Mr Viral
The world of consumer health technology has been steadily moving from simple fitness tracking towards more serious medical monitoring at home. Withings has long been a leader in this space, creating devices like digital scales and watches that focus on being medically accurate but also beautifully designed.
Their latest creation, the BeamO, pushes this concept even further, combining four critical health tools including an electrocardiogram (ECG), oximeter, stethoscope, and thermometer, into a single, compact device.
The device promises to be a “multiscope” for the modern family, offering a convenient way to conduct health check-ups from the comfort of your home. As with many successful technology products, consolidation is incredibly compelling.
If you, or someone in your family have health conditions that require regular monitoring, the prospect of fumbling around with a separate thermometer, a pulse oximeter, and potentially a complex ECG monitor, sounds terrible, all potentially replaced with the BeamO, a streamlined solution.
The data from all these sensors feeds directly into the well-regarded Withings app, building a comprehensive health record over time that can be easily shared with medical professionals.
From those who are proactive about their health, manage chronic conditions, or care for family members and want a more robust way to track vital signs between doctor visits. But does this all-in-one gadget deliver on its ambitious promises?
Over the past few weeks, I’ve taken a closer look.
Design
From the moment you unbox the BeamO, the typical Withings design approach is evident. It’s a sleek, minimalist device, featuring a smooth, rounded body, no sharp edges and really comfortable to hold in your hands, important for a device that requires you to press it against your chest or hold it in a specific way.
It’s incredibly lightweight and compact, easily smaller than a smartphone, making it simple to store in a medicine cabinet or even pack for travel.
Compared to the previous generation of Withings devices like the Thermo or BPM Core, the BeamO represents a significant evolution in integration. While those devices were excellent at their specific tasks, the BeamO combines their functions and more into a form factor that is far more convenient.
The digital display provides both a control interface to select the test, but useful guidance on how to use the device, great for anyone picking it up for the first time.
The side of the device features two stainless steel electrodes for the ECG, while the end cap houses the infrared temperature sensor and the diaphragm for the digital stethoscope.
There is a single USB-C port for charging is located on the bottom, making it convenient to charge at home, or even in the car.
The control interface is intuitive, even simpler than a remote control, leveraging a dual-ring design, with the outer circle functioning as a D-pad to select items in the UI, while the circle in the middle is used to make your selections.
Performance
Using the BeamO is very straight forward, easy enough for kids or the elderly. The device connects to the Withings companion app on your phone, which helps guide you through each measurement with clear, on-screen animations, ensuring you have the correct hand placement for an ECG or are positioning the device correctly for a temperature reading.
The app also provides a history for you to review and compare against today’s readings, helping yourself, or medical professionals uncover issues with your health.
A complete “health check-up” takes only about a minute and records your heart rate, blood oxygen saturation (SpO2), single-lead ECG, and body temperature simultaneously. The speed and simplicity are its greatest strengths; it removes the friction that often prevents people from regularly monitoring their vitals.
The single-lead ECG is surprisingly effective for detecting signs of atrial fibrillation (AFib), providing a result within 30 seconds. While it’s not a substitute for a clinical 12-lead ECG, it’s a powerful screening tool. The digital stethoscope is perhaps the most innovative feature.
After placing it on your chest or back, the app records the audio and helps you follow guidance from a doctor during a telehealth call, allowing them to hear your heart and lung sounds remotely.
The temporal thermometer option is fast and accurate, and a joy to use. As you point it at your forehead, you can no longer see the display, but Withings considered this and a few seconds into the sample you’ll head an audible beep and feel a vibration to let you know the sample is complete.
Features
The BeamO packs a remarkable amount of technology into its small frame, going far beyond simple health tracking. Here is a breakdown of the core functions that make it such a powerful at-home health station.
4-in-1 Health Multiscope
Combines an electrocardiogram, pulse oximeter, digital stethoscope, and a non-contact thermometer into one device for comprehensive health check-ups.
Medical-Grade ECG
The single-lead ECG can detect atrial fibrillation, the most common form of arrhythmia, in just 30 seconds.
Blood Oxygen (SpO2) Monitoring
Measures peripheral oxygen saturation, a critical vital sign for respiratory health, using built-in light sensors.
Advanced Digital Stethoscope
Captures acoustic sounds from the heart and lungs, which can be listened to in real-time and shared with a doctor during telehealth consultations.
Non-Contact Thermometer
Utilises an advanced sensor to provide fast, accurate, and hygienic body temperature readings from the temporal artery.
Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Sync
With a connected device, it can synchronises all measurement data to the Withings app via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, ensuring your health record is always up to date.
Issues and Opportunities
While the BeamO is an impressive piece of engineering, it’s important to set realistic expectations. The digital stethoscope, while groundbreaking for a consumer device, is not a replacement for a trained medical professional using a traditional stethoscope.
Its primary value is in telehealth scenarios where it allows a doctor to listen remotely, but a user on their own may struggle to interpret the sounds or place the device in the precise location a doctor would.
In future iterations, it would be good to have more on-device memory, and offer a menu to access previous results on the device itself without always requiring the mobile app.
The device features a USB-C port, so I expected you’d be able to connect it to your PC and download your data that way, unfortuantely that isn’t the case, with the port exclusively for charging.
Price and Availability
The Withings BeamO went on sale in September and the official recommended retail price in Australia is A$449.95. At that price, this is certainly an investment in your, or your family’s health. It’s simple, easy and consolidates multiple devices into one, which often comes at a premium.
You can purchase the Withings BeamO directly from the following retailers:
Withings Australia: A$449.95
JB Hi-Fi: A$499.
Amazon AU: A$499.
Overall
The Withings BeamO is a genuinely innovative device that successfully consolidates key health-monitoring tools into a single, user-friendly package. Its elegant design, seamless app integration, and fast, multi-measurement check-ups make it a standout product in the consumer health tech landscape.
The ability to not only track but also easily share comprehensive health data with medical professionals is a powerful feature that could transform telehealth consultations and personal health management.
Is it worth the investment? For the right person, absolutely. The BeamO most appeals to those managing chronic conditions like heart or respiratory issues, families who want a sophisticated tool for home health checks, or tech-savvy individuals dedicated to the “quantified self.”
It provides peace of mind and empowers users with data that was previously only accessible in a clinical setting.
While it’s not a replacement for professional medical advice, the Withings BeamO is an exceptionally well-designed and powerful tool for anyone serious about monitoring their health at home, offering excellent value for the range of functions it provides.
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