- Whoop is releasing new hardware for the first time since 2021
- It has unveiled its new Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG wearables
- Both feature 14-day battery life, ECG, blood pressure monitoring, and more
Whoop has announced two brand new wearables and a new subscription pricing structure, as the company heralds its first new hardware since 2021.
The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG are both sleek screenless wearables with 14-day battery life, ECG, and even blood pressure estimates.
Whoop CEO and founder Will Ahmed said the move wasn’t just a product launch but “a new chapter for Whoop and for our members.”
A new Whoop Healthspan with ‘Whoop Age’ feature gives you insight into how your daily habits impact your long-term health, quantifying your physiological age using nine metrics to give you data that can slow your pace of ageing. It sounds similar to the ‘Fitness Age’ or ‘Metabolic Age’ metric used by the best Garmin watches and some of the best fitness trackers.
The new FDA-cleared ECG lets you take a reading at any time from your wrist and share it with your healthcare provider, with a Heart Screener tool that can detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation and provide Irregular Heart Rhythm Notifications.
One headline is blood pressure insights, with new patent-pending technology that can deliver daily insights with estimated systolic (the first number in a blood pressure reading) and diastolic readings (the second number).
There’s also support for women’s hormonal insights, sleep performance and a new Sleep Score, and the usual myriad of health tracking features.
Whoop 5.0 and MG: Explained
To understand the difference between the Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG devices, you need to understand Whoop’s new subscription structure. That’s because the devices come free with each plan, but the amount you pay will determine which model you get.
Perhaps more egregiously, some standard 5.0 features aren’t available on the cheaper tier.
- WHOOP One: the cheapest tier, said to contain ‘professional-grade fitness insights at our best price’ at £169 / $199 / AU$299 per year
- WHOOP Peak: said to contain ‘advanced health, fitness and longevity insights designed to help you perform at your peak, longer’ priced at £229 / $239 / AU$/419 per year
- WHOOP Life: described as ‘the most powerful WHOOP ever, delivering medical-grade health and performance insights’ priced at £349 / $359 / AU$629 per year
The Whoop MG (MG stands for ‘medical grade’) features the aforementioned Heart Screener, ECG, and blood pressure insights. The MG is only available on Whoop Life, the most expensive tier.
The Whoop 5.0 does not include those medical features and comes with the Whoop One or Whoop Peak memberships, the two cheaper tier options.
Whoop told TechRadar that the Whoop One membership gives you access to core metrics like Strain, Recovery, Sleep, VO2 Max, heart rate zones, steps, and more. It also includes a Strength Trainer and Recovery metrics, as well as sleep tracking. On Whoop One, you get the Whoop 5.0 and a basic charger, as well as a CoreKnit band.
Whoop Peak gives you the Whoop 5.0, but with more features. It includes Health Monitor and Stress Monitor, which let you see if your vitals are out of range. Peak also gives you Healthspan with Whoop Age, and you get the Wireless PowerPack and a nicer SuperKnit band. There is no hardware difference between Whoop Peak and Whoop One: it simply locks the extra features behind an additional paywall, like Fitbit Premium.
As noted, Whoop Life is the most expensive tier and gets you the more premium Whoop MG with the aforementioned medical-grade health features. You get an even more premium band and a Wireless PowerPack for your device.
Analysis: Risking backlash?
In a wearables market where even Garmin‘s $6 Connect+ subscription has been met with user outcry, Whoop customers who have been waiting for these new devices might well be disappointed by the fact that Whoop is reserving the best features of its devices for its most expensive subscription tiers.
The Whoop MG is at least a separate device in principle, but buying a Whoop 5.0 on the cheapest plan, only to miss out on some features ubiquitous to the best smartwatches on the market, is a tough pill to swallow.
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stephen.warwick@futurenet.com (Stephen Warwick)
