A new Whoop band is always big news in the wearables world, and the latest iteration, the Whoop 5.0 and its sibling, the Whoop MG, have certainly stirred things up. Having spent some time with the Whoop MG myself, I’ve got some thoughts on whether these new bands are worth giving a Whoop about, especially considering the rather significant changes to their membership model. This isn’t just a simple Whoop band review; there’s a lot more to unpick here.
Design and Hardware
First off, let’s talk about the hardware itself. The Whoop 5.0 and Whoop MG maintain the signature screenless design that sets them apart from most fitness trackers and smartwatches. They’re designed to be worn 24/7, often alongside a traditional watch, for those who prefer that.
Compared to the Whoop 4.0, the new devices are slightly smaller and thinner – about 7% according to one source. The central module, which houses all the tech and sensors, attaches to a fabric band, available in various materials and colours.
In my experience, wearing the Whoop MG was comfortable. It’s lightweight at just 28 grams, making it easy to forget you’re wearing it, even overnight. It also felt durable and held up well against dust and water with its IP68 rating. My only minor niggle, common with fabric bands, is that it can feel a bit soggy after swimming until it dries out.
A key physical difference between the 5.0 and the MG model is the ECG functionality built into the clasp on the MG. To take an ECG reading, you simply place fingers from your opposite hand onto this indent. The standard 5.0 doesn’t have this hardware feature.
Battery life is a notable improvement over the 4.0. While the 4.0 typically lasted about 7 days, Whoop advertises up to 14 days for the new 5.0 and MG. In my testing, I found this estimate to be pretty accurate, easily getting two weeks of wear. However, some early user reports on Reddit mention experiencing faster battery drain than the advertised 14 days.
The App: Data Overload?
Where the Whoop truly lives is its app. Unlike devices with screens that show you basic stats, Whoop channels everything into its mobile application. The core experience revolves around three key metrics: Sleep, Strain, and Recovery. Understanding these is crucial to getting value from the device. Recovery is often described as a daily readiness score, influenced by things like heart rate variability (HRV), resting heart rate, and sleep. Strain measures your daily activity and physiological load.
Tapping into each metric provides deeper insights and graphs showing your performance over the past week. There’s a lot of data here, arguably overwhelming at times, with information sometimes repeated across different sections like the Health Monitor and My Dashboard.
The app offers a Daily Outlook feature, which provides an AI-generated summary and basic recommendations based on your data. You can also log daily habits in a journal to see how they impact your metrics. While there’s a Strength Trainer mode, it requires a fair bit of manual interaction in the app, making it less seamless than workouts on other platforms.
Sleep tracking is a big focus, and Whoop provides detailed information including time in bed, sleep duration, sleep need, efficiency, disturbances, and time spent in different sleep stages like REM and SWS. There’s also a haptic alarm that uses vibrations to wake you gently.
New Features and Membership Tiers
This is where things get complicated, and frankly, a bit controversial. The new devices are tied to a subscription, but now Whoop has introduced three different membership tiers: One, Peak, and Life. Your tier dictates which features you can access.
- Whoop One ($199/year): The basic tier. Includes core Sleep, Strain, and Recovery data, personalised coaching, V2 max, heart rate zones, cycle tracking, a corded charger, and a CoreKnit band. It doesn’t include the Stress Monitor or the new Healthspan feature.
- Whoop Peak ($239/year): The mid-tier. Includes everything in Whoop One plus Healthspan and Pace of Aging, Health Monitor/Health Alerts, and Real-time Stress Monitor. You also get a wireless charger pack and a SuperKnit band.
- Whoop Life ($359/year): The top tier. Includes everything in Peak plus the features requiring the Whoop MG hardware: medical-grade ECG (FDA-cleared for detecting AFib and irregular heart rhythms) and Blood Pressure Insights (currently in beta). You get the Whoop MG band with this tier, a waterproof power pack, and a SuperKnit Luxe band.
The Healthspan and Pace of Aging feature is one of the notable additions, estimating your physiological age based on various metrics like sleep, HRV, and activity. It requires wearing the device for 21 days to unlock. The Stress Monitor was also useful in my testing, showing the physiological impact of stress even when not overtly feeling it.
The Blood Pressure Insights feature is interesting but in beta. It requires calibrating the Whoop with a medical-grade blood pressure cuff, which means either buying one or using a pharmacy/doctor’s office. Its accuracy and long-term utility are still being evaluated. The ECG feature on the MG is manual, not automatic, requiring you to actively take a reading. You can share these ECG reports with health professionals.
Accuracy
Whoop has previously highlighted independent studies that found the Whoop 3.0 to be highly accurate for heart rate (99.7%) and heart rate variability (99%) measurements when compared to gold-standard ECG. These studies also found Whoop to be excellent at identifying sleep stages compared to polysomnography (PSG) and outperformed other devices in total time asleep. Whoop states that the 4.0 built upon this accuracy with upgraded sensors and extensive testing.
In terms of raw heart rate accuracy for the new MG device, a review mentioned it performed “pretty darn well” during trail runs compared to an ECG chest strap, although it did show some unexplained spikes. It seems decent for steady-state activities like running, but wrist movement might pose challenges in other conditions. It’s always worth remembering that heart rate sensor accuracy can be influenced by individual factors like skin tone, tattoos, and body fat.
The Subscription Problem
Here’s the biggest sticking point, and where this Whoop band review gets a bit sour. The subscription model means you don’t technically buy the device outright; you pay an annual fee to access the data. While this was previously somewhat justified by the promise of free hardware upgrades as a member, that policy has changed with the 5.0/MG launch.
Existing 4.0 users now face upgrade fees to get the new hardware: $49 for the 5.0 or $79 for the MG. This has caused significant frustration among the community, with many feeling that the original promise of free upgrades has been broken. To add to this, features previously available to all members are now locked behind the more expensive Peak and Life tiers.
When you look at the long-term cost, Whoop is expensive. The cheapest tier is $199/year, while the top Life tier is $359/year. Over two or three years, this cost quickly surpasses the upfront price of many capable smartwatches or smart rings that offer similar core tracking and often include features like ECG or even blood pressure monitoring without an ongoing subscription. For example, an Apple Watch Series 10 costs around $399 upfront with no annual fee.
For existing users, the feeling of being “cheated” or misled by the shift in policy and feature gating is palpable in community discussions. Some users have reported difficulties or delays in getting support responses regarding their concerns or requests for refunds.
Who Is The Whoop 5.0 For?
The Whoop 5.0 and MG are best suited for those who specifically want a screenless tracker that provides in-depth data on recovery, strain, and sleep, and who prefer not to wear a traditional smartwatch. They might appeal to athletes or individuals serious about optimising their health metrics.
However, the value proposition is muddied by the new pricing structure and the gating of features. Many of the advanced health features like ECG and blood pressure monitoring are only available at the most expensive Life tier and require the MG hardware, yet similar features can be found on competitor devices for a one-off purchase price.
While the core tracking is solid and the app is packed with data, the high ongoing cost, especially when compared to competitors, and the frustration around the change in upgrade policy make it hard to recommend universally. If you’re just casually interested in tracking health, better and cheaper options exist without the commitment of an expensive annual fee.
After conducting this Whoop band review and spending time with the device, I’m left feeling a bit conflicted. The hardware is comfortable and the battery life is good, but the subscription model feels less justifiable with the recent changes, particularly the lack of free hardware upgrades and the paywalled features.
