Garmin Index S2 review

The Garmin Index S2 is a smart scale that tells you everything — from your bodyweight and bone mass to your body fat percentage and even the weather. It is, however, expensive and sits at the upper end of smart scales.

But what does a scale need to qualify as one of the best smart scales? These scales have helped us realize that bodyweight is just the tip of the iceberg, and that there’s a lot to know about body fat and water percentage, or muscle and bone mass, for instance.

If you’re into working out or keeping track of your health, you’d be familiar with Garmin. It has almost become a household name by producing some of the best fitness trackers and watches, but the company also makes smart scales that integrate well with the Garmin ecosystem. 

But after spending time with this connected bathroom scale, we found that its companion app doesn’t add much, and at the end of the day, the Index S2 doesn’t justify its price. So it may be best suited to those already embedded in Garmin’s ecosystem.

Garmin Index S2 review: Cheat sheet

• What is it? A sleek, premium looking smart scale that shows a variety of stats, such as bodyweight, weight trend, BMI, skeletal muscle mass, etc.
• Who is it for? For people who want to track their weight trend over time, and want insight into other measurements.
• How much does it cost? The Garmin Index S2 smart scale is available for $149 / £129.
• How is the user experience? Average, and it could be better. For the price, this smart scale underdelivers.
• Anything missing? Explanations and insights into body measurements on the app would have been handy.

Garmin Index S2 review: Price & availability

The Garmin Index S2 smart scale costs $149 / £129, although the lowest we’ve seen it drop to is $119 / £89 at Amazon. It’s available in two colors: white and black. At the upper end of smart scales, the Index S2 finds itself competing against the likes of the Withings Body Cardio (also $149).

You can also get the bundle which includes an Index BPM Smart Blood Pressure monitor, and it will cost you $299. This bundle is available in the U.S. only.

Garmin Index S2 review: Design & display

Take the Garmin Index S2 out of its box and you’ll instantly notice its minimalistic and premium feel. Measuring 12.6 x 12.2 x 1.1 inches, its wide tempered glass surface looks incredibly sleek, and it can be stored easily because of how light it is (70.4oz).

The scale detects who’s standing on it, and the display cycles through your weight, body mass index (BMI) and it also shows you your weight trend in the form of a graph. Other stats can be accessed and customized via the Garmin Connect app (more on that later).

How does it determine all these things? Here’s the nerdy bit. The smart scale uses bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to measure your body composition, including body fat and muscle mass.

When you stand on the scale with bare feet, the Index S2 sends a weak electric current through your body which measures tissue resistance and reactance. This then determines your body weight, body fat percentage, skeletal muscle mass, bone mass, and body water percentage. Pretty cool, right?

You’ll ideally want to place the Index S2 on a hard, flat floor as you would with any other scales. However, if you want to use it on a carpeted floor, the scale comes with risers which you can install on each foot.

Important to note: Garmin advises that if you have a pacemaker or any other internal electronic devices, you should not use the Index S2. Also, it advises you to consult your doctor in case you’re pregnant before using this scale. Unlike the Withings Body Cardio, the Index S2 does not have a dedicated pregnancy or baby mode.

I tested the black model and it was a nightmare to clean. Glass is hard to maintain as is and it’ll never look as good as it did brand new, but trying to wipe off toeprints is a chore. You also notice every single speck of dust so you should get used to that.

Garmin Index S2 review: Setup

The Garmin Index S2 is fairly straightforward to set up. Take it out of the box, put the four AAA alkaline batteries in (included), and download the Garmin Connect app on your Android or iOS device.

If this is your first Garmin product, you’ll need to create an account. The Garmin Index S2 uses Bluetooth to connect to your phone and then uses Wi-Fi to sync your data. It should already be in pairing mode when you first buy it but if not, hit the Reset button on the back.

In the future, when the smart scale is asleep, tap it with your toe to wake it up. I assumed that it would wake up as soon as I stood on it but sadly not. Before I realized you had to tap it, I was hopping on and off the scale like a kangaroo.

The smart scale is, well, smart, so if you stand on it with socks on, an icon with a question mark will appear, and the Index S2 will proceed to measure only your weight and BMI. It will also automatically detect the user based on weight and frequency of use, and the user’s initials will pop up. You’ll see your weight, weight trends for 30 days (in the form of a graph), and weather conditions — handy if you check your weight first thing in the morning.

Garmin Index S2 review: App features

Here’s the annoying part. The app kept saying “An error occurred” every time I tried to pair the smart scale with my Google Pixel 7 Pro. Just as I was losing my cool, I closed the app and reopened it, and the smart scale connected.

I then tried adding another user to the group so that they could use the scale too, but the same error message kept popping up for them on the OnePlus 9 Pro. I really wish the app wasn’t so finicky — it left a bad taste in my mouth. Once you get it working, the app doesn’t add much, since you can see the same stats on the scale.

For $149, I expected more insight, such as explanations of the different metrics being measured. If you do own other Garmin products though, like the best Garmin watch, the scale would fit well into the ecosystem, but if you don’t, you aren’t really getting your money’s worth. I’d rather save money and settle for a smart scale like the Withings Body+ ($99, and it won the smart scale category in the 2022 Tom’s Guide awards) or the Eufy Smart Scale P1 ($39).

Garmin also encourages you to weigh yourself multiple times a day, as the Index S2 product page says: “Track how your body changes throughout the day.” This is my biggest criticism of this scale. Sure, it’s great if you’re a pro athlete or are training for an event, but how useful is this for the common person?

Personally, I think it can lead to obsessive behavior if I’m not careful and I could, in turn, develop an unhealthy relationship with my body, eating habits, and the smart scale itself. It’s for similar reasons that we also don’t recommend counting calories. 

The Garmin Connect app and the Index S2 smart scale don’t offer a lot of compatibility in terms of the third-party services you can connect to. The only available third-party apps via Garmin Connect are MyFitnessPal, Strava and… Microsoft Office 365? You can connect to Office 365 to share your workouts and group events to the calendar. And of course, you can connect it to your Garmin watch.

I don’t own a smart watch so the app was redundant, because any stats I needed to check were displayed on the Index S2 anyway. Compared to the Withings Health Mate app which offers compatibility with 100+ apps, the Garmin Connect was a letdown. It made the Withings Body+ and the Withings Body Smart more enticing — both sub-$100 options.

Should you buy the Garmin Index S2?

The Garmin Index S2 could be a handy tool for pros who want to keep track of their measurements over time, and for those looking to hit a specific goal. The smart scale measures everything you could hope for, and it tells you the weather so you can decide if you want to go for a run or to the gym.

I loved the sleek and premium design of the Index S2 — it looks classy and minimalist so you don’t have to worry about it feeling out of place in your home. However, the smart scale under-delivers for this price point. The Index S2 is a good but expensive scale even for those who are pursuing long-term fitness goals.

The app doesn’t add much as the same stats are displayed on the scale itself; there is no pregnancy or baby mode so it isn't accessible to everyone; limited third-party app connectivity means you can’t connect your preferred fitness app; and the scale is difficult to clean.

Additionally, the emphasis on weighing yourself throughout the day could rub you the wrong way. If you’re still keen on spending $150 on a smart scale, consider the Withings Body Cardio instead, or the Withings Body+ which has a strong set of features at a lower price.