Nokia has today announced that it is axing the widely known Withings brand and merging its healthcare hardware lineup under the Finnish company’s umbrella itself. This move had been announced way back in February at MWC 2017 when Nokia said that it was looking to get back into the consumer market under its own brand name. Thus, the Withings label has been removed from all of its product lineup from here on out.
Speaking on the brand upgrade, Cédric Hutchings, VP of Digital Health at Nokia & co-founder of Withings said:
The name change is just the beginning. We aim to take our vision of connected health even further with a number of exciting developments that will start rolling out this summer.
And that’s so very true. Nokia is not only encapsulating the French hardware maker’s products under its brand name. The Finnish giant is making some transitional changes, where a few products are being phased out and replaced with a couple new ones. It has decided to put to rest their old Aura Sleep tracker while taking the Withings Steel HR hybrid smartwatch off the market for a brand refresh. Delays are nothing new and Nokia plans to revive the smartwatch in a couple months.
It has further also mentioned that existing Withings products available in the market will continue to receive support and updates, of course, until they reach their final end. Nokia had acquired Withings back in April 2016 for a massive $192 million. With regards to the same, Hutchings in an official statement added,
Existing Withings products will continue to be supported with updates and improvements, all your data will still be available in our apps, and our team is committed to providing you with the best quality of service possible.
And as for the new products, we have a new BMI Wi-Fi scale and a soft cuff blood pressure monitor, under the Nokia brand. These append the existing lineup of similar products that were previously sold under the Withings brand name.
Starting off with the BMI Wi-Fi scale, which has aptly been named Nokia Body, is an upgraded addition to Withing’s existing scale lineup. The entire lineup has received a brand refresh, along with upgraded features where the new scale can now keep track of the weight, as well as BMI, of up to eight people.
This new scale is the most affordable and will cost you only $59.99 (or 50 pounds), which is way less the money you’d have to shell out to buy a high-end Nokia scale. It would require you to spend at least $100 to purchase the Body Cardio or Body Plus, which are packing an extra set of sensors.
As for the softer and more portable version of the company’s blood pressure monitor lineup, the Finnish giant today did also debut the Nokia BPM+. The company has laid focus on making the monitor more comfortable to use, thus, it has chosen a softer material over plastic this time around. It has designed for on-the-go monitoring and can store
The BPM+ has been designed for on-the-go monitoring and can store the heart and blood pressure readings when the device is not connected to the mobile. This device costs a hefty $129 (or 115 pounds) and is controlled using the Health Mate app, which has also bagged a significant redesign with this refresh.
The redesigned Nokia Health Mate app functions as the heart of the ecosystem by giving users a 360-degree view of their well-being.
The Health Mate, as expected, has been redesigned from the ground up and will now serve as the center of attraction for health and fitness enthusiasts. It has today launched a completely new and minimalistic interface, which makes it easier and more intuitive for the user to interact with their data. The app is compatible with both existing Withings products, as well as new Nokia health devices.
