance between charges, judged against what the claim actually assumes rather than the headline number. If that is what you are buying for, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Health Tracking
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads clearly here, 8.8 against 8.0 — a 0.8-point margin on depth of heart, sleep and body metrics that are genuinely enabled and cleared for use in the US. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Fitness & GPS
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads clearly here, 7.8 against 4.5 — a 3.3-point margin on workout tracking, GPS accuracy, sport modes and training analysis. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Ecosystem Freedom
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) leads clearly here, 9.5 against 1.0 — a 8.5-point margin on the category's trap dimension: how much of the watch still works on a phone other than the maker's own. 10 means full parity on iOS and Android; 1 means one phone brand or nothing. If that is what you are buying for, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) does not close the gap elsewhere.
App Ecosystem
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads clearly here, 10.0 against 2.0 — a 8.0-point margin on whether there is a real third-party app store on the wrist or a handful of proprietary mini-apps. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Display
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads clearly here, 7.4 against 3.0 — a 4.4-point margin on panel type, brightness, always-on behaviour and legibility in sunlight. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Build & Durability
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) leads clearly here, 9.4 against 7.6 — a 1.8-point margin on case and glass materials, water and dust ratings, and how well it survives daily wear. If that is what you are buying for, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Value
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) leads clearly here, 9.0 against 5.5 — a 3.5-point margin on what you get for the money once LTE upcharges and subscriptions are counted in. If that is what you are buying for, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) does not close the gap elsewhere.
Best For
Choose the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) if…
- • Ecosystem Freedom matters most to you — the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) scores 9.5/10 here (the category's trap dimension: how much of the watch still works on a phone other than the maker's own. 10 means full parity on iOS and Android; 1 means one phone brand or nothing).
- • Battery Life matters most to you — the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) scores 9.6/10 here (real endurance between charges, judged against what the claim actually assumes rather than the headline number).
- • Your main use case is android or long-battery.
Choose the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) if…
- • App Ecosystem matters most to you — the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores 10.0/10 here (whether there is a real third-party app store on the wrist or a handful of proprietary mini-apps).
- • Display matters most to you — the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores 7.4/10 here (panel type, brightness, always-on behaviour and legibility in sunlight).
- • Value matters most to you — the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores 9.0/10 here (what you get for the money once LTE upcharges and subscriptions are counted in).
- • You want to spend less — it's $351 cheaper.
Pros & Cons
Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm)
Pros
- +Works identically on iPhone and Android — no ecosystem trap at all
- +A month per charge versus a day for Apple and Samsung
- +Sapphire crystal, steel bracelet and Super-LumiNova on a watch that also runs an ECG
- +No subscription is needed to see any health metric
- +Two-year warranty
Cons
- −No app ecosystem whatsoever — notifications and a greyscale sub-dial are the entire smart layer
- −No on-board GPS: workouts borrow your phone's location, so you must carry the phone
- −$599.95 is Apple Watch Ultra money for a watch that cannot run a single third-party app
- −Withings' own page says 35 days and the Amazon listing says 30 — the maker's own claim is inconsistent
- −The Amazon ASIN here is the gold two-tone variant; confirm the finish before buying
Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)
Pros
- +Cheapest route to a US-enabled ECG plus hypertension and sleep apnea notifications
- +Same S10 chip and same watchOS 26 as the $399 Series 11 — the gap is display and sensors, not speed
- +Always-on display and fast charging finally arrive on the SE line
- +No subscription gates any metric, unlike the similarly-priced Fitbit Sense 2
Cons
- −18 hours is the shortest battery life of any watch in this comparison
- −1000-nit display is half the brightness of Series 11 and a sixth of Galaxy Watch Ultra2's
- −Aluminum only, two colours only, no titanium and no larger 46mm option
- −iPhone-only — worthless the day you switch to Android
Shop by Need
FAQs
Is the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) or Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) better overall?+
Based on our 8-category scoring, the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) 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 Ecosystem Freedom, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) or the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) scores higher on Ecosystem Freedom (9.5/10 vs 1.0/10) — the category's trap dimension: how much of the watch still works on a phone other than the maker's own. 10 means full parity on iOS and Android; 1 means one phone brand or nothing.
Which is better for App Ecosystem, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) or the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores higher on App Ecosystem (10.0/10 vs 2.0/10) — whether there is a real third-party app store on the wrist or a handful of proprietary mini-apps.
Which is better for Battery Life, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) or the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) scores higher on Battery Life (9.6/10 vs 4.5/10) — real endurance between charges, judged against what the claim actually assumes rather than the headline number.
Which is better for Display, the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) or the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) scores higher on Display (7.4/10 vs 3.0/10) — panel type, brightness, always-on behaviour and legibility in sunlight.
Is the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) worth the price difference over the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) is the cheaper option at $249 versus $599.95. Whether the pricier model is "worth it" depends on how much you value its lead in Ecosystem Freedom.
Which is better suited to my use case?+
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) is the better fit if you mainly care about android or long-battery. The Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) is the better fit for iphone.
What's the warranty on the Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) vs the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum)?+
The Withings ScanWatch Nova Brilliant (39mm) ships with a 24-month warranty; the Apple Watch SE 3 (40mm, GPS, Aluminum) 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
Garmin Venu 4 (41mm) — $549.99
Premium Option
Fitbit Sense 2 — $249.95
Specifications and prices for both products last verified . Scores are calculated from published specifications — see how we compare products.