Withings' $600 BodyScan 2 checks feet for diabetes signs

Withings has launched the BodyScan 2, a $600 smart scale that pushes well beyond basic weight tracking. With a color display, a retractable handle, and electrodes in both the platform and the handle, it is positioned more like a home health checkup device than a conventional bathroom scale.

The most unusual feature is its focus on foot health. The scale sends weak electrical impulses through the sweat glands in the feet to assess nerve response, which Withings says could help flag possible problems, including issues linked to diabetes. Speaking to The Verge in January, Withings director of product management Antoine Jossin said diabetes complications often show up in the feet, making nerve-response testing in that area a potential early signal. The article notes that, according to the International Diabetes Federation, more than 500 million adults worldwide live with diabetes.

BodyScan 2 is available now. Like other smart scales, it uses bioimpedance, but Withings says its dual-electrode setup allows the signal to travel through more than just the lower body, improving on the rougher body-composition estimates common in simpler models. The company claims the device can directly measure visceral fat, cellular health, and biological age.

It offers two scan modes:

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• Daily Scan (30 seconds): weight, water, fat and muscle distribution, heart rate, and Vascular Age via Pulse Wave Velocity
• Longevity Scan (90 seconds): adds SpO2, heart age, and a Nerve Response Score

The companion app compiles those results into a Longevity Analysis report. Withings also says the battery lasts up to 15 months.

FDA disclaimer and price comparison

Withings includes a significant disclaimer: the FDA has not fully reviewed the device’s safety and effectiveness, and its claims about performance and clinical significance should not be treated as established fact. The exception is the company’s software for ECG and atrial fibrillation detection, which has received FDA clearance.

That makes the price stand out almost as much as the feature list. Garmin Index S2 costs about $150 and sticks to standard body-composition metrics, while mainstream models from Xiaomi and Eufy typically fall in the $30–100 range. Withings is clearly aiming at the premium end of the home health gadget market, where the pitch is ongoing monitoring rather than a simple scale.