The Renpho MorphoScan Nova Body Composition Scale uses dual-frequency Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) to calculate the precise makeup of your body during your weigh-in. The MorphoScan has a max weight of 400 pounds and a listed accuracy of 0.2lbs. Its companion Renpho Health app (available for Android and iOS) tracks 50 health metrics, but some (like calories consumed and burned) rely on your input or external sources.
The scale calculates 24 metrics. These include basal metabolic rate (BMR, the minimum necessary energy needed in an inactive state), body fat mass and percentage, body mass index (BMI, a measure of your body weight in relation to your height), body water mass and percentage, fat free mass, metabolic age (which compares BMR to an age-based average), mineral and bone mass and percentage, muscle mass and percentage, protein mass and percentage, skeletal muscle index (SMI, which compares your skeletal muscle with your height to evaluate risk for functional decline), subcutaneous fat (the fat just under your skin), skeletal mass and percentage, visceral fat index (the deeper fat by your organs), waist-to-hip ratio (which compares the approximate circumference of each), and weight. Additionally, it provides evaluative assessments, such as your body type, current weight, and optimal weight.
Going beyond the basics of a typical smart scale, the MorphoScan breaks down segmental muscle and fat for each arm, each leg, and your torso, similar to a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scan, which is essentially a medical imagery test to gauge these same attributes. If you want to focus on a particular part of your body for muscle gain, this feature alone could make the MorphoScan worth the premium. According to WebMD, the average cost of a single DEXA scan paid out of pocket is roughly $160 to $175, but other sites put the average closer to $300 per scan.
The built-in handlebar display shows information and tracks trends (Credit: Andrew Gebhart)
If you don’t need to know how much muscle or fat is on your trunk and each limb individually, you can save a lot of money with the Etekcity HR Smart Fitness Scale, which uses a similar BIA process to measure its stats, but does not have a handle. It tracks 14 metrics, covering all the basics, including body fat percentage, BMI, subcutaneous and visceral fat, and muscle mass. The Etekcity HR measures your heart rate through your feet, a feature the MorphoScan does not offer.
The MorphoScan is even missing a couple of quality-of-life features present on the Etekcity scale, including a safe mode for pregnant women and pacemaker users that disables the BIA electrical current for weight-only measurements. The Etekcity HR also connects to Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, so you don’t need your phone nearby with the app open to capture data. The $299.95 HumeHealth Body Pod is another smart scale with a handle for DEXA-like insights. It measures 17 metrics in total, including breakdowns of muscle and fat for your arms, legs, and torso, but it also lacks key features like Wi-Fi and a safe mode for pregnancy.
