The Withings BeamO is the rare wellness gadget that is actually unique. Dubbed a “multiscope,” it’s an app-connected thermometer with electrodes for ECG and blood oxygen saturation (SpO2) measurements, and a stethoscope for listening to your heart and lungs. It’s all packaged into a compact rectangular gadget that resembles a TV remote.
Priced at $249.95, the BeamO is a tough sell compared with just buying an ordinary stethoscope and infrared thermometer from a drugstore, and you need a Withings+ premium subscription ($9.95 a month) to get any kind of evaluation of your data. Read on for all the details of my experience testing the BeamO, and a verdict on whether it’s worth the money.
Design and Sensors: A 4-in-1 Health Testing Device
Despite it being a new and innovative gadget, the Withings BeamO feels a bit old-school. The design reminds me of a cross between a Roku remote and a screen-equipped universal device controller. The majority of the front is taken up by a 16-bit LCD, with a physical control wheel and button at the bottom for navigating the simple interface.
Withings BeamO
Altogether, the Beamo measures 1.5 by 0.7 by 5.4 inches (LWH) and weighs 2.8 ounces. Aside from its sensors and display, it has a simple white case like a basic thermometer. Indeed, a contactless thermometer resides at the top of the device, marked by a concave side and an indent. The bottom holds the stethoscope.
BeamO’s metal plates (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
One side has a pair of metal plates on top and bottom, which serve as the electrodes for ECG readings. The bottom plate has a small black circle labeled SpO2. On the other side of the device is a USB-C port for recharging or connecting headphones using an included adapter, so you can listen to the stethoscope.
Setup and App: Easy to Use, But Limited Without a Subscription
The BeamO is packaged with a cloth carrying pouch, a charging cord, the headphone adapter, and some paperwork, including quick-start and product guides.
What’s in the box. (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
To set it up, you’ll need a phone running at least Android 9 or iOS 16. Download the Withings app and create an account, which involves filling out personal information such as your name, birthday, assigned sex (male or female), height, weight, and location. Then hit the plus button in the upper-right corner to add a device.
For setup, you’ll need to grant the app permission to detect nearby devices. It’ll also prompt you to enable notifications and precise location detection. Then, hold the button on the BeamO for three seconds to turn it on, and it’ll show a QR code that you’ll scan when prompted in the app. From there, just enter your Wi-Fi info, and the device will install updates to finish the process.
The app then shows tutorials on how to use BeamO for optimal results. You can see any readings you take with the BeamO on the app’s home page. Most of the app isn’t device-specific, but the Share tab lets you generate reports from your readings to send to your doctor, and the Achieve tab offers programs to improve your health. Tap the device icon in the upper-right corner of the Home tab to adjust settings like Wi-Fi.
Left to right: The main page of the app, an ECG reading, and a stethoscope recording (Credit: Withings/PCMag)
The Home tab of the Withings app gets more detailed if you sign up for the company’s premium service, called Withings+. The $9.95 monthly/$99.50 yearly subscription adds AI insights to the data you collect and gives you the option to have a cardiologist regularly examine your ECGs. Otherwise, it uses data from your device to offer wellness scores called Vitalite (which assesses your energy) and Health (which focuses on trends). For this story, I tested the BeamO without a Withings+ subscription.
Even without a subscription, a cardiologist will review your initial ECG before you can continue using the device to take measurements, though this step didn’t tell me much other than unlocking the feature. And without the premium subscription, all data collected from the BeamO is presented in the app without context. For instance, you can use the app to listen to a recording of your lungs from the stethoscope, and it’ll tell you whether it detected abnormal noises and how many, but not what any of it means. Similarly, the ECG doesn’t provide an assessment; instead, it just shows a line graph taken to represent the measurement.
Interface and Controls: At-Home Check-Ups In Under a Minute
Once setup is complete, you can use the BeamO on its own and let the app collect your data in the background. Tap the center button on the device to wake it up, then select your profile from the list of options. Tap the wheel surrounding the button to scroll, or tap the left side of the button to go back.
Pick your profile to get started. (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
After selecting your profile, you can pick which test you’d like to perform. Note that the device itself won’t show how to take each test, so you’ll need to return to the app if you need a refresher.
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For a thermometer reading, you can hold the device on or close to your forehead. The app recommends pushing hair out of the way and moving the device slowly from the center of your forehead to your temple on one side.
Tests with the stethoscope last 15 seconds, during which the app recommends minimizing movement. When it’s monitoring your heart, it also recommends holding your breath. When you select the stethoscope, it gives you the option to listen to your heart or lungs. For each, the app shows a diagram of different places to hold the device on your chest or back. Select one to start a reading and then hold the device at the corresponding point on your body. That point will turn green on the display when complete, and you can continue taking readings at other suggested locations to collect more data.
Pick your placement when using the stethoscope. (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
For the ECG and SpO2 tests, you’ll rest your index fingers on the electrodes, and the app will advise you to rest your arms on your lap or a table and stay still without talking for the 30-second duration. Watch the device screen as you take this test because it will let you know if you need to apply more or less pressure on the electrodes. You’ll also want to make sure that your right index finger is actually covering the small black sensor on the electrode, or the test won’t measure your SpO2.
During any stethoscope test, you can plug in a pair of wired headphones using the adapter and listen to the sound it’s recording.
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Testing the BeamO: Accurate Results, in Need of Context
I tested the BeamO’s thermometer function next to a $10 under-the-tongue model I picked up from my nearby drugstore, and the readings matched exactly. The ECG graph and SpO2 numbers looked the same as the ones from my collection of smartwatches. I don’t have a stethoscope on hand, but these readings from BeamO didn’t say much anyway; the device simply identified the presence of sounds and let me replay the recordings.
Using the thermometer function was much quicker and easier than sticking the generic model under my tongue. The BeamO read my temperature in a few seconds, while the drugstore model required almost a minute and would be much more uncomfortable to use if I were actually sick and had a stuffy nose.
Plug in headphones using the included adapter. (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
I also got a big kick out of plugging in a pair of headphones and actually listening to my heart or lungs in action. My biggest disappointment with the device is that it doesn’t actually provide any takeaways from these readings. Even the ECG just showed a graph, despite the fact that it was supposedly reviewed by a doctor. Perhaps that review was just for regulatory reasons. A disclaimer during setup notes that the ECG isn’t designed to detect heart attacks or other medical conditions.
The app notes that by listening with the stethoscope, you can detect issues like heart murmurs or asthma, but it doesn’t seem to do so automatically. I have asthma, and the graph simply noted the presence of sound without describing what could be causing it.
Unless you’re actually trained on what to listen for, the advantage of the BeamO would come from being able to send these readings to your doctor. That alone might be worth the price for families that need to closely track a medical condition, but for most folks, it feels like overkill beyond a regular doctor visit.
Aside from the app functionality, if you’re trying to replicate the sensors of BeamO, you can do so for much less. Yes, the BeamO’s thermometer is easier to use than an under-the-tongue drugstore version, but you can easily find infrared forehead thermometers that offer this convenience for roughly $10. A simple stethoscope can be had for as little as $7. If you have a smartwatch or fitness tracker made in the past couple of years, chances are it already has ECG and SpO2 functionality built in.
Verdict: Helpful for Some Households
The Withings BeamO is an impressive novelty gadget that could be useful in the right home. Families trying to closely track a medical condition will appreciate its ease of use, and the ability to quickly take multiple tests with a single device and then send the results to their doctor. All of its sensors worked well in my testing, but you’ll need a Withings+ subscription to get the most out of the device, including access to a cardiologist. While the multiscope combination of a thermometer, a stethoscope, an ECG, and a SpO2 test could be handy for just about everyone, it’s overkill for most folks, and too expensive, especially since it doesn’t provide any insights into its readings without a subscription. The Withings Beamo is indeed a unique wellness device, but it stops short of being a practical upgrade for most homes.
About Our Expert
Andrew Gebhart
Senior Writer, Smart Home and Wearables
Experience
I’m PCMag’s senior writer covering smart home and wearable devices. I’ve been reporting on tech professionally for nearly a decade and have been obsessing about it for much longer than that. Prior to joining PCMag, I made educational videos for an electronics store called Abt Electronics in Illinois, and before that, I spent eight years covering the smart home market for .
I foster many flavors of nerdom in my personal life. I’m an avid board gamer and video gamer. I love fantasy football, which I view as a combination of role-playing games and sports. Plus, I can talk to you about craft beer for hours and am on a personal quest to have a flight of beer at each microbrewery in my home city of Chicago.
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