Eufy P2 Pro review
Two-minute review
The Eufy P2 Pro by smart home companion device producer Eufy is generally a very good smart scale option. Easy to set up and simple to operate, simply step onto the P2 Pro like a normal scale and the device can calculate more than your weight: by inputting your measurements into the app, the smart scale can help calculate muscle health, body mass index, body fat percentage, your basic metabolic rate, hydration and more.
Eufy might be better known for home security cameras and robotic vacuums, so a move into the health space seems out of character. But the scale is generally good: its attractive and understated to look at, all black glass and steel, and is able to be stored unobtrusively.
Its app is simply designed and easy to use, even if using the included tape measure to input your vitals is a little awkward at first. There are a few small issues keeping it back that I wish had been thought through more, including certain features that seem tailor-made to trigger anxiety and hamper inclusiveness.
However, when dealing with a device that measures your body weight, it’s hard to create a kind, welcoming experience. Eufy is good at what it does, presenting its information in an easily accessible and informative way.
Eufy P2 Pro: Price and availability
The Eufy P2 Pro is out now, priced at $79.99 in the US, A$199.95 in Australia and £54.99 in the UK from the EufyLife website, Amazon and other retailers.
Eufy P2 Pro: Design
- Slick looking scale
- Functional app, but digital models need work
- Easy to use
Design score: 4/5
The scale’s design is a simple one: a black or white glass scale bisected twice into four quadrants, coupled with a bright and clear LED screen with simple digital readouts, again broken into four quadrants. The scale stands on four rubber feet to raise it off the ground.
Rather than a rechargeable model, the P2 Pro operates on disposable batteries, the first set packaged with the product in a handled carry case. Also packaged with the product is a tape measure to calculate the size of your chest, arms, waist, hips and thighs. Once you have all these measurements, you put this information into the app alongside your height and weight and it generates a digital model of your proportions.
I love the idea, but I can’t say I enjoyed the feature. It’s quite revealing, potentially even triggering for some, to toggle the information on the model and watch your digital avatar get fatter or thinner. There is a small selection of different skin tones as if a cursory bone was thrown to diversity, but that’s all the customization on offer.
Why not do a vitruvian-esque transparent figure, the way Garmin Connect does with its heat maps of the human body, and eliminate any issue with weight and identity? The app in itself, however, is well-designed, with all the information presented very clearly.
Eufy P2 Pro: Features
- Calculates a lot of vital stats
- Pets and kids modes
- Export reports and view history
Features score: 5/5
Speaking of the app’s design, once you step on the scale, the scale’s LCD screen presents you with weight, heart rate and body fat percentage, but the meat of the info is all in the app. It presents information on 16 different metrics: Heart rate, weight, body fat percentage, BMI, hydration, muscle mass, bone mass, basal metabolic rate, lean body mass, body age, body type, subcutaneous fat, body fat mass and cellular protein.
It calculates all these, like most smart scales, through bioelectrical impedance analysis, or BIA: sending harmless electrical currents through your feet that take detailed readings of your body composition.
All of these metrics are shown on scales of “low” to “high” and information is provided on what exactly each figure means, as well as tips to improve or maintain normal levels. You’re also able to set goals for overall weight and body composition, so you can measure your current stats and historic progress against these two goals.
There are some neat additional modes available, including profiles specifically for pets and babies although this offers weight only rather than any additional functionalities. Having their own profile means that, with a swipe on the app, you can measure their weight and automatically plot it on a historical graph. Got a chonk of a cat who needs to slim down, or a rapidly-growing baby? You can simply pick them up and step on the scale.
As well as viewing your history in-app, the app also allows you to export reports to view on your computer or print them off, or sync your data to Fitbit, Apple Health and Google Fit. It also throws push notifications to your phone to encourage you to weigh yourself regularly. It honestly does everything you’d expect a smart scale to do, and more.
Eufy P2 Pro: Performance
- Plotting progress and regular use was a breeze
- Bone mass was an outlying stat
- Push notifications could be anxiety-inducing
The Eufy smart scale was excellent in most respects. Set-up was easy, bar trying to get the right measurements around your bicep and chest for my digital avatar. Stepping on the scale once a day, I was able to plot a graph of my weight and view all my vital stats. It’s by far the best way to keep track of weight and other vitals, especially as you can export the information if you want to upload it elsewhere, such as Google Fit or an excel spreadsheet or something.
The one outlying stat that seemed jarring was my “bone mass” readings, which said I was in the “low” category, while everything else was in green “normal” categories. As a 30-year-old man who regularly runs, lifts weights and eats pretty healthily, it’s unlikely I’m in this category: low bone mass, or osteopenia, tends to be a warning sign for those at risk of osteoporosis, such as seniors or perimenopausal women. However, never say never: I’m reviewing the Wyze Scale X next, and should the readings match or not, I’ll update this review with my findings. If both scales tell me I’ve got low bone mass, then I guess it’s off to the doctor. If the Wyze readings come back normal, then I’ll have a bone to pick with Eufy.
Other than worrying about the integrity of my skeleton, the one feature of the Eufy P2 Pro I really didn’t enjoy were the push notifications. Each morning I hadn’t stepped on the scale, I got a message from Eufy on my smartphone with “It’s time to get on the scale and weigh yourself!” It was presumably designed to sound cheery, but the exclamation point does make it vaguely threatening, like a health-conscious version of the Duolingo bird.
Weight management is a difficult topic for many people. While studies say weighing yourself every day can lead to consistent weight loss, many have a tough relationship with the scale. Push notifications can be easily disabled, true, but encouraging daily use of the scale with a push to your smartphone as the default setting seems a tad irresponsible or insensitive, potentially leading to an unhealthy fixation on the numbers.
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