Whoop MG review — A screenless fitness tracker for performance geeks

The release of the highly anticipated Whoop 5.0 and its medically graded sibling Whoop MG was steeped in controversy. First, there were the infamous upgrade fees. The brand promised those who owned the older version of the tracker, the Whoop 4.0, that they would receive free hardware upgrades upon renewal of their memberships, but subsequently rescinded the offer. Then, a significant number of users reported that their Whoop MG completely stopped working within days or even hours of the initial setup. In all fairness, Whoop acknowledged the issue and is reportedly giving out replacements for affected devices. However, the damage is done, and some users have turned their backs on the brand. So, is the Whoop MG really that bad, or does it still have a lot to offer? We decided to find out for ourselves.

Specs-wise, it is a big step up from the Whoop 4.0. Compared to its predecessor, the Whoop MG is smaller, lighter, and equipped with more features — it can now measure your ECG and blood pressure, for example. This new model also promises longer battery life (two weeks as opposed to just 5 days), improved tracking accuracy and a 60% faster processing speed. Media backlash or not, the Whoop MG has what it takes to dethrone the Whoop 4.0 and claim a spot in our guide to the best fitness trackers.

Whoop MG review

Whoop MG: Design

• Sleek and discreet
• Can be worn anywhere on the body
• Sharp edges at the clasp and bulky sensor

The design is both the strongest and the weakest trait of the Whoop MG band. On the plus side, this wearable is way more functional than fitness watches. It is sleeker and more discreet, and it does not overload your wrist with heavy machinery or distract you mid-workout with a huge, blinking display. In fact, the Whoop MG does not have to be on your wrist at all. You could just as well place it on your ankle or arm, and thanks to its unique Any-Wear Technology, even on your waist or torso (that said, you would first have to invest in the Whoop smart apparel). This design tweak offers some tangible benefits. If you are a swimmer, for example, placing the wearable in your swimsuit rather than on the wrist could help you reduce your drag in the water and thus maximize your performance.

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On the other hand, the design of the Whoop MG can be dreadfully impractical on a day-to-day basis. The lack of a screen is an obvious disadvantage here. You can't check your workout stats at a glance or keep up with notifications — every single time you want to view anything, you have to log in to the Whoop app. We found this particularly frustrating while exercising in the gym. Heavy weightlifting involves rapid, short-term changes in heart rate that we typically monitor with a glance at the watch face. With the Whoop MG, however, we always had to keep our phone screen nearby.

The locking mechanism on the strap is another downside. It is not particularly intuitive, so it takes some time to master. Secondly, the buckle that keeps the sensor in place has relatively sharp edges. This can pose a safety risk (especially in certain contact sports), and it can be uncomfortable while sleeping. For example, we tend to snooze with our hand placed underneath our head, where this sharp clasp was pinching our face.

Moreover, the Whoop MG does not feel very female-friendly. The sensor is too wide and bulky for comfortable all-day wear, and it only comes in one color. Sure, you can add some personality to your tracker by swapping its default black straps with some brighter ones, but you will not be spoiled for choice here. We also found the Whoop replacement straps to be unreasonably expensive — the cheapest one costs a whopping $49. You can get a knock-off band from Amazon, but then it is not guaranteed that it will fit.

Then there is the relatively high price of the Whoop MG. The device itself costs $359, which places it on par with some of the more premium Garmin watches, plus it requires a subscription to work properly. The Whoop app costs $199 per year for the basic package, and if you want to have full access to the features on your tracker (the ECG and blood pressure insights, for example), you have to fork out a whopping $359 per year.

Whoop MG: Features

• Detailed analysis of the body's strain and recovery
• ECG and blood pressure measurements
• AI-driven personalized coaching

The Whoop bands have always dazzled with their advanced features, and the MG is no different. This fitness tracker is best suited for serious athletes and data geeks who are laser-focused on maximizing their exercise performance and recovery. For beginners, however, the Whoop MG can be a feature overkill. While most metrics come with sufficient explanations and actionable, easy-to-understand tips, there may simply be too many of them to bring real value to those who have never used a fitness tracker before.

We can't really get into each and every feature of the Whoop MG here (otherwise, this section would be five pages long), so we will try to keep things short and sweet. This wearable is focused on three main metrics — sleep, strain and recovery — all of which are calculated based on its continuous measurements of your heart rate, movement and skin temperature. It also tracks various other stats, including stress levels, calories, steps and VO2max (the maximum amount of oxygen that a person can use during exercise). In addition, the Whoop MG can take on-demand ECG (heart rhythm) readings and estimate your blood pressure (you first need to calibrate the algorithm with a traditional blood pressure cuff).

Every morning, your Whoop MG will ask you to complete your journal. You can choose which activities and symptoms you want to log in, and whether you want them to form part of your "Feel Better Plan". We found this feature to be very useful. For example, it helped us track our hay fever symptoms and associated fatigue levels — not something many fitness trackers can do.

Another feature that scored highly in our books was the menstrual cycle tracker. Of all the fitness wearables we have tested, the Whoop MG proved to be the most detailed and accurate in its predictions in that regard. We particularly liked the little snippets of personalized guidance that accompanied each of our cycle phases. We could only wish more brands took this important aspect of human biology with the same degree of care and understanding.

Then there is the AI-powered coaching. Essentially, it is a chatbox, similar to one we have seen in the Amazfit Zepp app. While we did not use it much ourselves, we appreciate that Whoop MG has a feature that can help its users better understand their health and fitness data. Again, that is not something too common for fitness tracker brands.

Lastly, the Whoop MG comes with its own communities. While you will not be able to directly interact with other users, you can choose which "team" you want to be in (for example, Whoop Yogis or Whoop Women 30-40) and see all the activities its team members logged into their apps. If you have a competitive streak (or simply want to snoop around), this feature will surely be up your street.

Whoop MG: Performance

• Up to two weeks of battery life
• Largely accurate health and fitness tracking
• App connectivity can be patchy

The Whoop MG promises up to two weeks of battery life — and that is indeed true. Our testing unit lasted on average 12 to 13 days, with at least four tracked workouts a week. No complaints here. If anything, we were not too keen on the weirdly-shaped charger. Sliding the sensor into the charging dock takes some strength and manual dexterity, and we think it is just more hassle than it needs to be.

The health and fitness tracking on the Whoop MG is largely accurate, but it differs slightly depending on the metric. For example, we were particularly impressed with the reliability of its sleep and heart rate measurements. During one workout, we wore both the Whoop MG and the more precise Polar H9 chest strap heart rate monitor, and obtained impressively similar results regardless of the exercise intensity. Most fitness trackers we test tend to lose accuracy when the heart rate goes roughly above 140 bpm, but that did not apply to the Whoop MG. The sleep tracking also seemed to be highly precise.

The stress and activity tracking, on the other hand, could use some improvement. The Whoop MG is supposed to automatically detect your workouts, but based on our experiences, it either does not "see" your activities (and therefore logs the elevated heart rates as stressful reactions) or misinterprets them. For example, it once logged our shower as "dancing". Moreover, we found the workout tracking to be quite basic. If you want to track complex stats (stroke rate for indoor rowing, for example), the Whoop MG may not be the best option for you.

Speaking of tracking, the Whoop MG takes quite a few weeks to calibrate. This means that it may not display accurate results straight away. We found that to be particularly pronounced with stress tracking — our measurements were wildly off the mark in the first couple of weeks, but improved markedly afterwards. It is a good sign. The Whoop MG can actively "learn" your body and provide you with more personalized feedback, and that is not something many fitness trackers do.

Our biggest gripe with the Whoop MG was its patchy app connectivity. On most days, it was perfectly fine. On others, it stopped working for no apparent reason. Our testing unit must have disconnected from the app at least a dozen times, each time forcing us to meddle with our Bluetooth settings. On one occasion, we even resorted to resetting the device. True, we have always managed to restore connectivity without losing any data, but we found this flakiness to be quite annoying.

All in all, the Whoop MG is a fabulous health tracker with exceptional battery life, but its performance hiccups are too frequent and disruptive to brush off. If this wearable were cheaper, we probably would not mind as much, but at this price range, the bar is set much higher.

Whoop MG: User reviews

The Whoop MG scores 4 out of 5 stars on Amazon, with two-thirds of users giving it the highest rating. Positive reviews often praise this wearable for its insightful health and fitness tracking, long battery life and good data accuracy.

One happy buyer said, "My Whoop has been a game-changer for my health, performance, and overall lifestyle. I am a trainer and work at a bar, so late nights and early mornings are unavoidable. My Whoop has made a huge difference in how I pay attention to my sleep and recovery. I started with Whoop almost a year ago and loved it. I was super excited about this new band and haven’t been disappointed. The new insights and tools this band provides are amazing, and with the 14-day battery life, I would say this upgrade is completely worth it."

Negative reviews, on the other hand, tended to revolve around its high price tag, skin-irritating straps and poor compatibility with Apple's app ecosystem. Several users also complained about Whoop's customer service.

One user commented, "The moment you try to return, update, or manage your account, WHOOP shows its true face: a company built on confusion, hidden charges, and a broken support system. Customer service is a black hole — canned responses, no resolution, and endless back-and-forth. You’ll waste hours, if not weeks, trying to fix simple issues while they quietly keep charging you."

Should you buy the Whoop MG?

✅ Buy it if: You are serious about elevating your exercise performance and/ or looking for an advanced fitness tracker that you can put anywhere on your body. The Whoop MG is versatile and discreet, but more importantly, it delivers heaps of useful data on your sleep, strain and recovery. A perfect choice for serious athletes and performance geeks.

❌ Do not buy it if: You are on a budget, want to prioritize workout tracking, or frequently engage in contact sports. The Whoop MG does not provide nearly as many exercise stats as other fitness trackers in its price range, and the sharp edges on its clasp may pose a safety risk to those who train in martial arts or team sports like rugby and basketball.

If Whoop MG is not for you

Like the idea of a screenless fitness tracker? Think of a smart ring. The Oura Ring 3 and Ultrahuman Ring AIR, for example, are similar to the Whoop MG in terms of price and functionality, but they are smaller and more elegant. Plus, many smart rings (such as the Ultrahuman Ring AIR or Amazfit Helio) do not require a subscription.

Looking for something cheaper? Consider the Amazfit Balance instead. This subscription-free smartwatch costs less than $200, but it is stylish, comfortable to wear and jam-packed with detailed insights into your sleep, stress and recovery. The downside? It is nowhere near as data-focused as the Whoop MG.

Whoop MG: How we tested

We spent nearly three months testing the Whoop MG band, assessing its design, features, ease of use, tracking performance, connectivity with third-party devices and value for money. We wore it during the day, while sleeping and when doing a range of activities, from swimming in the pool and hiking outdoors to exercising in the gym.

Finally, we assessed the accuracy of our Whoop MG by comparing its heart rate measurements with the data we obtained using a more precise Polar H9 chest-strap heart rate monitor.