As gyms were closed most of the time due to lockdowns in Metro Manila, I decided to get a smart scale to monitor my body fat.  My research led me to the Eufy Smart Scale C1 and here’s my review.  Note: this review is not sponsored.

If I was to wait until gyms open to get my body fat reading, it might end up being every few months as you can count the weeks they were allowed to operate in the last year and a half—at least here in Metro Manila.  While I can say that this is more of a “nice to know” as I also hardly worked out when gyms were closed, I thought that it may be a good idea to monitor my status so that I won’t stray too far from where I left off.  I wasn’t really thinking about smart scales seriously but due to the convenience of online shops, I had an idea of what’s available and how much they cost.

There are surprisingly quite a lot of smart scale devices available and they cost as little as ₱500 (around $10).  Realistically, they all just look different but underneath, they all seem to have about the same hardware as they have practically the same feature list.  Their major differentiating factor though is the software—all of them can sync with smart phones but using their own app.  With so many apps on my phone already for tracking my workouts (including running), I don’t need another app!  Ultimately, my decision was based which one has an app that can sync with any of the fitness apps that I already have.

That’s when the Eufy C1 stood out from the rest of the pack.  Aside from coming from a company with reputation (Anker), its companion software, EufyLife, works with Apple Health, Google Fit, and Fitbit.  I tried my best to find an alternative that does the same for around the same price (₱1,695 as of time of writing, or about $34) to no avail.  And when I realized I can get it for under ₱1,000 ($20) during the online sale, I yielded.  Filipinos fondly call these kind of purchases as “budol”—translating roughly to being lured.

To put it simply, the Eufy C1 is a 28 × 28 cm glass platform with rounded edges, four metallic contacts, a screen, and “Eufy” written on it.  It came with all the AAA batteries it needs in the box.  You can use it as is, as a traditional scale, and you just need to press the “Unit” button underneath to change the unit between kg and lbs.  But if you want to use its other “smart” features, you have to download EufyLife.  Even if it uses Bluetooth 4.2 and claims to be compatible with third-party apps, you can’t connect to it directly using other apps.

EufyLife

EufyLife is actually a pleasant-looking app.  The colors and fonts used are easy to the eyes and using it is very intuitive.  Like most apps, you start with creating your profile and once that’s done, you can add your device.  Pairing the Eufy C1 was quite painless in my experience and you can add profiles for other users if you want to track their progress too.

In the app, you have access to various reports like detailed history and trends that include metrics like weight, BMI, body fat, muscle mass, bone mass, etc.  Connecting it to third-party apps like Apple Health and Fitbit is also straightforward and once you follow the instructions, you need not do anything else.

Usage

Using the Eufy C1 is as simple as it gets.  Simply step on the device, make sure that your feet are on the contacts, and wait a few seconds.  Ensure that the EufyLife is open if you want the device to send the other metrics to your phone as only your weight will be shown on the scale’s screen.

As I don’t have a different device to compare against, I can’t tell how accurate the readings are but my weight and body fat readings seem to be around expected values given my last readings at the gym and my current lifestyle.  The only test I was able to do was stepping on it a few times, one after the other, to see if it would get be consistent, and it passed.

If you linked the Eufy C1 with third-party apps, they get updated almost immediately as soon as EufyLife receives your data.  In my experience, Fitbit shows my latest readings as soon as I open it (after switching from the EufyLife app of course) with no waiting or syncing whatsoever.

Verdict

Eufy did a great job not only with the Smart Scale C1, but also the overall experience with EufyLife.  The device can work as a simple smart scale and gets really “smart” once paired with its app.  Setting up the app is really easy, including pairing it with the device.  Using both the scale and app is intuitive that you don’t really need to be very smart to figure out how to use them.  It’s feature list is also quite comprehensive and I don’t have any complaints about its looks or size.  And I really like that everything you need to get started is already in the box!  There are cheaper smart scales around, but only the Eufy C1 (via EufyLife) can connect with third-party apps that matter to me the most.  I’m quite satisfied with the Eufy C1 and won’t hesitate to recommend it to anyone looking for an affordable smart scale.