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AU Financial Review
30-06-2025
- Health
- AU Financial Review
Controversies aside, this Whoop tracker could slow your ageing
For us here in the Digital Life Labs, it's the first time we've reviewed hardware – the new Whoop MG health and fitness tracker – that comes free, as part of a (very expensive) software subscription.
Stuff.tv
25-06-2025
- Health
- Stuff.tv
The Whoop MG is the best fitness tracker I've reviewed
Stuff Verdict The Whoop MG packs medical-grade ECG and daily blood-pressure tracking into a sleek, screenless band. But the hefty subscription and auto-tracking blind spots let it down Pros Medical-grade measurements for a wide range of metrics Insights that actually teach you about your body Slick, intuitive app with seamless integrations Cons Requires a pricey annual subscription to use Only one specific band allows ECG and Heart Screener features Auto workout, step and VO2 Max readings aren't always reliable Introduction After a month spent wearing the Whoop MG day and night, I'm convinced this is the best fitness tracker I've used – with one major asterisk. You see, this thing is more like a pocket-sized clinic you strap to your wrist. With the MG, Whoop has taken its signature screenless design and sprinkled in medical-grade ECG and daily blood pressure estimates. These features transform what was once a simple exercise recovery tool into what feels like the most advanced tracker you can buy. Yet all its smarts come at a price – every month. There's a certain thrill in waking up to a fresh batch of numbers that genuinely matter, rather than just another simple sleep-stage chart. Still, between certain strap restrictions, occasional tracking blind spots, and the hefty subscription, it's far from perfect. How we test wearables Every smartwatch and fitness tracker reviewed on Stuff is worn 24/7 throughout the testing process. We use our own years of experience to judge general performance, battery life, display, and health monitoring. Manufacturers have no visibility on reviews before they appear online, and we never accept payment to feature products. Find out more about how we test and rate products. Design & build: Slim Jim At first glance, the Whoop MG is virtually indistinguishable from its sibling, the Whoop 5.0. The only differences are the slightly chunkier conductive clasp and an LED status light. The most standout design choice here is the lack of a screen. Unlike almost every other fitness tracker available, you can only see your readings in the companion app. Ordinarily, I'd want to see metrics on my wrist. But in Whoop's case, I think the lack of a screen is a worthwhile feature. Weighing a mere 27g, it's light enough that I mostly forgot it was there, even under shirtsleeves. That said, it did take me about a week to get used the wearable on my non-watch wearing wrist. But that's down to my own preferences rather than the Whoop. Its IP68 rating (up to 10m) means it shrugged off showers, hand-washing, and swims in hotel pools. Like with a traditional smartwatch, you can swap out the straps to find something more stylish. Whoop even offers ankle straps, bicep bands, and underwear (that idea makes me squirm) that holds the Whoop sensor in body locations where it can get a reading. That's ideal if you want to conceal the device when you need to dress up smart – something I cannot say about the Apple Watch. Personally I stuck with the wrist, but it's good to know that I have options should I need it. But there's a problem. Only the included SuperKnit Luxe band lets you use ECG and Heart Screener functions. If you swap to a cheaper fabric or bicep band and you're back to basic PPG tracking. This is down to how you take the readings, so it's not exactly Whoop's fault. But it doesn't seem right that if you wear it elsewhere you only get half the functionality. Fit and finish are spot-on. The smooth aluminium shell feels premium against skin, and the adjustable clasp snaps shut with a reassuring click. However, this shell is quite flimsy – I managed to accidentally bend it while taking the strap off. Speaking of, I found myself adjusting the strap tightness a lot in the first few days. Too loose and ECG readings failed, too tight and my wrist ached by afternoon. Once dialled in, comfort was exceptional throughout daily life and any activity. Health & fitness: A lean, mean tracking machine The Whoop MG really can track just about everything under the sun. That includes metrics like exercise strain and recovery to ECG readings, blood-pressure estimates, sleep stages, skin temperature and more. It combines optical PPG sensors, electrical ECG electrodes, and software algorithms to deliver daily health snapshots, on-demand heart screening, and predictive pressure models. You can view all of these readings in the app at any time. Strain tracking remains the bread and butter of the Whoop ecosystem. It's Whoop's proprietary metric for quantifying your total exertion each day, on a scale from 0 to 21. It combines cardiovascular load (time spent in different heart-rate zones) with all your other movement movement. So walking around the shops counts, even though it's not a workout. Recovery is Whoop's measure of how ready your body and mind are to tackle that strain again, calculated each morning as a percentage. It blends four pillars: heart-rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate (RHR), sleep performance, and respiratory rate – then benchmarks them against your personal baseline. I've seen my Recovery scores adjust wildly, being affected by sleep, travel, and alcohol. You can see which specific reading is causing a dip, and use the Whoop Coach to explain more thoroughly. Where Whoop really shines is the dialogue between strain and recovery. Based on yesterday's strain and today's recovery, the app recommends an Optimal Strain target. So if you've done a heavy workout the day before, Whoop might tell you to take it easy the next day, or to do some light activity to boost recovery. I've found these personalised insights remarkably hard to argue with. Working hard on a red day always felt like a mistake, and on green days the extra oomph usually translated into better workouts. Then we come to my biggest complaint about the Whoop MG: auto-detection. Let's start with the easy stuff. It managed to detect long runs or walks I went on pretty reliably, but shorter bursts under fifteen minutes often slipped through the net. But that's about it. Most of my other activity involves strength training, which Whoop really struggled to detect. To avoid manual logging (so my workouts counted), I continued to wear my Apple Watch. The Whoop app syncs with Apple Health, so automatically grabs your workouts. It doesn't grab any of the data, mind, so that's all down to Whoop. For strength training, there's an extra step you can take in the Whoop app to add your sets so it can calculate your muscle strain. It sounds great, in theory, but I seldom found myself using it thanks to the manual inputting required. But just how reliable was the Whoop MG? For the most part, I found that its heart rate readings were almost identical to that of my Apple Watch, confirmed with a chest strap. This means your calorie and strain calculations are going to use some pretty accurate data. But, I got some mixed results in two key areas. My step reading was an area that seemed slightly fishy. Counting to 1000 steps (yes, I really counted), my Apple Watch Ultra almost nailed it with a reading of 1006, but the Whoop struggled to count them all at around 950. I guess that underestimating is better than overestimating, but it's a not insignificant amount. And since I'm hot on step tracking, it was particularly annoying for me. The other area was the VO2 Max estimation. Whoop's reading was wildly higher than my Apple Watch Ultra's – almost a difference of 15ml/kg/min. To try and work out which was more reliable, I used the Cooper Run test. This showed that the Whoop was overestimating my VO2 Max (slightly high) while the Apple Watch was underestimating it – with the true reading somewhere in between. Other fitness features: What can't it do? Whoop's Healthspan feature took about three weeks to settle on a reliable 'Whoop Age.' Mine was a surprisingly encouraging 3 years younger than my actual age, once my routine normalised. If you've used a Garmin watch, this feature is similar to the Fitness Age – though I'd argue Whoop's visualisation of longevity metrics feels more intuitive. It tells you exactly which factors are affecting your Healthspan, and shows you what you can do about it. I found it to be a very motivating way of presenting data and insights. ECG readings are delightfully straightforward. You just touch both electrodes on the SuperKnit clasp, count down 30 seconds, and the app confirms whether your ticker is behaving or if it spotted any irregularities. It's an almost identical process to holding down the crown on my Apple Watch Ultra. It's FDA-cleared and impressively robust, but utterly manual. This is no different to any other fitness tracker, but I found myself rarely using the feature. Regular prompts might be a helpful addition here. The blood-pressure estimates impressed me most of all, as someone that suffers from high blood pressure. Thanks, genetics. After three cuff-based calibrations (I used my Withings BPM Connect), the Whoop MG began tracking (it's more like estimating, really) my blood pressure. It only does this overnight, so you'll have to wait until each morning to check your readings. Consistently, I found that the algorithm tracked my blood pressure within 3 mmHg of my manual readings. It's not a replacement for a proper machine, but as far as wellness features go, having a ballpark figure without an inflatable cuff is ideal. I'm led to believe that every time you upload additional manual readings it improves what the algorithm spits out. Just bear in mind that errant calibration or wildly fluctuating pressure could send your metrics haywire. Interface: Home-page hero The Whoop companion app is one of the best designed and most intuitive apps out of all the fitness trackers I've used. The home screen gives you readings for Sleep, Strain, and Recovery – with access to their dashboards just a tap away. Integration with Apple HealthKit and Google Health Connect means runs logged in on your smartwatch or Strava appear in Whoop's strain tally – no manual imports required. Daily Outlook, powered by GPT-4, was a much more useful feature than I first thought. It delivers a morning briefing of yesterday's key takeaways, the weather forecast, and personalised activity suggestions. I found it works particularly well when you combine it with the Journal feature that asks you questions about your day (like your caffeine intake, etc). I've loaded my Journal up with plenty of questions to get some thorough insights. There are over 160 lifestyle inputs to pick from! It's a truly clever feature – spotting that my HRV (and therefore Recovery score) was low after drinking a pint the night before, for example. Advice can feel generic at times ('consider a light session') rather than pinpointed suggestions based on my activity history. But for the most part, I really like this feature. I just wish it automatically sent these outlooks rather than firing up a painfully slow chatbot page. My biggest complaint about Whoop's companion app is the lack of a simple search bar. Finding specific data points can feel like sifting through a haystack at times. For example, all your regular heart metrics are on the home page if you scroll down, but you need to head to the Health page to see the blood pressure readings. It was definitely somewhat confusing at first. Battery life & charging: It just keeps going Credit to Whoop: the MG delivers a rock-solid two weeks of battery life, even with occasional ECG readings and round-the-clock PPG monitoring. In just over a month of testing, I only had to charge the Whoop twice from the 82% it was delivered on. I'm truly impressed by this thing's reluctance to die. Charging remains delightfully painless. The wireless charger clips on without you even noticing, and a full charge takes just under two hours. A single hour on the pad nets you about seven days of use, which is plenty if your routine includes nightly top-ups on your bedside table. You juice up the charger via a USB-C port, and the switch to a braided USB-C cable was appreciated. Whoop MG verdict The Whoop MG is a polished evolution of Whoop's screenless fitness tracker. It's been elevated into quasi-medical territory with ECG and algorithmic blood-pressure tracking, and I love all the metrics it spits out. The hardware is understated yet feels robust; the app remains a triumph of clarity over clutter. But the cost of admission is hard to swallow: $359/£349 per year for Whoop Life. Before the Whoop 5.0 and MG were released earlier in 2025, the previous 4.0 model came out in 2021. So you might end up using this thing for around four years – which is most $1500/£1400 in total. Other manual quirks, like strap restrictions and questionable auto-tracking, also temper the experience. If you live and breathe fitness metrics, crave distraction-free data, and your bank balance can handle a luxury subscription, the MG is as good as it gets. For everyone else, the Whoop 5.0 on the Peak plan likely delivers 90 per cent of the value at a fraction of the cost. The one condition attached to awarding this thing the crown of best fitness tracker I've used? The fact I've still got to wear my Apple Watch for activity tracking. Stuff Says… Score: 4/5 The Whoop MG packs medical-grade ECG and daily blood-pressure tracking into a sleek, screenless band. But the hefty subscription and occasional auto-tracking blind spots mean it's a luxury rather than a no-brainer. Pros Medical-grade measurements for a wide range of metrics Insights that actually teach you about your body Slick, intuitive app with seamless integrations Cons Requires a pricey annual subscription to use Only one specific band allows ECG and Heart Screener features Auto workout, step and VO2 Max readings aren't always reliable Whoop MG technical specifications Sensors PPG heart rate, ECG electrodes, accelerometer, skin-temperature sensor Compatibility iOS and Android (via Bluetooth LE) Durability IP68 (up to 10m) Battery life Approx. 14 days Subscription Whoop Life membership required ($359/£349 per annum) Dimensions 35x24x10mm, 27.3g
The Verge
24-05-2025
- Health
- The Verge
Whoop is reportedly replacing defective MG trackers
Users of Whoop's fitness trackers have been reporting that their Whoop MG fitness trackers are turning unresponsive, in some cases within under an hour of setting them up. Now, the company is apparently replacing the trackers, in some cases before the users even ask, TechIssuesToday reports. Launched alongside the Whoop 5.0 earlier this month, the Whoop MG (which stands for 'Medical Grade') comes with EKG capabilities and blood pressure insights and requires a premium Whoop Life subscription that's $359 per year. Users started reporting issues with the tracker almost immediately. On May 11th, a user reported in the Whoop community forum that their MG 'stopped working overnight after working for 8 hours. No green light, no bluelight nothing. It won't now pair with the app.' Others replied to say the tracker failed even sooner for them, with one person reporting that it went inert after just half an hour of use. Some also report that their 5.0 has failed. The company appears to be trying to rectify the situation by sending out replacement units, sometimes without users even asking for one, as the Reddit user who posted the screenshot above wrote further down in the thread. The same goes for a user who posted two days ago to say they got the same notification despite having not noticed any problems with their MG. Some in that thread even write that the company replaced their MGs without ever telling them it would be doing so. It's already been a troubled launch for Whoop. Earlier this month, some users were outraged when Whoop said they would need to add another 12 months onto their memberships to avoid the upgrade fee for the Whoop 5.0. Previously, users only needed to have 6 months left on their subscription to get a Whoop 4.0. The company soon walked its new terms back, posting on Reddit that those who had at least 12 months left would be eligible for an upgrade.
Engadget
23-05-2025
- Engadget
One of Whoop's new wearables has a bug so bad the company is issuing replacements
Whoop's new screen-less, fitness-focused Whoop MG wearable might have a major bug that can leave the device unusable, according to reports from Android Police and TechIssuesToday . Whoop launched the Whoop MG and Whoop 5.0 at the beginning of May, the company's first major hardware release since it launched the Whoop 4.0 in 2021. According to complaints on Whoop's community forums and X, after setting up a Whoop MG, the wearable can mysteriously became unresponsive hours later, refusing to connect to a smartphone even when it should be charged. "I wore it for about 20 hours or so, but then it suddenly disappeared from the app, no sensor lights on, nothing appearing in the app," one new Whoop MG owner shared on Reddit. On the company's forums, Whoop suggests trying things like charging the MG, reconnecting it to your phone or resetting the wearable to see if that fixes things. Whoop owners have also been directed to contact Whoop's Support team, and multiple faulty Whoop MG owners report that they're being sent replacement wearables. Engadget has contacted Whoop to get a sense for how widespread this issue is and what the company is doing to address it. We'll update this article if we hear back. Unlike other companies, Whoop doesn't expect customers to buy a fitness tracker and then pay a subscription; Whoop's subscription fee is inclusive of its hardware. With the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG, the company is also hoping to expand the number of metrics it tracks beyond just activity and sleep tracking to things like real-time stress monitoring and, in the case of the MG, blood pressure and ECG readings. What features you're able to access ultimately depends on both the wearable you have and the subscription you're paying for, though. To access the Whoop MG in particular, you have to pay $359 annually, which starts to feel pretty egregious when the wearable might not work. Prior to this issue, Whoop was also caught denying free hardware upgrades to existing customers after previously suggesting it would send out new wearables to anyone who'd been a member for six months or more. Whoop reversed that decision a few days later.
Tom's Guide
23-05-2025
- Health
- Tom's Guide
Whoop 5.0 review — should you give a Whoop about this new tracker?
Should you give a Whoop about the two new Whoop devices on the block — the Whoop 5.0 and the Whoop MG — and should you upgrade from your Whoop 4.0? If you're new here, Whoop makes the discreet fitness trackers you've probably seen strapped to the wrist or upper arm of some of your favorite athletes. They look like a band of material and don't have a screen, but give you tons of health data. Size: 34.7 mm x 24 mm x 10.6 mmWeight: 26.5gWaterproof: Up to 10mBattery life: 14+ daysCharging time: 152 minutes (Basic), 110 minutes (PowerPack) Yet buying a Whoop is no longer a matter of deciding between the Whoop 5.0 or Whoop MG (MG stands for medical grade, as the tracker can give you medical-grade ECG readings). There are three different membership tiers to choose from, and the different tiers relate to the features loaded onto the device. After reviewing the Whoop MG, I'd say for most people, it's best to opt for the Whoop 5.0 with the mid-tier 'Peak' membership. Read my Whoop 5.0 review below to find out more, and see the key differences between the devices and membership tiers, and how it stacks up to the best fitness trackers. Confused by the new membership options? Let's dive into it. Whoop One ( $199/£169 per year) This is the most affordable option if you want to subscribe to Whoop. If you choose the Whoop One membership, you'll get the Whoop 5.0 tracker with the basic charger and CoreKnit band, as well as access to the foundational Whoop experience. This includes Sleep, Strain, Recovery, core activity tracking including steps, VO2 max data, and Women's Hormonal Insights. You won't get stress monitoring or the new Healthspan feature. Whoop Peak ($239/£229 per year) This is the mid-tier option, and the option we'd recommend to most people. You'll get the Whoop 5.0 tracker with the SuperKnit band, along with a wireless charger, and everything in the 'One' membership, but also Healthspan (this is Whoop's new feature with 'Whoop Age' and 'Pace of Aging'), the Health Monitor, and the Stress Monitor. Whoop Life ($359/£349) This top-tier plan comes with the Whoop MG device and SuperKnit Luxe band. You'll get all of the features from the 'Peak' membership, as well as blood pressure and ECG readings. The devices are available for order now. There's also a number of different strap options to choose from, including a SportFlex, fast-drying elastic band, a LeatherLuxe band (which isn't water or sweat resistant), and a CoreKnit Bicep band for those who prefer to wear their Whoop on the upper arm. Whoop 4.0 bands are not compatible. Both the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are compatible with Whoop Body apparel. The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are virtually identical, and look very similar to the Whoop 4.0, but they are both 7% smaller and thinner. For this review, I tested the Whoop MG and found the discreet tracker was comfortable to wear, and sat flush against my wrist. My only complaint, as with all fitness trackers with a material band, is that it felt soggy against my wrist when getting out the pool, but this isn't too much of an issue, and not one that can be directed at Whoop alone. The only difference between the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG in terms of design is that the latter has the ECG functionalities built into the clasp — to do an ECG reading, you place the fingers of your opposite hand against the indent. The Whoop 5.0 does not have these. I've been impressed with the Whoop MG battery life — Whoop promises two weeks of wear between charges and I'd say that's about right. I've been wearing my band for two weeks for this review, and am still on 27%. This is a huge upgrade from the Whoop 4.0, which lasted around five days between charges. When talking about battery life, it's worth highlighting that the different memberships affect which charger you receive — only the Peak and Life membership options come with Whoop's wireless charger, which in my opinion, is one of the best things Whoop has invented (seriously, Apple, take notes.) The wireless charger slots neatly over the Whoop clasp, allowing you to charge on the move (just note, it's not waterproof, so don't shower or do the washing up while wearing it.) Like most trackers, the Whoop is designed to be worn 24/7 for accurate health monitoring, and this clever device means you won't take your Whoop off to charge and forget to put it back on. If you're upgrading from a Whoop 4.0, unfortunately the Whoop 4.0 Battery Pack won't work with the Whoop 5.0 or Whoop MG as the charging capabilities are slightly different. A bit of a bummer if you were hoping to upgrade and go for the cheaper membership. Again, the health tracking features you recieve depend on the membership tier you opt for. Having tested the Whoop MG, I'd recommend most people go for the Whoop Peak tier, as I'd argue the most exciting features are reserved for the Peak and Life tiers. With all of the membership options, you're getting updated hardwear with the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG — both have a newer processor that is 60% faster than that in the Whoop 4.0. This means quicker syncing and a better app experience. I also found workout auto-detection was more precise. Both also have the new Sleep Performance Update, step tracking and Women's Hormonal Insights. I rely on my wearables to monitor my cycle, especially since giving birth to my son 15 months ago, and have been impressed by the Hormonal Insights feature. It's one of the most advanced I've ever tested, and shows, at a glance, which stage of my cycle I'm in, and the impact my hormones are having on my sleep, strain, recovery and well-being. The Whoop Peak and Life membership subscribers get a skin temperature sensor, but unlike the Oura ring, it can't be connected to third-party apps to be used as a form of contraception. That said, the insights are in-depth, and impressive. There's also pregnancy tracking available. Here's a reminder of the different health tracking features, based on membership: One Peak Life The big feature Whoop is shouting about when it comes to the Whoop 5.0 is Healthspan (more on that below). That said, during my testing I've been impressed with the Stress Monitor, which has showed me just how tense I can get when my toddler is emptying the kitchen cupboards. It's helped me realize the strain stress can have on my body, even when I'm not feeling particularly stressed, and helped me take five when I need. I also think health metrics like resting heart rate, heart rate variability (HRV) and skin temperature tell you a lot about your day to day heath — most of the best fitness trackers on the market have these sensors, and it's a little disappointing they aren't included in the One membership. Healthspan seems to be Whoop's flagship new feature, with the idea being it can offer deep insights into your long-term health. There's two different parts to it — Whoop Age, and Pace of Aging. Whoop Age updates gradually over time, whereas Pace of Aging is a score ranging from -1x to 3 based on the immediate impact of your lifestyle choices. Healthspan calculates these insights by analyzing nine key metrics across sleep, strain and fitness. It looks at total hours of sleep, sleep consistency, and time spent in heart rate zones, your VO2 max, among others. You need to wear your Whoop for 21 days before you get your first metric, so I'll be updating this review once I have more data. Another key metric on the Whoop MG is the ECG sensor, which gives medical-grade ECG readings. It's easy to use — you simply sit still, with your hands on a table, and hold the sensor with your thumb and forefinger. I was able to get an ECG reading in minutes. Most people won't need to take an ECG reading every day, but the monitor detects signs of Artial Fibrillation (AFib) and provides Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications. It's a great feature, but I'd say it's not a deal breaker if you're on a budget. Whoop says the MG can also give you blood pressure insights, but you'll need a cuff to set up your baseline readings, so I've not been able to test this yet as I don't have one at home. There's no doubt about it, the new membership options make the Whoop an expensive tracker. While there's no initial outlay for the device, being hit with another $359/£349 a year in feels like a lot. If you're trying to decide between the Whoop 5.0 and the Whoop MG, I'd argue for most people, the Peak membership tier is the way to go. You're getting all of the detailed tracking we've come to expect from Whoop, without the ECG and blood pressure monitors you're unlikely to use an awful lot (unless, of course, you have a heart condition where regular ECG reading is beneficial.) The Whoop 5.0 itself is a massive upgrade on the Whoop 4.0 — it's lighter, smaller, and faster. Plus, the new features like Healthspan and Female Hormonal Insights with the Peak membership can help you make decision to optimize your fitness, recovery, and sleep, without medical grade sensors.
