Index S2 Smart Scale vs DEXA scan

I made total body DEXA scan which has 99% accuracy and compared it with other smart scales including Garmin Index S2 (firmware version 3.30)

Unfortunately Garmin Index S2 is least accurate.

Parameter		DEXA Scan GE Healthcare Lunar iDXA	Withings Body Cardio	Withings Body Scan	Tanita RD-953	Tanita RD-545	Garmin Index S2	Xiaomi Comp Scale 2
weight	kg	64.7	64.3	64.4	64.3	64.35	64.4	64.65
total soft tissues	kg	61.999
total soft tissues in body	%	95.825
total non soft tissues	kg	2.701
total non soft tissues in body	%	4.175
total fat in soft tissues	kg	11.324
total fat in soft tissues	%	18.265	11.2	11.2	16.1	14.5	14.2	15.1
bone mineral content BMC	kg	2.692	2.9	2.90	2.7	2.8	4.3	2.79
bone mineral content BMC in body	%	4.161		4.5
bone mineral density BMD	kg/cm2	1.199
total non fat soft tissues	kg	50.675
total non fat soft tissues in body	%	78.3
water	%		62.2	61.7	61.8	65.1	62.6	58.2
total non fat	kg	53.367	54.3	54.29	51.25	52.25	29.7	52.08
total non fat in body	%	82.484		84.3
visceral fat VAT	kg	0.285

I want to have all my measurements (fat %, weight etc.) in one app (Garmin Connect), but with this low Garmin scales accuracy it seems impossible.

It's been years and Garmin do not improve their scales (at least I do not see that as a user).

QUESTIONS TO THE GARMIN TEAM:

1. Do you know how can I import my scales data(real fat %, bones mass etc) or add that info manually into Garmin Connect?

If there is no such option, please add this.

2. Is there a way to manually calibrate Index S2 scales according my DEXA Scan result (Bone mass and Body Water)?

I know you can calibrate some values (fat % and Sceletal Muscle Mass) with "Set My Body Composition" function, but that's not enough (no Bone Mass & Body Water calibration).

3. Dear Garmin team, please, improve your scales accuracy, because Index S2 costs 2 times more than other smart scales with better accuracy and user friendly functionality

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0 AnonJohn 9 months ago

Thank you for taking the time to do this. Very informative, well done. I am surprised by the differences on weight measurement. I note that 5 of the 7 measurements are within .1 kg, with two outliers. I would have expected that all the measurements could get that right to within .1 kg. Thoughts? I assume some time difference vis a vis the dexa scan?

While we're documenting the need for an update, the Index S2 spec sheet promises security updates until at least "2022-09-14". A reason in and of itself not to buy!

0 cordnerrac 8 months ago

To be statistically significant the process needs to be repeated multiple times. What you have is better than nothing, but sorry a single snapshot does not provide an accurate conclusion.

0 4608132 6 months ago

Thank you for compiling all this data. I've noticed a similar experience to yours, with a 250g difference between the Xiaomi body composition scale and the Garmin S2 scale. Although my fat percentage results were more accurate with the S2, both scales were still quite off, with the S2 off by 7.2% and the Mi scale by 9.4%.

Additionally, I also wish Garmin would provide an option to enter the bone mass result, which is quite an accurate measurement from the DEXA exam.

0 1378076 4 months ago

I got the Garmin scale after another "smart scale" (scaleX) died. Garmin measured me this morning at 23.6% body fat this morning (activity level 8). Dexa scan 3 hours later had me at 14.8%.

0 seilogramp 4 months ago in reply to 1378076

My bodyfat measurements were reasonably accurate vs. DEXA scan after making this adjustment - How Do I Set My Body Composition In The Garmin Connect App? | Index S2 Smart Scale | Garmin Customer Support

0 1378076 4 months ago in reply to seilogramp

Yeah. It feels like they should just go ahead and tell folks to get a DEXA or to use a set of images to estimate their body fat if it's going to be off by that much without a manual adjustment.