Withings BodyScan 2 review: Tracking practically everything about your health and longevity, at a premium price

Tom's Guide Verdict The Withings BodyScan 2 is a premium smart scale that's hard to fault for the sheer number of metrics it spits out, as well as the deep integration with other first- and third-party products. It's certainly not for everyone, and the steep price and ongoing subscription mean those who just want a casual top-level view of their health should look elsewhere. For amateur and professional athletes, though, this is a very desirable piece of tech. Pros +Huge range of health markers tracked +Seamless integration with fitness trackers and apps +Premium design and a nicely-segmented app experience +The ability to add up to 8 different users Cons -Very expensive -Additional subscription costs $99 per year Why you can trust Tom's Guide Our writers and editors spend hours analyzing and reviewing products, services, and apps to help find what's best for you. Find out more about how we test, analyze, and rate. Jump To: Cheat sheet Specs Price & availability Design & display Getting started Weigh-in, app and features Compatibility and limitations Verdict Unless you're training for your next marathon or your doctor has very specific concerns about your health, you're going to take some convincing about whether or not the Withings BodyScan 2 is for you.At $599 / £495, it's an expensive contender for our list of the best smart scales. But if you're prepared to invest in it, the BodyScan 2 can become an at-home laboratory for monitoring almost every aspect of your day-to-day health and fitness.The BodyScan 2 takes measurements its predecessor offered (things like body fat, muscle, basal metabolic rate, and water mass) and turbocharges them. You can drill down into a total of 60 different biomarkers subdivided into various categories and track their changes across time.The BodyScan 2 is also, to my knowledge, the first smart scale to spot signs of potential hypertension. And while it's not meant as a diagnostic tool to replace a professional physician, there's a very real chance it could become a life-saving feature in some circumstances. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)In fact, the amount of data on offer can be dizzying. Do you really need to know that your skeletal muscle mass is 44.7% or that you have a nerve response score of 75? Or, perhaps more accurately, do you need to know these metrics when alternatives like the Garmin Index S2 or Withings' own Body Comp will give you enough actionable information for less than half the price?And if you want to unlock the full functionality of the Withings BodyScan 2, you're going to want to pair it with one of the best fitness trackers or an Apple or Garmin smartwatch, as well as sign up for the $99-per-year subscription.What you get in return is probably the most accomplished and inclusive at-home health device on the market right now. So let's break down exactly what it offers and whether or not you need it in this full review.Tom's Guide: Direct to Your InboxGet instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.Withings BodyScan 2: Cheat sheetWho is it for? Anyone who wants the most granular health information, a centralized hub for a multitude of different devices, and doesn't mind spending big to get it.What does it do well? Measures a dizzying array of health metrics (with more to come) in an effort to inspire lifestyle changes to increase longevity.What are its weaknesses? Not all features are live yet, and some features are locked behind the Withings+ subscription tier.What should you use it for? Training to hit a very specific goal or to manage long-term health issues like diabetes.Withings BodyScan 2: SpecsSwipe to scroll horizontallyPrice$599/£449Dimensions135 x 140 x 2 inchesAndroid/iOSBothMax users8Stats15Max weight 440 poundsSupported fitness apps100+ including Apple Health and Google FitBatteriesRechargeable USB-C battery, up to 1 year per chargeConnectivityBluetooth and Wi-FiWithings BodyScan 2: Price & availability The Withings BodyScan 2 is available to buy directly from withings.com in the United States for $599.95. Other retailers, such as Amazon, are likely to stock the scale in the future, too.Over in the U.K, the BodyScan 2 is available for £449.95 directly from withings.com, and will be available from select retailers like Amazon, Boots, and Currys in due course.Like other Withings products, you can purchase a Withings+ subscription alongside it. You'll get the first three months for free, then you're looking at $99/£89 per year. The BodyScan 2 comes with a two-year warranty.Withings BodyScan 2 review: Design & displayThe Withings BodyScan 2 is constructed with a sleek tempered glass design, weighs 4.8 kg / 10 lbs and features a retractable handle that magnetically attaches to the top of the scale when you're not using it to take a measurement.The company has moved the bright LCD display from the scale — where it was on the original Body Scan — to the handle. This makes it much easier to read as it guides you through its various measurements.On the underside of the handle are two stainless steel electrodes that work in conjunction with the eight Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) electrodes in the glass plate taking your measurements. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)The handle itself is attached via a fabric cord, and beneath the LCD are two indentations containing sensors where your thumbs naturally rest. (Image credit: Withings)The platform measures 135 x 140 x 2 inches (342 x 356 x 5 cm), so even if you have big feet, you should be able to stand on it comfortably. Markings on the glass (the eight horizontal lines correspond to the electrodes) help you position your feet correctly, and the weight limit goes up to 440 pounds (200kg).Running along the base of the scale are two non-stick, rubberized strips that keep it from wobbling and also won't mark your floor. Like any scale, the BodyScan 2 isn't suitable for carpeted floors. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Around the back is the power button, which also lets you change the units of the scale from lbs to kg depending on your preference. Next to the button is a single USB-C port that charges the scale's internal battery. Withings says the BodySmart 2 will run for an entire year on a single battery charge. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)I have to say this looks and feels like a premium piece of consumer technology, but it's not immune to smudging and flakes of dust that get left behind on the glass. Withings recommends that users clean the glass plate and handle electrodes before every weigh-in with a cloth dampened with warm water.Withings BodyScan 2 review: Getting startedGetting started with the BodyScan 2 is an extremely simple process: you start up the scales by holding the power button for three seconds and pair it with the Withings app (available on iOS and Android) via a code displayed on the LCD screen.The scale will also connect to your Wi-Fi network for a more seamless link and to keep itself updated when necessary. That Wi-Fi connection also means it can upload your data directly to the Withings cloud servers immediately after you step off. You won't need to always have your phone nearby and connected via Bluetooth to see the results.You can add up to eight users on the scale, which can include child profiles for members of your family under 16. Once the primary account holder is up and running, they can share an invite (or show a QR code) to another family member who can then complete their own setup and measurements while keeping their health data separate. (Image credit: Withings)Child profiles must be managed by the account holder and omit certain measurements like body composition, vascular age and ECG.When you're actually standing on the scale and gripping the handle, you get a small graphic on the LCD screen — a small yellow circle that lights green within a larger one — to help you position yourself. (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Before you dive in and start taking measurements, you're going to want to link the Withings BodyScan 2 to any other fitness trackers or health apps you may use. That's because although the scale pulls in a ton of data on its own, it can leverage all the information from the best Apple Watches or the best Garmin watches to become a one-stop shop for your daily, weekly, or monthly health tracking.Withings BodyScan 2 review: Weigh-in, app and featuresStepping onto the scale and pulling up the handle will cause the BodyScan 2 to automatically recognize you and begin running you through the "longevity assessment." That's right, the buzzword around the BodyScan 2 isn't "health," "wellness," "vitality" — it's longevity.Over the course of the 90-second weigh-in, the LCD takes you through a variety of tests, including weight, body composition, a medical-grade 6-lead ECG and your nerve response.All contain handy traffic light-style graphics and, in the case of the ECG and nerve response test, a countdown timer. These top-level measurements are just the tip of the longevity iceberg. Once they're fed through to the app, you can start digging into the data even further. (Image credit: Withings)For instance, the ECG measures arterial stiffness and cardiac output (basically your heart's ability to pump blood to your organs) as well as any irregular heart rhythms. The former gives you a "Vascular Age" while the latter is on the lookout for a possible hypertension alert.Hypertension, caused by high blood pressure, is a leading cause of strokes and, according to the CDC, can affect nearly half (45%) of Americans. Withings is quick to recommend that any hypertension alerts from the scales are confirmed with a clinically validated blood pressure monitor and consultation with a healthcare professional.I'm a committed runner and non-smoker who just cracked 40 years on the planet, so it's nice to see that after five measurements my vascular age settled in at 37. My sinus rhythm, heart rate and oxygen saturation are all healthy, with a nice big green tick next to them in the Withings app. Alongside the age of your heart, you can get assessed on its responsiveness and efficiency. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Jeff Parsons)But here's what I mean about deep-diving: beyond those stats, I can see my heart responsiveness (how quickly it starts pumping after receiving the electrical signal to beat) could be improved, while its efficiency (how long the main chamber spends actively pushing blood out with each beat) is within the expected range for my age.This granularity is great — but I'm a writer, not an athlete. It may not be so for you, but for me these are bells and whistles I can do without in exchange for a lower price.Many people will be interested in a set of smart scales for the body composition feature. This tells you how much of your body is muscle and how much is fat. Withings makes this really easy to see with a 3D body silhouette, giving a precise breakdown and letting you toggle between fat and muscle. Body fat percentage and muscle mass are segmented into arms, legs and torso along with details like your skeletal muscle mass and water mass. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Jeff Parsons)This kind of feedback is great for constructing a tailored fitness plan. Perhaps you regularly play tennis right-handed and, as a result, you're neglecting the biceps and triceps on your left arm. Or maybe you ignore leg day a little too often — the BodyScan 2 will confirm this for you.The BodyScan 2 uses a proprietary 13-frequency Bioimpedance Spectroscopy (BIS) system to deliver independent fat mass and muscle mass readings for each of the six body segments: right arm, left arm, trunk, right leg, left leg, and core. To get back to that "longevity" buzzword again, everyone knows that muscle mass begins to decrease with age, so Withings hopes this will help you keep tabs on that and adjust accordingly.In practice, over five measurements, I saw my body fat percentage vary between 6.8% and 8.7% (I expect this to settle down with future measurements) while my muscle mass oscillated between 88.6% and 86.7%. Meanwhile, my BMI, skeletal muscle mass and water mass are all good — green ticks all around.My feeling is that it's still too early (five measurements over the course of two weeks) to really put hard faith in these numbers as it stands. I will continue to track the metrics over the next few months and update this review as appropriate.One cool feature (unfortunately locked behind the Withings+ subscription) is called BodyPath, and this allows you to set a weight loss/gain goal and have the scales guide you towards it. You can log meals (calories consumed) and workouts (calories burned) to help you see your progress mapped out on a graph. As I said, if you want to go granular, these are the smart scales for you. BodyPath is a premium Withings+ feature that lets you set a target weight and then work to achieve it. (Image credit: Tom's Guide / Jeff Parsons)To list all the features available here would take days, but Withings has seemingly thought of everything: you can log your mood in a health journal, add notes to your logged workouts and share access to your Withings Health Record with your doctor or healthcare professional at your next checkup.Finally, there's also an AI-powered health assistant that will crunch all the data for you and talk to you about your overall health and longevity.Withings BodyScan 2 review: Compatibility and limitations (Image credit: Tom's Guide)As I've already alluded to, the Withings app will go far beyond just what the BodyScan 2 can pull in for you. In fact, it supports over 100 compatible third-party apps like Apple Health, Google Fit, Strava and MyFitnessPal. The BodyScan 2 can't, after all, measure the number of steps you've taken in a day or how much you slept last night.Furthermore, the Withings ecosystem is a deep and expensive rabbit hole you can fall very far down if you're inclined to. The company offers a sleep mat that slips under your pillow, a blood pressure arm cuff and even a toilet-mounted sensor that picks up biomarkers from your pee.The point I'm trying to make here is that while the BodyScan 2 is a powerhouse health tracking device and the most informative I've ever used, it's also not the complete package some people may be hoping for, considering the asking price.Meanwhile, the $99-per-year Withings+ subscription is another factor you'll want to consider if you want to unlock advanced metrics like predictive "Health Trajectory" scores, the BodyPath feature I mentioned earlier and remote cardiologist reviews of your ECG scans.Not every feature is also available on the BodyScan 2 right now. During my testing, the Glucose Resilience and Diabetes Risk Score measurements weren't accessible. These features, like the hypertension alerts, could be worth the price of admission alone for anyone concerned about or managing diabetes.I obviously wasn't able to test them, but according to Withings, Glucose Resilience uses two independent signals (nerve health measured via Electrodermal Skin Conductance and visceral fat levels) to see how "your daily habits shape your metabolic wellness over time, so you can make informed lifestyle choices."When I pressed the company on when this feature will arrive, I was told it "will roll out in the Withings+ app before the end of 2026." (Image credit: Tom's Guide)Withings says the Diabetes Risk Score is a medical feature currently going through European regulatory clearance to — as you'd expect — give users a score of their risk of developing type 2 diabetes.Again, the CDC estimates that around 11 million Americans are currently suffering from undiagnosed type 2 diabetes. And nearly 80% of people with prediabetes are unaware they have it. The condition can remain symptom-free for nine to 12 years before progressing to type 2 diabetes.Acting at the reversible stage cuts the risk of developing the disease by more than half, so having a piece of tech like this in your home could, quite literally, save your life. It's just a shame that Withings couldn't have this feature ready to go at launch, but I understand that clearing regulations can take a whole lot of time.Withings BodyScan 2 review: Verdict (Image credit: Tom's Guide)My thoughts on the Withings BodyScan 2 after the best part of two weeks testing it are easy to quantify. I love the number of features, the depth of analysis and the intuitive companion app that works with tons of other health services.At the same time, I'm not blind to the amount of money you'll need to invest in other wearables, Withings products and a subscription fee to get the most out of it.The BodyScan 2 is clearly the best premium smart scale out there when it comes to those who value health above all else. I'm thinking of pro (or semi-pro) athletes, personal trainers and those who need to manage an ongoing health condition. Specifically, having ready access to early hypertension or diabetes alerts could genuinely help save someone's life.Of course, anyone who just needs a casual steer on their body fat percentage would be best advised to pick up a cheaper alternative, like Withings' own Body Comp. It's less than half the price of the BodyScan 2 and still lets you tap into the excellent Withings Health app.Alternatively, the Wyze Scale X will use bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to give you body fat percentage and bone mass for less than fifty bucks. You can pair that with one of the best fitness trackers for around $100, and you're off to the races with your wallet still intact.But that shouldn't diminish the fact that Withings has built a verifiable health laboratory with this product. The BodyScan 2 is easily the most comprehensive piece of health tech I've used, even with some of its features yet to land. I'll continue to test it over the coming months and will update this review with any relevant findings. Jeff is UK Editor-in-Chief for Tom’s Guide looking after the day-to-day output of the site’s British contingent.A tech journalist for over a decade, he’s travelled the world testing any gadget he can get his hands on. Jeff has a keen interest in fitness and wearables as well as the latest tablets and laptops. A lapsed gamer, he fondly remembers the days when technical problems were solved by taking out the cartridge and blowing out the dust. You must confirm your public display name before commenting Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.