Garmin Index S2 Smart Scale - Black

Product Information

In general, Ramsay said, smart scales provide relatively accurate body fat percentage and lean muscle mass results. Some even record your resting heart rate, which can be a good indicator of fitness. Now – what about accuracy? Well, given the current world climate it’s a bit difficult right now to waltz in and get a fancy body fat analysis and such done. Though, I have done so in the past and recruited a bunch of people to test various devices. When I look at the Index 2 vs Index 1, the weight is almost always nearly identical – such as .1lbs apart. The body fat however was pretty substantially different, usually about 2-2.5% (generally higher) with the Index 2. I like the Fitbit as it consistently said I had 5.2% body fat (five point two) – maybe it was visceral fat? The manual says it measures body fat percentage. Garmin told me I was a more believable 15.95 +/0.1% and Tanita RD953 said I was something between 19% and 22% and the BC-558 said 19.5%. I would have thought I was a bit lower than 16% as I’m pretty skinny, thus the Garmin gave readings that seemed to me to be more likely to be correct. Consecutive Bone Mass readings For the weight scale itself there are a few options in the Devices menu. As noted earlier you can change the widgets, as well as invite additional users to the scale.

The Renpho smart scale is one of the best smart scales we’ve tested. It’s affordable, well designed, easy to use and has an excellent app that gives real insight into the body metrics it measures.The S2 is consistently 4-5% off compared to other measures. When I searched to see if anyone else had this problem, I came across this thread on the Garmin forums: https://forums.garmin.com/sports-fitness/healthandwellness/f/index-s2-smart-scale/255098/s2-body-fat-not-accurate

It’s Bluetooth-enabled, which means you need to open the companion Zepp Life app to see your 13 body composition stats. You can only see your weight on the scale itself but the app offers more insight, although some of it felt slightly clunky. Ultimately though, for me, I don’t put much value in these extended metrics using electro impedance like other scales (nor do I put much value in people using calipers, most folks screw that up – despite having done it ‘hundreds’ or ‘thousands’ of times). Device & 3rd Party Integration: However, we’re big fans of the heart rate monitor feature which works with a smartphone. Put your fingertip on the rear camera lens of your phone and within a few seconds you can see your resting heart rate. This can help give an indication of cardiovascular fitness and a good place to start if you want to know how to get fit. A lower RHR can be a sign of a strong cardiovascular system. This is where you’ll grab your smartphone to set it up, using the Garmin Connect app. It’ll find the device just like a watch. And, once this post goes live the image and codename Garmin uses will magically change to the correct product image and real name instead of placeholders (Garmin does this for all products, to minimize leaks).

Go for the Garmin?

The Garmin Index 2 uses bioelectrical impedance to measure tissue types. Essentially, it runs a small current through your body (hence the need for bare feet), and different types of tissue cause different degrees of resistance. The scale measures weight and BMI, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, bone mass, and body water. Skeletal muscle doesn't include the muscle in your heart, or the muscles that apply pressure to your organs and blood vessels.

The Skeletal Muscle Mass function allows you to see how much skeletal muscle you have on your body which allows you to view how much muscle you’re building. The scales were straightforward to set up: install the four AAA batteries, open the Garmin Connect app and pair the device. Likewise, if you do have issues around your weight or numbers on a scale are particularly triggering for you, a smart scale may not be the best option to keep you healthy. How we test smart scalesWe'd appreciate a little more context around each of the metrics shown in the app (for example, it would be helpful to know whether your muscle mass is normal for your age and gender, and how close it is to the boundaries) but this is nevertheless a great smart scale if your budget will stretch to it.

Disappointingly, the Withings Body scale showed wildly different readings when compared with the professional body composition scales at the gym. They also recorded our tester as 3.1 kilograms (kg) / 7 pounds (lbs) heavier than their home Renpho ones.Manually link Garmin Connect to Apple Healthkit or Google Fit. You can then connect other apps to Apple/Google. This seemed to work OK for me but an Apple developer did tell me that “ Apple does not permit people to write to Apple Health without the user being present“. So bear that in mind.