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Other smart scales
Renpho MorphoScan for $150: The Renpho MorphoScan full body scanner looks strikingly similar to the Runstar FG2015, including an almost identical screen attached to the handlebars. Well, spoiler alert, they’re basically the same scale. They even use the same app to collect data (and you can even use both scales simultaneously). The only reason this scale isn’t our top pick in this category is that it costs $15 more. You can rest assured that a price war is looming.
Arboleaf CS20W Body Fat Scale for $40: This affordable Bluetooth scale isn’t the most eye-catching one I’ve tested, due to its large silver electrodes and oversized screen that looks a bit garish. While weight is easy to determine, the six additional statistics presented are difficult to read, all displayed at once. I like the Arboleaf app better than the scale, where five additional measurements can be found in addition to the seven above, each with a helpful explanation when you tap on it. It’s a bargain at this price, but it’s probably wise to skip the upsell to get a “smart interpretation report” for $40 more per year.
Hume Health Body Pod for $183: Hume Health’s Body Pod, another full-body scanner with handles, is heavily advertised – at least in the apps on my phone – and is touted (by Hume) as the next big thing in the world of body management. While the app was indeed shiny and inviting, I was shocked to discover how flimsy the hardware was, that it lacked Wi-Fi, and that some features were locked behind a $100-per-year Hume Plus subscription plan. It works quite well, but you can get equally good results with a cheaper device.
Garmin Index S2 for $191: Five years after its release, the Index S2 is still Garmin’s current model, a surprise for an otherwise fitness-obsessed company. It’s still notable for its beautiful color screen, which guides you through its six body measurements (for up to 16 users) with each weigh-in. The screen also shows your weight over time graphically and can even show the weather. The scale connects directly to Wi-Fi and Garmin’s cloud-based storage system, so you don’t need a phone nearby to track your progress like with Bluetooth-only scales. A phone running the Garmin Connect app (Android, iOS) is convenient, so you can track everything over time. Unfortunately, as far as health apps go, Connect is a bit of a bear, so expect a learning curve, especially if you want to make any changes to how the scale works. You can enable or disable its various widgets on the LCD screen in the app, but finding everything can be difficult due to the impressive reach of the Garmin ecosystem. The color screen is nice at first, but ultimately doesn’t add much to the overall picture.
Omron BCM-500 for $92: With its large LCD panel, quartet of integrated buttons, and oversized silver electrodes, the Omron BCM-500 is an eye-catching masterpiece of brutalist design. If your bathroom is decorated with concrete and wrought iron, this scale will fit in perfectly. The Bluetooth unit syncs with Omron’s HeartAdvisor app (Android, iOS), but it provides its six body measurements directly on the scale, cycling through them with each weigh-in (for up to four users). It can be difficult to read the label for each of the data points, in part because the LCD isn’t backlit, but the app is a little easier to follow, offering front-page graphs of weight, skeletal muscle, and body fat. On the other hand, the presentation is rather clinical and the application is surprisingly slow to synchronize. For a scale without Wi-Fi connection, it’s rather expensive too.
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