Withings BodyScan 2 review: Would you spend €500 on keeping tabs on your health?

Withings BodyScan 2      Price: €499.95Where To Buy: WithingsYou might have thought that the Withings BodyScan 2 is a simple weighing scale, the type that usually gathers dust in the bathroom because no one really wants – or needs – to weigh themselves on a regular basis.You would be wrong. This isn’t a scale, it declares. It’s a longevity station. Longevity that will cost you a cool €500. If you are confused, welcome to the club. I mean, it looks like a scale, albeit a fancy one with a retractable handle that has its own display and a colour screen so you can find out how much of your body it deems is muscle, water and fat, and you can keep track of whatever it is that you feel you need to monitor. But what does that have to with longevity?A lot, apparently. The BodyScan 2 doesn’t just measure your body composition. It has the equivalent of a six-lead ECG, a blood oxygen sensor, the ability to measure muscle and fat across six zones and monitors the nerves in your feet. There is a lot built into what looks like a fairly standard scales, including metabolic measurements that estimate your basal calorie rate, hypertension notifications and flagging diabetic or heart issues before they become a problem. READ MOREIt measures vascular age, which looks at the stiffness of your arteries. Not only do they stiffen as you age, but that can also happen as a result of heart disease. The BodyScan 2 measures the speed of the blood pressure wave along the arteries and gives you a score – ideally younger than your heart age, although being in line with your chronological age is considered good. But I’m getting ahead of myself. The BodyScan 2 has two modes. The first is the daily scan, which is a quick check-in on your weight, body composition and a quick check of your heart and arteries. The second is the longevity scan, which looks at your metabolic and cardiovascular health. That is scheduled for once a week, although you can take it more regularly if you see the need. That adds the ECG in to the mix, along with nerve response in your feet, and generally takes a little longer on the scale. You can switch between the two by using the electrodes on the retractable handle as buttons, and all the data is funnelled quickly to the Withings app on your phone for tracking trends etc over wifi. In measuring body composition, Withings says it is accurate for weight to within 50g and the body fat readings had a 99 per cent correlation to a medical Dexa scan, which is a body composition scan usually used to measure bone density. [ Woojer Vest 4 review: This vibrating vest might be the weirdest gadget I’ve ever reviewedOpens in new window ]What really made the BodyScan 2 useful for me personally was that it splits your body into six zones – torso, arms, legs and visceral fat – and measures the composition of each. You can see how much muscle and fat is in each area – with the exception of visceral which only measures fat – and see how each has changed over the weeks and months. It avoided labelling me with anything negative (a previous test scale described my body type as “sturdy and obese” and I’ve never recovered from that), instead opting for body profiles that range from “elite” and “powerhouse” to “room to build” and “at risk”. They are colour-coded too, with green, orange and red indicating your rating. Measuring glucose resilience – a premium feature that comes with a Withings+ subscription – on a scale was a new one for me. The measure reflects how well your body manages your blood sugar, using your visceral fat and nerve response score. The idea is that the Withings system will flag any potential issues before they become a real problem; that is outside the scope of this review, though, as it might take years before it could be tested fully. All that comes at a stiff price. Withings devices tend to come in at the more premium end of the price scale, and the BodyScan 2 is no exception. But who can put a price on their health? (Withings can, it’s just under €500.) GoodThe BodyScan 2 measures a significant number of data points, from the muscle mass in your legs to your blood oxygen level. Crunch all those numbers into the app and you can get some useful trends and insights that can keep you on the right track to meet your health goals. It also avoids too many negative labels for body types. “At risk” is the lowest rating for muscle and the highest rating for body fat. Other ratings are “softened” and “robust”, neither of which carry the stigma of the previously mentioned “sturdy and obese” label slapped on my body type by a particularly snarky scale. [ Litter Robot 4 review: Fed up with scooping cat litter? Try thisOpens in new window ]BadIf you are looking for something simply to measure weight and body composition, this scale is going to be overkill. You can get those measurements from a scale spending less than €50, rather than €500. Some features are gated behind a subscription, but not any of the essentials. Everything else The six-zone measurement also looks at muscle composition, which Withings is pitching not only to those who want to measure their body composition in detail but also for people on GLP-1s to keep an eye on potential muscle loss. The battery is rechargeable, which means no searching through the junk drawer every few months, and it uses a USB C cable. Verdict If you have a need for the extra data and indicators the BodyScan 2 provides, this might be a price you are willing to pay. It might save you money in the long run. But for those who just need the basics, this will be a pricey bathroom addition.