Health tracking is booming, but for many of us, the scales in the bathroom still play the same old role. If you’re anything like me, that usually means stepping on with teeth clenched and eyes half open, dreading to see that grimace-inducing number that pops up. The trouble is, that number alone doesn’t say very much. It doesn’t tell you what percentage of your weight is actual body fat, if you’re carrying too much water, or if your hard work at the gym is doing what you think it is. That’s where body composition scales come in.
These smart scales go beyond weight, offering insights like muscle mass, visceral fat and metabolic age, which are especially useful if you’re training, dieting or just keeping tabs on your health. The issue is, many of these gadgets are too clever for their own good. They’re often expensive, fiddly to set up, and packed with features most people won’t use. Between flaky Wi-Fi, slow syncing and bloated apps, the whole experience can feel more hassle than it’s worth.
That’s what makes the Homedics latest offering, the Glo Body Analyser Bathroom Scales, stand out. For under £35, it keeps things affordable while still being smart, tracking 13 key health metrics and syncing them to your phone via Bluetooth. Compatible with Apple Health, Google Fit and Samsung Health, it even features a motion-activated night light to help you find it in the dark
I’ve been using the Glo scale daily for the past two weeks alongside a dietary shift, which I thought would be the perfect time to test how well these scales can support health goals and actually reflect any meaningful changes. Anyway, enough waffling, here’s how I got on…
Homedics Glo Body Analyser Bathroom Scale review
Price and availability
The Homedics Glo Body Analyser Scale is available to buy now for £34.99 and can be purchased directly from the Homedics website, as well as through major retailers like Amazon and Argos. That price places it firmly in the affordable category, especially for a smart scale that tracks 13 biometrics and syncs with other health platforms.
There are no hidden extras to shell out for here, either - the app is free to use and there’s no subscription model in place, which is becoming increasingly rare for wellness tech these days (annoying).
Design and build quality
The first thing you’ll notice about the Homedics Glo Body Analyser is that it doesn’t look like a £35 scale. The ultra-clear tempered glass platform, rounded edges with transparent peephole so you can see the floor beneath give it a premium, minimalist look that should be right at home in any modern bathroom. Even the underside, which HoMedics claims has been made from recycled plastic, feels sturdier than most entry-level smart scales I’ve tested.
At 30cm x 30cm, the platform is large enough to stand on comfortably without being bulky, even with my cumbersome size 12 feet. Still, the overall footprint is slim and the height is low, so it tucks away neatly under furniture if needed. A discreet LED display sits under the glass and is easy to read in both daylight and low light, popping out of the blackness in bright white characters as soon as your foot hits the scale. This can be turned off and on manually via a button on the underside of the scales, which sits next to a button that lets you switch between lbs, kg or st.
My favourite part of the Glo’s design, however, has to be the ambient light, which is a surprisingly useful touch. A motion sensor activates a gentle glow when you’re nearby, which sounds gimmicky but is genuinely helpful if, like me, you tend to weigh yourself in the early hours or late at night.
That said, this is one of the few areas where the scale might compromise form over function, since a lot of the user reviews of the scale have noted that the light can dramatically drain the batteries, which isn’t ideal when there is no charging option. There’s nothing more annoying than having to buy a fresh set of batteries every month or so, in my opinion!
Still, the Glo’s overall slender and premium design makes up for this. And the commitment to recycled materials, including the packaging, gives it a nice, sustainable edge.
Performance and features
With any smart scale, the real test is how well it tracks subtle changes over time - especially when you’re adjusting your habits. So I figured what better time to test the scales than pairing it with my Mayr gut health detox, which I try to do as a reset every six months or so. It involves me swapping out any ultra-processed, fast foods and late-night snacks for soups, greens and high-protein, low-carb meals
I went from takeaways and ready meals to home-cooked soups, vegetables and high-protein dishes, aiming to feel better and drop a bit of bloat. I wanted to see if the scale could pick up those improvements as it claims, showing me any changes in vitals, not just weight alone, and whether its health insights actually meant something useful day to day.
Thankfully, the Glo scales delivered on its promises. It tracks 13 different biometrics, giving you a fuller picture of what’s going on beyond just the number on the screen. That includes things like body fat, muscle mass, bone density, hydration levels, visceral fat and metabolic age.
Once you’ve stepped on, all the data is sent via Bluetooth to the Homedics app, which syncs neatly with Apple Health, Google Fit and Samsung Health. It all happens pretty much instantly, and without any real faff. The thing I will note here, however, is that you do need to have your phone close, connected, and the app open beside the scale for the app to update with your new reading, as it’s not like a Wi-Fi scale that will do this automatically.
Nevertheless, readings during testing were consistent across multiple weigh-ins. You do need bare feet to get accurate data, by the way, as the scale uses bioelectrical impedance analysis, but that’s standard tech at this price point.
The app does the job, although it’s not the most beautifully designed app you’ll have ever clapped eyes on. Once set up (which is a breeze, might I add), it presents your data clearly and lets you track changes over time. Everything is laid out clearly and intuitively, which makes for a nice change. That said, there’s no guest mode - so anyone else wanting a quick weigh-in will need to download the app, too or risk messing up your stats. This is an issue you likely won’t find on more expensive smart scales.
Still, performance-wise there’s little to knock. The scale is super easy to use, accurate and surprisingly insightful for the money. I found the extra metrics genuinely useful, especially during my detox, to monitor how my body was reacting beyond just the weight alone. Best of all, there’s no faffing or long, arduous setup involved - It just works.
Verdict
For £34.99, the Homedics Glo Body Analyser Scale offers incredible value, especially for those who want to go beyond basic weight tracking. The data it delivers is surprisingly thorough, the app integration is better than most at this price, and the design is genuinely stylish.
It’s not without quirks - battery life takes a hit from the motion sensor light, and the lack of a guest mode might not go down too well in larger households.
But if you're after an affordable, attractive smart scale that’s easy to set up and use while helping you build a clearer picture of your health, it’s a top-notch option. Just be prepared to swap out the batteries a little more often than usual.
