rewrite this title Withings launches a cheaper version of its flagship scale – Engadget

Withings made its name in smart bathroom scales, but has found it increasingly hard to bring new features to its low end products. At least at the high end, it can justify charging $600 for a scale promising clinical levels of data collection from the comfort of your bathroom. Now, the company is looking to fill the mid-range hole in its lineup with the Withings BodyFit, a $280 smart scale targeted at GLP-1 users. There is currently around 30 million people using GLP-1 agonists, such as Ozempic or Wegovy, in the US, many of whom have reported muscle loss as part of their overall weight loss journey. So it makes sense, like a lot of health tech products right now, to help offer folks more insight into what’s going on.

BodyFit apes the design language of the company’s flagship Body Scan with its tension-reel grab handle for segmented body composition and single-lead ECG. As with the pricier model, you’ll need to hold the bar in your hands at waist height for the system to check out your muscle mass and heart health. Do so, and the scale will pass a small current through your body to determine your six-segment body composition. The idea is users will be able to identify if they’re losing muscle, rather than fat mass, when the number on the scale climbs downward. You’ll also receive coaching through the Withings app, offering up details on your weight goals, calorie balance and recommending things to do to keep things sustainable.

Withings

Withings is claiming that the Bioelectrical Impedance Spectroscopy it uses to create your body composition analysis is equal to a clinical-grade procedure. Working with French sports clinic Mon Stade, it compared its findings to a DEXA (Dual-Energy X-ray Absorptiometry) scan. This process uses x-rays to examine your bone density and is normally only available in hospital or clinical settings, but Withings says BodyFit is 98 percent accurate for muscle mass and 99 percent accurate for fat mass.

Withings BodyFit is priced at $280 and is available to buy today at Withings’ own store, with availability at other major retailers in the near future.