Withings announced its Move ECG hybrid smartwatch with the Apple Watch-rivalling feature back in January, and slated that it would launch in Q2 2019 - the period between March and July.
Now that we are almost into May, there's still no sign of it, so we reached out to Withings to get an update on whether it'll be sooner or later in that timescale. And, from the sounds of it, it looks like there's still a bit of a wait. Here's the official statement Withings provided us with:
"Move ECG is currently under review for CE and FDA clearance. While the timings of these approvals are out of the control of Withings and completely in the hands of regulators, we expect the process to be completed in the coming months, allowing us to get Move ECG onto the wrists of customers as soon as we can.”
Wareable verdict: Withings Move review
So, that could mean it still hits the intended launch window, but, like Apple, it will obviously need to make sure its ECG feature has the thumbs up from regulators in the US and Europe to start detecting signs associated with heart health issues, such as atrial fibrillation.
Apple launched the Watch Series 4 back in September 2018 with the built-in ECG feature, but the serious health monitoring feature wasn't switched on by Apple until the end of 2018. It then rolled out the feature on in more countries back in March.
It's clearly a process that does take time, and no doubt Withings wants to make sure it gets it right before people can start taking ECG readings from a hybrid for the first time.
How we test
By Michael Sawh
Michael Sawh has been covering the wearable tech industry since the very first Fitbit landed back in 2011. Previously the resident wearable tech expert at Trusted Reviews, he also marshaled the features section of T3.com.
He also regularly contributed to T3 magazine when they needed someone to talk about fitness trackers, running watches, headphones, tablets, and phones.
Michael writes for GQ, Wired, Coach Mag, Metro, MSN, BBC Focus, Stuff, TechRadar and has made several appearances on the BBC Travel Show to talk all things tech.
Michael is a lover of all things sports and fitness-tech related, clocking up over 15 marathons and has put in serious hours in the pool all in the name of testing every fitness wearable going. Expect to see him with a minimum of two wearables at any given time.