If there is one thing that wearable technology company Whoop knows how to do, it is health data. And now the company is set to expand on that, with not one but two new bands.
The first is the Whoop 5.0, an upgraded replacement for the standard band that has been around for a few years. The second is the Whoop MG, a device that is designed to give you even more data about your health, including an ECG, a blood-pressure monitor and additional heart screener capabilities.
If you are new to Whoop, all of this will mean very little, so first some backstory.
In 2015 Boston-based Whoop raised a shedload of money to create a wearable that would help athletes and their coaches gain insights into their training by taking data on key metrics – heart rate, heart rate variability, ambient temperature and movement – and crunching it into something more usable. It did this through the wearable strap, which was refreshingly screen-free, and the app, communicating all the data through Bluetooth.
A decade on, not much has changed. The Whoop band is still screen-free and the app is still a key part of the equation. Rory McIlroy is a fan. So is Cristiano Ronaldo. Whoop is doing pretty well for itself.
But now Whoop tracks even more metrics, and gives you data on everything from your daily strain and recovery to hormonal insights.
Add in the ECG and blood-pressure features, and you have a fairly well-rounded device.
The new Whoop looks a lot like the old one at first glance. It is smaller, by about 7 per cent, but most people wouldn’t notice the external differences unless they held the two sensors side by side and really scrutinised them.
The version reviewed here is the Whoop MG, which has one giveaway – the indents on the metal case that facilitate the ECG.
Rest your finger and thumb here to take an ECG. Although Whoop asks you to specify where you are wearing the band, I found it worked better on my left wrist. The right wrist resulted in a failed ECG every time.
Some of the features are immediately available. For example, the ECG can be taken and results fed back in 30 seconds, with the band screening for atrial fibrillation in the background.
Blood-pressure insights require calibration with a cuff to get an accurate measurement; three readings will get you started.
Whoop is clear that this is not a way to manage hypertension, however, so if you suffer with high blood pressure, you will still have to stick to your doctor’s orders.
For the rest of us it will provide some information about what is going on internally, and maybe give some insight on how it is affecting our sleep and overall performance.
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The Healthspan feature will require a bit more commitment. You need to wear the band for a few weeks, recording sleep data, before it will unlock. Then you can see not only your Whoop Age, but also your pace of ageing. Combined, the two quantify your long-term health.
Certain factors – sleep quality, exercise and so on – will affect the figures so you can see what your lifestyle is doing to your overall health in an easy-to-understand way. It also gives you tips on how to improve it. That will be a longer-term project, and outside the scope of this review.
With all these new elements come new subscription plans. Whoop One costs €199 per year and gives users fitness insights. Whoop Peak adds advanced health, fitness and longevity insights for €264 per year, while Whoop Life comes with medical-grade health and performance insights for €399 per year.
The Life subscription is the option for the Whoop MG; it works out at about €34 a month.
The Whoop MG is designed to appeal to those who want more information about their health and fitness, outside the standard athletic contingent that Whoop would once have targeted.
The question is why people would go for it over, say, a standard smartwatch that includes ECG (the Apple Watch) or blood-pressure monitoring (the Samsung Galaxy Watch) for a flat fee rather than a monthly subscription.
It depends on what you are looking for. Whoop’s strength is its ability to take the data and give you feedback and tips on how to improve your health, rather than simply presenting you with some basic data and hoping you steer yourself in the right direction.
Good
The Whoop MG comes with some useful features, including the ECG and blood-pressure insights. It gives you data, but also tells you what it means, an area that I sometimes struggle with when it comes to other wearables.
Battery life is great, at more than two weeks, and the redesigned wireless battery pack you clip to the band to recharge it has also been tweaked to fit the smaller band.
Bad
If you don’t like the idea of paying a subscription to access services, the Whoop band isn’t for you. But with so many services turning to fees for additional insights, it is inevitable that we will end up paying someone, somewhere to tell us what all this data we are collecting means.
Everything else
New sensors mean new bands and new ways of wearing the sensors more discreetly. The Leatherluxe band makes the Whoop band more subtle, and you can also invest in some of the Whoop Body clothing.
Verdict
Whoop has added some valuable insights to its platform, but the ongoing subscription price may be a hurdle for some potential users.
