Whoop transforms into a powerful health platform, but flaws persist
Whoop’s pivot to a comprehensive health and wellness platform in this 5.0 update is impressive. Powerful new features like Healthspan, innovative blood pressure monitoring, and the promise of Advanced Labs, coupled with a mega improvement in battery life and app performance, make a compelling case for those seeking deep insights into their long-term health and physiological aging. However, the premium price (though now with friendlier tiers) and inconsistencies in wrist-based heart rate accuracy remain caveats. Ultimately, though, if you're happy to put up with HR quirks and don't mind paying extra for the mammoth array of new health insights, this new generation represents a monumental step forward.
Pros
- Vast and useful new health and wellness features
- Battery life upgrade is game-changing
- Pricing tiers and device choice are improved
Cons
- HR accuracy still isn't elite
- Whoop 4.0 bands aren't compatible
- Subscription-only model won't be for everyone
Whoop is growing up. Or perhaps, more accurately, it’s asking us to grow with it. The company that carved out a niche as the go-to tracker for elite athletes and data-obsessed fitness enthusiasts is pivoting significantly with the launch of the Whoop 5.0 and the new medical-grade Whoop MG. This isn’t just an iteration; it’s a change in mission.
After three years with the 4.0 tracker welded to my arm, and a solid week testing the MG model, it’s clear Whoop is aiming to be your long-term health companion.
The signs have been there for a while. Whoop’s been steadily, and vocally, expanding beyond simple fitness tracking: publishing studies, enhancing its daily journal and AI-driven Whoop Coach, integrating with health platforms like Withings, and shifting its analytical focus towards nuanced metrics like stress and sleep consistency rather than just raw sleep stage data.
The new Whoop 5.0 and more premium Whoop MG—the latter boasting an on-demand ECG and background heart screenings—represent the culmination of this journey. The narrative is now firmly focused on longevity and ‘healthspan’; extending the quality and vitality of your years, not just tracking the intensity of your workouts.
It’s a compelling pitch—one that brings new hardware, new features, and a restructured membership model for existing members and newcomers to consider.
Pricing: Choose your level of engagement
Whoop’s subscription model continues, but it’s now segmented into three tiers rather than having users pay more upfront for better discounts.
Now, each tier is tied to specific hardware and feature sets. Understanding these is paramount before we get into the nooks and crannies of what else is new. After all, depending on what you pay, it may not even be available to you.
- Whoop One ($199/year): This tier includes the Whoop 5.0 hardware and provides access to the platform’s foundational elements: Sleep, Strain, and Recovery insights.
- Whoop Peak ($239/year): Peak also ships with the Whoop 5.0 hardware and unlocks the advanced health, stress, and longevity features, most notably the new Healthspan feature (more on this below)
- Whoop Life ($359/year): This premium tier comes with the Whoop MG hardware and encompasses the full suite of features, including the medical-grade insights like ECG and the beta Blood Pressure Insights
Women’s health features are included in all tiers, while ‘Advanced Labs’ (again, more on this below) will represent an additional cost regardless of the chosen tier.
Still a premium product, now with more choice
Even when considering a long-term Core subscription, the pricing remains at the top end of the wearables market. It’s a model unlike any other in the business, which is interesting considering it is, when stripped back, just a platform and heart rate monitor.
The previous single-tier subscription (around $20/month, or less with longer commitments) most closely aligns with the Peak tier regarding the feature set available on the 4.0. The One tier offers a slightly more accessible entry point for core tracking, but you miss out on the best of the platform and new hardware. In contrast, the ‘Life’ tier I’ve been living on for the purpose of this review represents a substantial price increase (~$30/month) for those seeking the most advanced medical monitoring features currently available.
With more choice, whether the Whoop experience represents ‘good value’ is as personal a proposition as ever. At the very least, I think this is a much-improved set of options to pick from and makes much more sense when you extrapolate the cost of Whoop out over 2-3 years compared to other premium devices.
My hunch is that most people should (and probably will) stick around the $239 annual price point, the Peak membership. Time will tell on that front—and whether the Core membership is broad enough to entice new users, and the Life enough to upsell hardcore users who care as much about health as they do fitness tracking.
A design evolution, now with revolutionary battery life
If you were anticipating a dramatic physical transformation with the Whoop 5.0, you might need to temper those expectations. Whoop claims the new generation is 7% smaller, a reduction that, in truth, is quite subtle when you have it on your wrist.
It doesn’t fundamentally change the wearing experience from the 4.0 tracker. The overall look remains minimalist and functional, still well-suited for the gym or blending in with daily wear. My MG review unit has already picked up a few minor scratches from the gym.
The more significant and frustrating change is the clasp system. It still functions exactly as before, but that slight redesign means Whoop 4.0 bands will no longer be compatible. While Whoop is encouraging users to pass on their old devices through an ‘Upcycle Program’ (offering a $50 credit if a friend signs up with your old 4.0) and provides suggestions for textile recycling, it’s an undeniable inconvenience and added expense for users who’ve invested in multiple bands.
Enough staying power to help you switch off
However, any grumbles about design tweaks will likely be overshadowed by the monumental improvement in battery life. Whoop officially states a 14-day battery life with the new 5.0 and MG devices. Based on my last week or so with the MG, that estimate might even be a little conservative.
After six days, my device has only depleted by 38%, suggesting it’ll comfortably pass the two-week mark. When paired with the new wireless PowerPack (a perk for Peak and Life tier members, while One members will be limited to a wired battery pack), Whoop even dangles the prospect of a whole month of charge.
After spending the last few years closely monitoring the iOS widget for my Whoop battery, this leap forward in staying power has been a godsend. It transforms the device from something I’ve needed to manage regularly—throwing the battery pack in my bag even on four-day trips just in case it ran dry—to a constant companion. Handily, it now effectively matches the life achieved by my Garmin Fenix 8 (with the AOD disabled) on my opposing wrist, and feels much more aligned with would I would expect for a device with no display to sap its battery levels.
A headline new health feature—for some, at least
Exclusive to the Whoop MG, which comes with the top-tier Life membership, is an on-demand ECG function. I’ve taken plenty of readings over the last few days, and found it… fine. It’s like almost every other ECG function I’ve tested over the last decade—consistent and providing a sinus rhythm reading (lucky me).
A simple thumb and index finger hold on the conductive elements on the clasp initiates a medical-grade reading in seconds once initiated in the app. It’s FDA-cleared and, like everybody else’s feature, is designed to help detect signs of Atrial Fibrillation (AFib). Readings are held inside the new Heart Screener section, and the MG will also passively look out for high, low, or irregular heart rates and rhythms.
It’s been four years since Whoop last updated its hardware, so it’s easy to forget that a feature like ECG has exploded since then; it’s now on virtually all mid-range smartwatches, let alone the premium devices. That means it’s not a mega-innovative addition in 2025, and the case could even be made that it should be offered on 5.0 devices, too.
But, still, it aligns neatly with the rest of the health features now available in this generation, as we’ll explore below.
The heart of it all: Has Whoop fixed its accuracy issues?
For a device whose entire ecosystem of Strain, Sleep, and Recovery scores hinges on heart rate data, accuracy is paramount. And this, unfortunately, remains a point of contention. My experience with the Whoop 4.0 on the wrist was that it was often unreliable for pinpointing HR during moderate exercise, let alone vigorous intervals that optical sensors typically struggle with.
It led me to wear it on my bicep for the better part of the last three years. From there, it was generally more stable, and I got used to its very consistent trend of underreporting compared to Garmin, Apple, and others. (I will also note here that HR averages were often this way due to generous activity time estimates in auto-detect, which, as I explain below, have been tightened significantly as part of this update).
The key with the 4.0 tracker was that, at least in my experience on the upper arm, the heart rate was never bad enough to derail the broader Strain scores, which consider overall load. It was never data I’d rely on for precise analysis—and definitely not calorie burn (this element is still wildly underreported compared to other wearables).
The crucial question, then, is whether the Whoop 5.0 (or the MG model I’ve been testing) rectifies this. Based on my recent workouts, the answer is: not decisively. I’ll run through a few examples below, but, rest assured, I’ll continue to analyze this over the coming months (probably, again, with one of Whoop’s Bicep Bands).
Overreporting on running workouts:
A seven-mile, steady-paced run yielded an average of 153 BPM from the Garmin HRM-Pro Plus—widely considered the gold standard—and the Apple Watch Ultra 2, while the Whoop MG was surprisingly higher at 159 BPM. Another five-mile run with a longer middle interval was similar: Whoop MG at 165 BPM average, with the Apple Watch at 160 BPM and the Garmin chest strap at 161 BPM.
So, it tends to report higher than expected this time around, then? Well, not quite.
Underreporting on other workouts:
During a 90-minute tennis session, the Whoop MG reported an average heart rate of 130 BPM. In contrast, my Apple Watch Ultra 2 recorded 141 BPM, and a Garmin HRM-Pro Plus showed 144 BPM. It was the same picture in gym sessions using the Whoop Strength Trainer; one registered an average of 113 BPM on Whoop, compared to 122 BPM on the Garmin and 123 BPM on the Apple Watch.
Okay, so maybe it actually is consistent, but it overreports and underreports depending on the activity type? Not exactly.
Bang on the money:
In a third outdoor run—this time, theoretically, taking on the more complex challenge of intervals—it was… pretty much bang in line with Garmin and Apple’s figures.
The concern isn’t just that it’s off, but that the calibration is inconsistent—sometimes low, sometimes high, and sometimes right in line. For users who scrutinize their workout data or rely on precise heart rate zone training, this level of variability compared to more established HR monitors is a significant drawback, especially given Whoop’s premium price.
How much does it really matter?
With Whoop (by virtue of foregoing a screen) putting more weight into analyzing overall effort rather than specific real-time measurements, it’s important to contextualize these figures.
When I first tried Whoop 3.0 around five years ago, the HR was so bad that it couldn’t gauge effort at all. Seriously, there were occurrences of a 15.0+ Strain activity while I was sitting at my desk a few times a week that skewed the overall picture.
Now? Even when it’s 5-15 BPM out of reality, it still manages to paint the right picture of my day—and there are none of those pesky ghost readings, obviously.
Over the last few years, I’ve gained plenty from Whoop’s Strain based on mostly-okay HR readings. I’d have preferred it to stay consistently wrong in the same way, but I also still believe the data scrapes by within Whoop’s broader prism of viewing HR data.
But, just to be clear, it remains a notable compromise—having lower standards, effectively, doesn’t exempt the 5.0/MG from criticism in this regard. And, again, I’ll be re-testing from the bicep, where I anticipate more stable readings and results.
The health tracking moves: BP, Healthspan, and biomarkers
This is where Whoop is staking its claim for the future, moving decisively into territory aimed at not only enhancing fitness but also overall long-term health. And it’s here that the platform shows its most exciting potential.
Whoop is clearly addressing a core challenge for wearables: the need to drive sustainable behavioral change. At the forefront is Healthspan and ‘Whoop Age’. Developed in collaboration with Dr. Eric Verdin of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, this feature is more than just a vanity metric. It distils nine key biomarkers—including time spent in specific heart rate zones, sleep consistency, VO2 max, and even lean body mass (if you integrate a compatible smart scale from Withings)—to calculate your physiological Whoop Age and track your ‘Pace of Aging’.
While competitors like Garmin (with ‘Fitness Age’) and Oura (with ‘Cardiovascular Age‘) already offer similar features, Whoop’s Healthspan feels more deeply integrated and actionable. It doesn’t just present a number; it actively illustrates how specific behaviors influence your physiological aging trajectory. If your trends are unfavorable, the app prompts you to investigate.
This level of engagement makes it one of the more compelling health features I’ve encountered in a wearable. It provides a new set of glasses to view insights, even ones as basic as step tracking (now out of beta after first arriving last year).
Step tracking has never told us much in isolation. However, steps significantly contribute to your overall health picture when quantified within the broader Healthspan context. The same is done for those other biomarkers, creating intrigue over what will be added next.
Blood pressure innovation; more holistic sleep tracking
On that note, a now in-beta feature as part of this rollout are Blood Pressure Insights (another feature reserved for the MG/Life tier). Instead of a traditional cuff method to track this, Whoop is using the optical sensors to track heart rate, HRV, and blood flow patterns. It combines what these sensors see with demographic information and algorithmic analysis to provide overnight estimates of systolic and diastolic blood pressure ranges.
As we’ve seen from the rare implementations of this from other brands in the last few years, unlocking this feature requires an initial calibration with three readings from a standard blood pressure cuff. I haven’t yet had the opportunity to test this calibration process.
However, Whoop suggests that this ‘wellness feature’ (i.e, not medically cleared) will only prompt users to recalibrate if the algorithm detects significant deviations, rather than using pre-set intervals (as seen in Samsung’s watches).
The Sleep Performance update also reflects a more holistic health approach. The reimagined Sleep Score now more accurately reflects overall sleep quality, moving beyond just duration. It features the familiar traffic-light indicator seen in the Recovery score and emphasizes actionable metrics: Hours vs. Need, Sleep Consistency, Sleep Efficiency, and instances of High Sleep Stress.
This rightly continues Whoop’s shift away from the often-dubious accuracy of sleep stage breakdowns (though that data is still available) towards elements of sleep hygiene that users can actively influence.
Finally, Women’s Hormonal Insights, available across all tiers, aims to provide more than basic cycle tracking. It leverages AI and biometric data to offer personalized insights into how hormonal fluctuations can impact recovery, sleep, stress, and training, adapting to different life stages such as menstruation, pregnancy, and perimenopause.
This is all great stuff, obviously, but I… don’t have the facilities to test this one out—sorry.
The potential of Advanced Labs
Looking ahead, Whoop is also teasing Advanced Labs, slated for a launch in the US later in 2025 (though users can join a waitlist). This paid add-on, accessible across all membership tiers, will enable users to schedule blood tests and receive clinician-reviewed reports directly within the Whoop app.
The vision is to integrate comprehensive blood panel data, covering areas like Heart Health, Metabolic Health, Inflammation, Immunity, and Hormone Balance, with your continuous 24/7 Whoop metrics. I’ve attached a screengrab above from Whoop, given this isn’t something that’s close to being able to test.
This, frankly, has the potential to be a revolutionary step and position Whoop at the cutting edge of personalized, proactive health coaching.
While we sit in the current lull of wearable sensor development, something like this will undoubtedly help bridge the gap to learning more about our internal biochemistry. However, until it actually launches, its real-world efficacy and cost-effectiveness obviously remain to be seen.
The rest: Snappier, smarter, or still waiting
More than most other wearables, the screen-less Whoop relies on a slick app experience—quick processing, easy-to-understand insights, and minimal pain points. Granted, it’s smaller, less important stuff than the cacophony of updates detailed above, but I’m glad the company hasn’t stood still in this area.
Whoop quotes a 60% faster processor in the new generation, and though I can’t measure that exactly, the general feel checks out; it’s a noticeably zippier user experience in the day-to-day use. The mildly frustrating delays of 30-60 seconds that occurred when syncing sleep data or completed workouts are a thing of the past.
Activity auto-detection, a feature that was already fairly reliable, has also been refined. It’s much tighter in pinpointing workouts’ actual start and end times. Previously, it might have erroneously included a few minutes of pre-activity dawdling or post-workout cooldown. Now, it locks onto the active period with impressive precision, often down to the minute.
Strength Trainer awaits deeper innovation
I’ve long advocated for Whoop as the top wearable for people who lift weights or prioritize non-cardio-centric activities, primarily due to its effective Strength Trainer feature.
Yet, with this latest update, Strength Trainer’s core functionality hasn’t seen radical changes. And it’s a bit disappointing given the grand scale of Whoop’s overhaul. The ability to track lifting progress and trends over time remains scarce, and you still won’t receive prompts for things like progressive overload and gaps in your training.
However, ‘Strength Activity Time’ is now more visibly integrated into your daily Strain breakdown alongside other Healthspan markers. That shows strength training remains in Whoop’s DNA going forward, and I have my fingers crossed for something later in the year on this front.
The bottom line: Is Whoop’s evolved vision worth it?
After a week immersed in the new Whoop ecosystem with the MG device, I’m both outwardly impressed (hence the 4.5/5 star rating) and retain some reservations about the wider experience (value; heart rate monitoring).
The company’s deliberate shift towards becoming a comprehensive health and wellness platform is more than just marketing waffle (and Whoop is as good as any at playing that game); it’s evident in powerful new features like Healthspan, the innovation in its blood pressure monitoring, and the promise of Advanced Labs.
The major improvement in battery life is a triumph, and the snappier app performance enhances daily interaction. If your primary motivation is to gain deeper insights into your long-term health, understand your physiological aging, and receive actionable guidance to improve your vitality, Whoop is now making a far more compelling argument than ever before.
However, the persistent inconsistencies in wrist-based heart rate accuracy remain a significant caveat. For a premium-priced device whose foundational analytics are derived from HR data, this is an area that still needs improvement to match the reliability offered by leading competitors (especially those that also provide a broader array of on-device functions). While the overall Strain score often seems to align with perceived exertion, users who demand precise, granular HR data for their workouts will likely still find the current performance frustrating.
