Withings Body Cardio review: The smart scale with WiFi
A TEST REPORT from David Wurm 
on June 04, 2019, 15:25 pm | Write a comment
Almost everyone has them at home, but not necessarily everyone has a smart one: a scale. But there are already quite a few of them and are pretty practical. I tested one of them - the Withings Body Cardio - for you.
A few months ago, Withings sent me a smart scale as a test device. Which is why the test report took so long: you don't weigh yourself every day and you want to record your impressions over several months. For this reason I hesitated a little with my test, but now I have been able to gain enough experience with the Withings Body Cardio. I share these with you in the following review.
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A pair of scales and a few bells and whistles: unboxing
As usual, the first thing we do is take a closer look at the packaging. The scale comes in a thin box - the scale can be seen directly on the packaging from the outside. Otherwise there is a micro-USB charger, quick start guide and of course the scale itself in the packaging. You don't need any more accessories - just download the app and you're good to go. From the outside, the Withings Body Cardio is available in black and white - both colors look really great. Fits great in the bathroom. However, you have to expect footprints on the surface.
Everything else runs directly in the app. The scale is already charged after unpacking. One battery charge is easily enough for more than half a year. I've had my scale since December - the battery is currently at 35 Procent. On average, I got on the scale every three days.
The setup is also very easy, after the first pairing with the scale via Bluetooth you will be guided through the further steps. Here, for example, the WLAN is set up, the scales are checked for updates and the first thing Profile created. A Withings account is also mandatory to use the scale - it cannot be operated offline.
The scales are charged via the micro-USB port. There is also a button for pairing. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
Confusing overview on the smartphone: the app
One thing in advance: it is actually not a real design piece. Everywhere white areas, partly green colors and blue bars. There are no real sorting and search functions, the overview is confusing. There is also a dashboard in which you can see some data, which somehow seems pretty pointless.
The diagrams (for weight history, etc.) are also quite confusing - everything is nested in extra menus and often very difficult to find. Otherwise, you will find all the data on the scales in the app - weight, body fat percentage, pulse wave speed, heart rate and steps, if you have a Withings tracker. For data such as BMI and pulse wave speed, the app shows an optimal range for the entered age and height. After all, it is good to know whether the values are good or not.
In addition, you can manage your scales under "Devices". There you will also find the item "measured values unknown" if the scale does not weigh any personprofil could assign. After all, you can use the scale with a total of 7 people - this transfers the data to the right person. Otherwise, you can change the order of the displayed symbols on the scale under the display settings. Then there is not much more.
Body data ends up in the app via WiFi: functions
The Body Cardio can be used with up to 7 people. This measures the person's weight and calculates further body data. This also gives information about BMI, body fat percentage, pulse wave speed (for a few weeks now again available), Heart rate, bone mass, muscle mass and water percentage. I couldn't check whether these data are actually correct - but it seems pretty realistic to me. If I drank a lot in one day, the water content was actually higher. In terms of weight accuracy, I compared it with a total of 3 other scales. I calculated an average from these values and came to the conclusion: the Body Cardio measures fairly precisely.
When weighing, arrows indicate that you are not quite in the middle. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
After getting on the Withings Body Cardio - by the way, only barefoot for body data - arrows indicate if you are too far on the side of the scale. In this way you can achieve fairly accurate results because you are always right in the middle. After a few seconds, the weight is displayed, followed by the body composition values. The heart rate is also displayed, but you are not allowed to descend immediately. Unfortunately, during my test, the measurement of the body data and the heart rate did not always work reliably. In this case, "Body - X" is shown on the display.
Will it be nice today? Yes, my scales will tell me that in 2019. (Image: © 2019 TechnikNews)
If all the data is in the box, it will automatically be visible in the app with a delay of less than 10 seconds. The scale connects to its own WLAN - provided that it has been set up in advance. Otherwise, you can also synchronize the scales with the app via Bluetooth.
tl; dr: Conclusion on the Withings Body Cardio
Everything is networked in our world today. This now also includes scales. Those of you who still know scales that can even be "calibrated" with a controller don't even have to be a veteran: these are actually still often to be seen in many baths. With such digital scales you save these things - with WiFi scales like the Withings Body Cardio, the data is even available 24/7 and processed in an app. The advantage: you also have an overview of your weight history. Writing down your weight on the piece of paper in order to achieve weight loss or weight gain goals is a thing of the past.
In general, I really liked the Withings Body Cardio and I don't want to miss it anymore. Nevertheless, I am convinced that you can live without body data such as muscle mass or water content. But once you get it displayed, it's still exciting to know where you are. In addition, data such as the pulse wave speed provide information about one's own health - this is not taken from anywhere.
The app, which I personally don't really like and is rather confusing, remains in need of improvement. A “smart coach” like back then Jawbone known who gives tips on health would also be a great extra here. The hardware, on the other hand, is really top-notch - in my opinion, the equipment of the scale is currently the best on the market. Here you get a really great overall package for a price of currently around 120 euros. Even if the measurement of the body data sometimes did not work.
If you connect the whole thing to a Withings tracker, you have all the data about your health summarized in one app. Communication with other trackers and the Withings scale also works, albeit not as perfectly. Although the scales cannot take on the right diet and exercise, they still offer a good overview of your own body.
Thanks to Withings for providing the Withings Body Cardio in black.
