Sportneer Smart Scale review

The best smart scales, like the Sportneer Smart Scale, can be incredibly useful tools in the pursuit of a healthy body. Hop on one, and you’ll instantly know your BMI, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and of course, body weight. 

That’s where the data ends for most of the best smart scales. But thanks to eight high-precision electrodes and the addition of a handle, the Sportneer Smart Scale takes you on a deeper dive into your own anatomy with segmented body analytics — a feature that’s usually reserved for the kind of machines you’d find at the doctor’s office or gym. Is the surprisingly budget friendly Sportneer Smart Scale worth investing in? Read our full Sportneer Smart Scale Review below. 

Sportneer Smart Scale review: Price and availability

The Sportneer Smart Scale retails for $69.99, which at first glance would seem like a mid-range price, but when you take into account that the Sportneer is capable of segmented body analysis, 70 bucks becomes a steal — most smart scales with similar technology cost more than double that amount, with some models (like the Tanita BC-1500) getting as high as $550. 

Interestingly, Amazon has the Sportneer Smart Scale listed above retail price at $74.99. However, applying a current coupon will snag you a 25% discount. 

Sportneer Smart Scale review: Design and display

Made from a 6mm-thick tempered glass, the Sportneer Smart Scale measures 12.59 by 11.8 inches — a comparable size to Rollibot’s Rollifit F8 and Fitbit’s Aria Air. Its rounded edges somewhat mimic the Qardiobase 2’s design, although it’s not nearly as circular. The Sportneer’s shape might prevent you from squaring it off in a corner of your bathroom, but since you’ll need space to accommodate the handle attachment, you’d eventually have to move it around anyway. 

Speaking of the handle, that’s where you’ll find four of the Sportneer’s eight electrodes, meant to line up with your palms and thumbs. The other four high-precision sensors are located in the base of the scale, underneath your feet. 

The handle is attached to the base through a singular port, with a cord measuring just over five feet long. That singular port is also where you’ll charge the scale once its lithium battery dies. A heads up, though — Sportneer only includes a USB-C cable. You’ll need to supply the charging block.

The Sportneer Smart Scale measures your weight in kilograms or pounds, in 0.2lbs/kg increments (changing units can be done through the Sportneer app). 

Displayed metrics are large, bright, and relatively easy to read: bodyweight, muscle mass, body fat percentage, and BMI (Body Mass Index, a ratioed score of your weight in relation to your height). Wifi and Bluetooth icons will appear when respectively connected, “lo” will appear when the battery is drained, and “err” will appear if the scale’s weight limit (396 pounds) has been exceeded.

Sportneer Smart Scale review: Set up

After unboxing your Sportneer Smart Scale, you’ll want to charge it for a while. While you wait, it would be a good idea to download the Sportneer App and create your account (available for iOS and Android).

Despite considering myself rather tech-savvy, I ran into some trouble trying to connect the scale to my Wifi network and app. The Sportneer Smart Scale will only connect to 2.4Ghz networks, not 5Ghz, so be sure to confirm the correct network name before you begin set-up. After a few frustrating attempts, I found the correct network listed on the side of my wireless router.

Once your scale has been connected, you’ll be instructed to step on while grabbing the handles. Whereas most smart scales that use bioelectrical impedance are limited to electrodes that only come in contact with the feet, the Sportneer’s addition of sensored handles gives the user a slightly more specific picture of their body composition.To ensure the most accurate measurement, stand barefoot with your feet hip-width apart, and hold the handle so that your palms and thumbs are in contact with the electrodes. 

It should be noted that bioelectrical impedance is not an exact form of measurement, just an estimate based on your body’s water percentage. So take your results for what they are: estimates. 

After a few seconds, the Sportneer app will display a detailed account of your body’s current makeup, with fourteen different measurements including your subcutaneous fat percentage, visceral fat, skeletal muscle mass, and BMI. It will also estimate your basal metabolic rate (the number of calories your body burns at rest), your body’s “age,” and your risk of fatty liver disease, among other metrics.

What truly separates the Sportneer Smart Scale apart from other moderately-priced scales is the segmented analysis — a breakdown of your limbs’ and torso’s weight in muscle and fat, how those numbers compare with the standard for your age, the evenness in mass between each side, and your physical strength capacity. Again, it should be noted that these numbers are estimates, and results should be taken as such. With that being said, it's an incredibly interesting (and telling) way of looking at your body.  

Sportneer Smart Scale review: App features

The Sportneer app offers an analysis with each section of data your smart scale provides, which is helpful if you’re not all that sure what the numbers and percentages are supposed to mean. You also have the option of downloading a PDF graph of your results, which I actually found easier to read and interpret. This is a very useful feature for sharing your body composition results with doctors, dieticians, personal trainers, or other health professionals.

The app allows for an unlimited number of profiles, so your entire family (and maybe even a few friends) can share one device. You’ll be keeping all of their data under your account however, unless they also want to download the app and connect to the scale themselves. That would be a pain to do (and I’m not even entirely sure it would work), so I’d suggest keeping everyone on one device.

After you’ve weighed in, the Sportneer app will recommend a few short training videos based on your results. The programs are fairly basic, yet accessible for most people. Being a certified personal trainer though, I would have loved to see some low-impact modifications offered for those with limited mobility or other considerations. All of the routines require the use of Sportneer’s smart weights (cuffs that wrap around your ankles or wrists, weighing anywhere from 2 to 5 pounds) if you’d like to track your heart rate or caloric burn. 

The Sportneer app also acts as a GPS tracker for runs, but again, requires the use of smart weights to record heart rate data. I can’t think of too many situations where I’d recommend running with ankle or wrist weights on, so it’s best to let the app just track your mileage (if anything run-related).

Beyond that, the Sportneer app is somewhat lackluster. Yes, the app will give most users a detailed breakdown of their body’s composition. But there are no pregnancy settings available, so if you’re expecting, you’ll need to monitor your weight using another scale. There also isn’t an “athlete” mode like you’d find on the Withings Body+, so if you’re an avid exerciser, your readings may be a bit skewed (but then again, having four additional electrodes for measurement should make results more accurate). Having suggested in-app exercise videos is nice, but I can see them getting boring and in-effective after a few workouts. And unless you have the Sportneer smart weights, there’s no way to track your cardiovascular response or calories burned. 

Sportneer Smart Scale review: Compatibility

Adjusting your settings within the app will share the data from your Sportneer Smart Scale with your phone’s health kit.

Unless you have other Sportneer Smart products, like Sportneer Smart Weights, that’s where the Sportneer Smart Scale’s compatibility ends. Unlike the Renpho Smart Body Fat Scale or the Qardiobase 2, the Sportneer Smart Scale isn’t compatible with MyFitnessPal. You also won’t be able to sync it up with Map My Run, Noom, Lose It, or most other popular apps. 

Sportneer Smart Scale review: Verdict

For the majority of people in the market for a smart scale, Sportneer’s offering is an excellent find. Sure, you’ll see all the typical metrics you’d expect — weight, BMI, body fat percentage, muscle mass, and water percentage. But the Sportneer Smart Scale goes a step further with in-depth segmented body analytics, a feature usually reserved for far costlier models. With this detailed information, you can fine-tune your exercise and strength training regimens to best reflect what your body needs. And since an unlimited amount of users can share one scale, you can make getting healthy and strong a family affair.

When compared with competitors like the Renpho Smart Body Fat Scale and the Withings Body+, the Sportneer Smart Scale’s app leaves a little something to be desired. So does its compatibility with other programs. After all is said and done however, the Sportneer Smart Scale’s above-standard eight electrodes give you extensive data about your body’s makeup at a very reasonable price.