A trusted name
Garmin is one of the most respected names in GPS and sport/fitness. Here's a high-quality smart scale just waiting to help you lose or maintain your weight and stay fit.
For
- Ability to attach to a laptop with USB-ANT rather than a smartphone
- Tracks data for up to 16 different people
- Large, easy-to-see display
Against
- Uses 4 AA batteries, is not rechargeable
- Limited third-party integration
- Will record your weight just once per day
The whole picture
This scale works with the Health Mate app, one of the most popular health/fitness trackers for smartphone users. If you're already using a Withings product, the odds are pretty good you'll love this smart scale.
For
- Health Mate app compatibility
- Includes pregnancy tracker
- Provides weather forecast on screen
- Rechargeable battery lasts up to a year between charges
Against
- Track up to eight users only
- Smudgy glass surface
- Slow weigh-in when all measures are taken
These smart scales are both powerful and provide all the tools most people need to better track their weight and other health metrics. In some respects, both are overkill for most users since they track anything from weight to bone mass and even the weather. If that's of interest to you, you can't go wrong with either option, so the choice comes down to possible brand loyalty and how you feel about some smaller features.
A closer look
As you can see below, both products track similar metrics such as your Body Mass Index (BMI), water percentage, and fat mass. Where they differ is how they are powered and how the data collected is shared. Where the Garmin requires four AA batteries, the Withings scale includes a rechargeable Lithium battery.
The Garmin works with the Garmin Connect Mobile app on your phone or by syncing with your computer. The Withings scale, by contrast, only works wirelessly with the Health Mate app, although the data, once collected, is viewable online.
| Header Cell - Column 0 | Garmin | Withings |
|---|---|---|
| Wi-Fi-enabled | Yes | Yes |
| Bluetooth-enabled | Yes | Yes |
| Body Mass Index | Yes | Yes |
| Fat Mass/Percentage | Yes | Yes |
| Water Percentage | Yes | Yes |
| Bone Mass | Yes | Yes |
| Battery | 4 AA | Rechargeable |
Once you get past the important metrics, the differences between the two smart scales come down to compatibility and minute differences. If you're already using Garmin products, you should probably stick with the company here for easier integration. The same goes for Withings and the all-in-one Health Mate app. The latter also offers pregnancy and baby tracking tools, if that is of interest to anybody in your household.
If you're already on a brand team, it's probably best to stick with what you know.
Then there are those free apps. The Health Mate app collects data from both the scale and other Withings products. From there, you can share data with other services such as Apple Health, MyFitnessPal, RunKeeper, and more. Garmin Connect also works with third-party solutions such as Apple, Nike+, Strava, and RunKeeper. However, the former offers more third-party integrations at the time of this writing. Both apps offer coaching techniques to keep you on track.
There's no wrong answer here. With sales and discounts, your best choice of smart scales might be the one that's least expensive at the time of purchase. If you care about small differences like the number of profiles each can handle, the pregnancy tracking, a weather forecast, then that might also sway your decision.
Still, if you already have a team (Garmin vs. Withings), it's probably best to stick with what you know and save yourself some short-term headaches.
Trusted name
You can't go wrong with Garmin. Select this scale if you already use Garmin products and you won't be disappointed. It can track more weights than the Withings scale, but it doesn't use rechargeable batteries.
A winner
The little extras, including pregnancy tracking, make this a perfect choice for newbies or those who already use Withings products. It's the most flexible of the two when it comes to third-party integrations, but it only supports up to eight people.
