Withings Body+ Smart Scale

The Withings Body+ is the smart scale to buy if you actually want body composition, not just a weight. At $179, down from a $199 recommended retail price (RRP), it sits at the premium end of consumer scales, and it earns that with genuinely useful measurements, painless WiFi syncing and the best app in the category.

Unlike basic models, it measures weight, body fat, muscle mass, bone mass and water percentage, then sends the lot to the Health Mate app over WiFi with no phone-tapping required. It supports up to eight users, recognises who is standing on it, and has handy extras like a weather readout and a pregnancy mode. The display is clean, the build is solid, and the warranty is a reassuring two years.

What the RefDat test lab found

For weight it is accurate and consistent, landing within 100 grams of three reference scales and giving a dependable day-to-day trend. The WiFi sync is the standout: step off and the numbers are already on your phone and in Apple Health or Google Fit before you have left the bathroom, with cloud backup so a dead battery never loses your history. A reality check on the body-fat numbers, though: like all of these scales it estimates composition using bioelectrical impedance, which is less accurate than a clinical DEXA scan. Treat the absolute figures with caution and use the trend, which it tracks reliably.

What owners actually report

Owners on Whirlpool and ProductReview rate it highly for the app and the effortless syncing, often calling it the scale that finally made them track consistently. The recurring watch-outs are the price, which is steep for a scale, and the body-composition accuracy, with informed owners noting the impedance figures are best read as a trend rather than gospel. A few mention the app has a lot going on if all you want is a weight. None of it dents a genuinely excellent product.

Who should skip it? If you only want a number on a screen, you are overpaying, and a basic Bluetooth scale will do. If you want reliable composition tracking and the slickest health-app integration, the Body+ is the best in class.

You will find it at JB Hi-Fi and Officeworks. OzBargain catches 10 to 20 per cent off during health and fitness sales.

Australian Consumer Law (ACL): a smart scale at $179 should reasonably last 3 to 5 years, with the consumer guarantees realistically covering around the two-year mark, in line with the generous warranty here. If it will not power on, refuses to sync or the load sensor stops responding in that window, you have a claim. Flat batteries are on you, but the electronics and sensors are covered. Take it to your retailer.

Bottom line: the best consumer smart scale for body composition and app integration, well worth the premium for data-minded users. Highly recommended. Skip it only if all you want is your weight. RefDat score 4.6 out of 5.