Withings Body Cardio Review

Withings has made some of the best smart bathroom scales on the market, and its new Body Cardio comes with a few extra special features that make it seem like the best of the bunch. It is indeed an excellent device, but some of its perks aren't as impressive in real-world use as they are on paper. A new Pulse Wave Velocity feature that estimates your arterial health, for example, was very difficult to use in testing. The scale also reads heart rate through your feet, like the Withings Smart Body Analyzer WS-50, though I question its accuracy. The Body Cardio is one of the better smart scales you can buy, but given its high price of $179.95, the WS-50 and the QardioBase remain our Editors' Choices.

Design

All the smart scales I've seen have a tempered glass top, and the Body Cardio is no exception. The scale can be had in black or white, each with a silver bar running down the middle. I'm guessing that is a purely aesthetic choice. Light stripes on the scale show where to place your feet to get a Pure Wave Velocity reading. You're supposed to line up your heels with the second line from the bottom.

Square in shape (12.8 by 12.8 inches) and with a low profile (0.7 inches high), the scale has an aluminum base and feels very sturdy. A small screen at the top cycles through your measurements when you take a reading.

One unusual feature is that the Body Cardio runs on a rechargeable battery lithium ion instead of a handful of AA or AAAs. A USB charger is included, but not an outlet brick, suggesting you plug the scale into your computer. Unless you have a giant, clutter-free desk, recharging could be a little awkward. You won't have to worry about it often, though. A full charge should last about 12 months.

Setup and Syncing

You need a smartphone to set up the scale. Out of the box, I juiced the scale up to 100 percent battery power and installed the Withings Health Mate app on an iPhone. The app walked me through the process, which involved pressing a button the side of the scale and following the prompts to connect it to my phone via Bluetooth and to the Internet via Wi-Fi.

Getting the app and scale to communicate took a few tries, but I spent no more than five minutes on it. I already had a Health Mate account, but new users will need to enter a few details about their bodies, such as date of birth, sex, and height.

Other family members can use the scale, too, as it can tell the difference between as many as eight people. When you take a reading, the scale shows your initials. If two people have similar stats, the scale shows initials on the screen, and you lean left or right to indicate whether it's you.

In Use

The scale shows you a lot of data right on its display, including weight (in lbs., kg., or stones), BMI, body water, body fat, heart rate, steps from previous day (if using a compatible tracker, such as the Withings Activite Steel, or your phone to record them), and the weather report. Some other scales only show limited data on the display and force you to use the app to see the others. Similar to the Withings Body Cardio, the Garmin Index scale also puts all the information right onto the display.

I like the addition of a weather forecast, a unique feature that shows the expected low and high temperatures for the day, as well as a simple icon for the conditions, such as sunny. There's also a line graph showing how your weight has changed recently right on the scale, which I've never seen before.

Back-to-back readings of weight were close, within 0.2 pounds, but heart rate was much more variable. During my first two attempts on the scale, the Body Cardio didn't read my heart rate at all; I think my feet were too cold. When it finally did register, I got very different results in back-to-back trials. First, I got 61bpm followed one minute later by 82. Heart rate changes all the time, but the higher number in this case was just off. Another reading from the scale put my heart rate at 50, while a manual reading at the same time put it just above 60.

I also have some concerns about the utility of taking resting heart rate on a body scale. Resting heart rate is your heart rate when you're at rest, and that means sitting or lying down. The best time to measure resting heart rate is when you first wake up and are still in bed. Standing raises your heart rate. Walking to the bathroom, where you presumably keep your scale, raises your heart rate. You're not going to get a truly accurate resting heart rate while standing on a scale.

In addition, the first three times I stepped on the scale, it didn't get my arterial health reading at all. I looked at the instructions and learned I needed to line up my heels a certain way. I kept reading and learned that the app wouldn't even show the reading until it had at least five prior readings in its memory. You can tell whether a reading registered by an icon that appears. I took another two readings and still didn't get anything. I read that I might try balancing myself by putting my hands against a wall, holding still, taking readings at the same time every day. I'll keep at it and will update this review when I do finally get a reading, but just know that if you buy this scale for the Pulse Wave Velocity, you might not get any information for a week or more.

All the data is recorded into the Withings Health Mate app. There are mobile apps for Android and iOS, but you can also log into a Web app version. I used to love the Withings Web app, let you create lovely graphs with whatever data you selected to appear, but it now more closely mirrors the mobile app. You can still view your data in line graphs or tables, but you can't overlay multiple data sets the way you could in the past.

Comparisons and Conclusions

The Withings Body Cardio scale costs $179.95, making it the most expensive smart scale I've seen to date. Bathroom scales that wirelessly sync your weigh-ins to a health app are priced loosely in three tiers. The high end typically tops out around $149, and the low end is about $49. You get what you pay for. The higher-end scales tend to be better than the cheapest ones, but many in the middle are more than adequate.

The mid-priced iHealth Core, for example, is a pretty solid option. It's the only scale I've tested that syncs via Wi-Fi but has no option for Bluetooth. Other scales in this general price range include the Fitbit Aria Wi-Fi Smart Scale, the Runtastic Libra (which uses Bluetooth only), and the Koogeek S1.

The Polar Balance also lives in the mid-tier range, and it's my favorite scale for weight loss. The app coaches you on exactly what not to eat and which exercises to do and for how long to stay on track to reach your goal. You'll need a Polar tracking device—I recommend the Polar A360—to get the full effect.

At the top end of the price range, you'll find the very best scales. As I mentioned, the Body Cardio is the most expensive scale I've seen in part because it includes advanced features for reading heart rate and arterial health, but it's missing a key feature available in other premium scales—the ability to disable bioelectrical impedance, a necessity for safe use for people with pacemakers. For women carrying a child, the Qardiobase also has a pregnancy mode that allows you to record your weight without displaying it.

Another high-end model is the Withings WS-50, which came out a few years ago. It's still a worthwhile buy, even though the Body Cardio is the latest model from the company. The WS-50 doesn't have the Pulse Wave Velocity feature, but it does read heart rate.

At the low end of the price spectrum at $49 and $39, respectively, are the Nuyu Wireless and Pivotal Living scales. Neither has Wi-Fi syncing, so you need to have your phone in range to automatically record your weigh-ins. They only integrate with a limited number of devices, and their apps aren't great.

Ultimately, the Withings Body Cardio is a great scale with a lovely design and promising features. But make sure the features are actually worthwhile to you before paying a premium for them. The Body Cardio represents the top-of-the-line, but if you stick to a scale that costs no more than $150, you'll still be very happy with the results.

Withings Body Cardio Specs

Best Smart Scale Picks

• The Best Smart Bathroom Scales for 2020
• Get Organized: 5 Ways Smart Scales Can Help You Stay Healthy
• More Smart Scale Reviews
• More from Nokia

Further Reading

• $25 Wyze ‘Band’ Activity Tracker Can Control Other Smart Home Devices
• Save Up to 42 Percent on Smart Bluetooth Scales at Amazon Today
• Trying to Get Fit in 2020? These Smart Scales Are on Sale
• Get This Smart Bathroom Scale for Less Than $20 on Amazon
• Withings/Nokia Body+ Smart Scale Is $20 Off at Amazon