Can the best smart scale help you reach your fitness goals faster? While it is true that your weight tells a lot about your fitness, it does not tell the whole story. A variety of other metrics can further determine and track fitness levels far more accurately. This is where having a smart scale comes in handy. But are they worth the extra expense?
Here we have reviewed 5 of the best selling and most popular smart bathroom scales available today:
- FitBit Aria 2 Smart Scale
- Withings Body+ Smart Scale
- FitTrack Smart BMI Digital Scale
- Runcobo Wifi Smart Scale
- RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale
Continue reading for more information and their reviews.
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What Is A Smart Scale?
Smart scales are designed to help users accurately measure and track numerous fitness metrics. They include Body Mass Index (BMI), lean body mass, muscle mass, water percentage and body fat percentage among others.
Did you know smart scales rely on the use of BIA (bioelectrical impedance analysis). In simple terms, the scales use a small and safe electric pulse to evaluate the body’s resistance levels. Smart scales send a low grade electrical current through the body and then measure the body’s resistance.
Electric current travels faster through the bones and water in the body than it does through fat. Fat has a significantly lower amount of water. The scales use a variety of proprietary software/equations to estimate the amount of muscle mass, bone tissue or fat in our bodies.
To send the electrical pulse into our bodies, smart scales are fitted with two or four electrodes. You must stand, barefoot, on these electrodes for the scale to work. As a general rule, scales with four electrodes are much more accurate than those with two electrodes.
Are Smart Scales Worth It?
What makes a scale smarter than the others? It is all about the features. Data collected by a smart scale can be automatically sent to an app on a smartphone. There it is viewed, shared, analyzed and stored for future reference.
While most smart weight scales come with their own freely available app; Only some are able to sync with other popular apps already on the market. Optional integrations could include Fitbit, Apple Health, Samsung Health or Google Fit.
Before choosing a smart scale, it is recommended that you take the time to find out whether it is compatible with any app(s) you might be using or intending to use.
Our 5 bathroom scale picks are listed below. For more information on other smart home gadgets, visit my smart home blog posts.
FitBit Aria 2 Smart Scale
Designed to better help users monitor their fitness by tracking a variety of metrics, including weight, lean mass, percentage of body fat and BMI, the Fitbit Aria is considered to be one of the most effective smart scales on the market. In addition, it is a perfect complement to a Fitbit tracker.
According to the manufacturer, up to 70 percent of those who choose to buy the scale lose weight in the first six months of use!
One of the things I like about this Fitbit smart scale is the fact that it is supports up to 8 users. For privacy purposes, each individual user’s data can only be seen by the user and no one else.
To synchronize the data collected with the Fitbit app on your smartphone, the scale makes use of your secure home Wi-Fi connection. With Wi-Fi connectivity, you can sync your weigh in data with your smartphone from just about any location.
Finally, the sleek design of the Fitbit Aria 2, with its polished glass surface, is attractive to the eye and will be a stylish addition to any space.
It is however worth mentioning that even though the manufacturer states that setup is a breeze, the patchy software can make this otherwise straightforward step challenging. However, once the device is set up, its operation is effortless and reliable.
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Withings Body+ Smart Scale
Another established name in the smart scale market segment, Withings Body+. It is known for its accuracy when it comes to monitoring fitness levels. In addition to measuring body weight to an accuracy of 100g, this smart scale also measures percentage of body fat, water and bone mass.
All of the data collected by the scale during every weigh in is automatically synchronized via Wi-Fi and made available on the Health Mate app. I really like the fact that this scale is compatible with up to 100 fitness tracking apps, including Google Fit, Fitbit and Apple Health.
Since it is designed to accommodate up to 8 individual users, from babies to adults and even pregnant women, this scale is great for families. The scale is capable of identifying each individual user, linking them with their historical fitness data every time they use it.
Finally, to increase its usefulness, and ensure that owners use this scale on a regular basis, Withings Body+ also displays the daily weather forecast.
FitTrack Smart BMI Digital Scale (Dara)
To perfectly monitor your fitness you have to know more about your body, not just your weight. This FitTrack Dara scale will help you do exactly this. It is designed to help users monitor up to 17 different metrics, including obesity levels, BMI and muscle mass among others. The smart scale automatically syncs all the data collected with their integrated iOS and Android app via Bluetooth. You can then use the app to monitor the data or sync it with other fitness apps such as Apple Health and Google Fit.
One of the standout features I liked most about this scale is the separate Athlete Mode. This feature makes it possible for individuals who exercise a lot to monitor their fitness more accurately given their unique body type and elevated BMI and metabolism levels.
The FitTrack Dara also makes fitness a family affair with its ability to accommodate 8 different users, ranging from infants to adults.
On the downside, the scale’s in-built screen only displays weight. To see all the other measurements taken by the scale you need to have their app installed and working on your smartphone.
Runcobo Wifi Smart Scale
Measuring, transferring and monitoring your fitness data is now effortless with the Runcobo smart scale. It tracks up to 14 different fitness metrics, like BMI, protein, water percentage, bone and muscle mass among others. In addition, the scale can help users keep track of every change in their physical fitness.
To ensure that you can sync your fitness data after every weigh in, the scale supports both Bluetooth and Wi-Fi (2.4 GHz) sync. Users can switch between these connections; when only one connection is available the scale automatically switches to it to ensure data transmission.
The synchronized data can be seen using the RUNCOBO app which is available for iOS and Android devices. The data can also be exported to other fitness apps once it has been synchronized with their app.
The most significant advantage of this smart scale, in my opinion, is that it can accommodate an unlimited number of individual users. This feature makes it a great fit for families as well as commercial gyms.
RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat Scale
The RENPHO Bluetooth Body Fat smart scale is designed to help users track 13 different metrics related for body fitness. The scale displays weight only. The rest of the metrics, including water percentage, bone mass and BMI among others, are displayed on your smartphone. This is performed via the RENPHO app. The smart scale is also compatible with a variety of fitness apps, including Google Fit and Apple Health.
Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity ensures that the scale can transfer data collected to the app in your smartphone. This helps you to track your progress. The scale also synchronizes with your phone whenever it is connected. This means that you do not have to keep your phone in hand whenever you weigh in.
I also like that the RENPHO app makes it possible for the scale to accommodate an unlimited number of users. It’s therefore suitable for families and fitness gyms.
I love the price.
As great as this smart scale sounds, I found it to be lacking in a number of ways. For starters synchronization is only possible through a Bluetooth connection. Secondly, the scale only displays weight, while the rest is displayed on the phone app.
