The Whoop MG is the wearable company’s new all-singing, all-dancing wearable – but is it really worth upgrading from the Whoop 4?
While there are undoubtedly benefits of upgrading to the Whoop MG, including blood pressure monitoring, ECG tech, better sensors and boosted battery life, it’s also much more expensive than the Whoop 4’s already-premium yearly subscription.
The question is, is there enough to warrant an upgrade if you already own the Whoop 4? Let’s discuss.
Pricing
When the Whoop 4 was released, it’d set you back a not-insignificant £229/$239 per year – but with the release of the Whoop 5 and Whoop MG, the yearly subscription has dropped to a more affordable £169/$169 per year – though you can’t sign up to a Whoop 4 subscription if you didn’t already have one before the release of the newer wearables.
The Whoop MG, on the other hand, is Whoop’s most expensive wearable to date. It’s still a subscription-based wearable, but it’ll set you back an increased £349/$359 per year.
If you’ve got a Whoop 4 and want to upgrade, you can do so by paying a £79/$79 upgrade fee – and the difference between your current subscription and the top-end Whoop Life subscription.
Design
The Whoop 4 and Whoop MG are pretty similar in terms of overall look. Neither offers a screen or any external buttons, instead, they are designed to disappear into the background and quietly collect your data.
The core Whoop MG unit embedded into the woven material strap is technically 7% smaller than the Whoop 4, but for all intents and purposes, they’re identical. Even comparing the two side-by-side, there are very minimal differences in terms of overall design.
There are a few though, namely to add ECG functionality to the Whoop MG – but more on that a little later.
The problem is that, with the slightly smaller size and ECG functionality, no Whoop 4 straps or accessories work with the Whoop MG. That’s a pretty big disappointment for those that have a wide range of straps for the Whoop 4 – you’ll effectively have to start all over again if you do decide to upgrade.
Elsewhere, however, the two wearables are identical; both come with a range of fabric-woven straps for added comfort, and both offer the same waterproofing that allows for tracking swimming and other open-water activities. They even have the same small LED light embedded on the side, displaying battery life in the form of Green, Yellow and Red when double-tapped.
Winner: Whoop MG
Smart features and fitness tracking
Without a screen, both the Whoop MG and Whoop 4 rely solely on the Whoop app for iOS and Android to display the in-depth data it collects. And, as such, the experience between the two is fairly similar – though there are key differences between the two that Whoop 4 users should be aware of.
The first is an upgraded PPG sensor that sits underneath the wearable, gathering all the data it needs to operate. Whoop claims that the new sensor not only allows for a higher sampling rate, but also improved signal clarity and better motion artefact rejection compared to the Whoop 4. That essentially means that your data is more accurate, with fewer false readings than the Whoop 4 – but that’s not all.
Key to the Whoop MG experience is Whoop’s new Whoop Age technology. Developed with Dr. Eric Verdin, CEO of the Buck Institute for Research on Aging, the feature essentially uses your long-term data – everything from strain to sleep and HR zones over a weekly basis – to predict the age of your body.
It’s also backed up by the new Pace of Ageing feature which, as the name suggests, gives you a rough idea of how rapidly your body is ageing at any given time.
Although neither has a significant impact on day-to-day use with the Whoop MG compared to the 4, it does provide more motivation to get fitter over time. Seeing both your Whoop age and pace of ageing decrease after a period of extended effort definitely delivers a big dose of dopamine.
That said, there are rumours that Whoop could be bringing both the Whoop Age and Pace of Ageing to the Whoop 4 sometime in the next few months. This is unconfirmed at the moment, but considering the Whoop Age timeline in the Whoop app stretches back to before I received the Whoop MG, it suggests that the Whoop 4 certainly has the capability to do so.
The Whoop MG separates itself not only from the Whoop 4 but the Whoop 5 with ECG capabilities. With two small dimples on either side of the MG for you to rest your fingers, it works exactly as it does on other wearables; you run the test for 30 seconds and get your results. These results, as with the competition, can be exported for sharing with doctors if needed.
The second feature that sets the MG apart is blood pressure monitoring. It’s an exciting addition to Whoop’s roster, but this data is inferred rather than measured directly. This means that you’re provided with a range, rather than a specific measurement. Since it’s not a medical-grade device, you’ll need to calibrate it with a proper blood pressure monitor at least once a month to maintain accurate results.
As a result, it’s not quite as impressive as it might first seem, especially when compared to the Huawei Watch D2, which offers full blood pressure monitoring capabilities with its inflatable wrist strap.
Aside from those differences, the experience of using the Whoop to track your health and fitness is pretty much identical; both offer in-depth sleep and exercise tracking capabilities, ChatGPT-powered Whoop Coach with personalised insights based on your data and both will track elements like strain, recovery, HRV, body temperature, stress and everything else that Whoop 4 owners will already be familiar with.
The catch? New features that are released going forward – something Whoop does regularly, thanks to its subscription-based model – almost certainly won’t appear on the older Whoop 4. If you like the idea of new features and functionality, you’ll need to invest in the Whoop 5 or MG.
Winner: Whoop MG
Battery life
Battery life is another area where there’s a significant difference between the Whoop MG and the outgoing Whoop 4.
Whoop claims that the Whoop 4 could last up to five days on a single charge, though in my personal experience, I’ve found that to be closer to the 4-day mark – with low-battery warnings plaguing me for a whole 24 hours beforehand. It’s still better than a lot of competing wearables, especially considering its 24/7 data collection, but it’s something you still have to be conscious of.
I’ve not really found that to be the case when using the Whoop MG, and that’s because the MG lasts much longer – up to 14 days, according to Whoop. I haven’t managed to stretch it that long in my month of testing, but it doesn’t fall far short, usually lasting around 13 days before hitting the dangerous 1% mark.
It’s much easier for the Whoop MG to fall into the background as a result, quietly tracking my data for days on end without me even having to give a thought about charging it back up – and after over a year with the Whoop 4, that’s quite refreshing.
The method of charging hasn’t changed much, with both the 4 and MG offering wireless powerpack connectivity that allows you to attach a portable battery to the device on the wrist, allowing for uninterrupted data collection.
The key difference here is that the Whoop MG’s power pack is much slimmer and snags on clothing much less often as a result. It also has additional smarts that allow the app to display the amount of battery left in the power pack – something sorely missing from the Whoop 4’s equivalent.
Winner: Whoop MG
Verdict
The Whoop MG is undoubtedly a big upgrade for long-time Whoop users – but only if you’re willing to pay for it.
It improves on the Whoop 4 in a few key areas: much longer battery life, a slimmer form factor, ECG functionality, and the debut of advanced features like Whoop Age and blood pressure tracking (albeit with limitations).
However, the upgrade isn’t frictionless. None of your old Whoop 4 straps or accessories will be compatible with the MG, and the increased subscription cost (£349/$359 per year) places it well above its predecessor and most mainstream wearables. While it offers genuinely impressive long-term health insights, the blood pressure monitoring isn’t medical-grade, and some headline features will likely come to the Whoop 4 anyway.
If you’re a current Whoop 4 user craving the latest hardware and deeper health data – and don’t mind the price hike or losing your strap collection – the MG is a worthy step up. But if you’re happy with your existing setup, the marginal gains may not justify the cost – just yet, anyway.
