Garmin Index S2 Review: Is this Smart Scale Still Worth it in 2024?

Of all the rabbit holes I’ve gone down over the past year, none of been quite as deep or all-encompassing as my newly found relationship with Garmin.

I’ve used Garmin products like their Approach R10 launch monitor and Z82 Rangefinder for years.

I’ve even reviewed watches like the Approach S42 and the fantastic S62.

But for as good as all of those products are, none of them were life-changing for me.

Life-changing, that’s a bold statement.

I review golf products, nothing should really be life changing.

But when I first used the Approach S70 watch – I found myself wanting to continue wearing it.

As a golf watch, it’s arguably the best on the market.

But it was all of the additional health and fitness features that hooked me.

In-depth running analysis. Sleep Tracking. Body Battery. Stress levels.

It was giving me real data about my body in real time, in a way that was far more useful than the “rings” I’d become accustomed to on my Apple Watch (which I wore daily for over 3 years).

Fast forward 8 months later.

I’ve upgraded from the S70 to the Epix Gen 2, which is even more feature-heavy.

I’ve ditched my Apple Watch completely, and I’ve begun making the Garmin Connect app a core function of my daily life and fitness journey.

The habits, routines, and products in my life have all changed because of Garmin. So yeah, you could say, it’s been life-changing.

This leads us to today and the next step of that journey: The Index S2 scale.

What is the Garmin Index S2 Scale?

At this point, I’m committed to giving Garmin as much data as I can about my health and fitness.

I’m all in.

For months, I’d weigh myself at the gym and manually update it in the Connect app.

That works, but in terms of getting as much data as possible on a regular basis, I knew it was time to invest in the Garmin Index S2.

This is Garmin’s smart scale. Once set up, it will automatically connect with your Garmin Connexct account and update each time you weigh in. What’s great is that it provides far more than just weight. The metrics it will give you each time you step on the scale are:

• Weight
• Weight Trend
• Body Mass Index
• Body Fat Percentage
• Skeletal Muscle Mass
• Bone Mass
• Body Water Percentage

Will most of us really need to know all of this on a daily basis? No. But is it helpful to have that info to track long-term trends? Definitely.

But the real question here is how well does it work? At $149 it’s certainly not the cheapest scale, so is it worth the money? I’ll answer all these questions and more in this Garmin Index S2 Review.

First Impressions of the Garmin Index S2 Scale

Out of the box, the scale is presented exactly how I would have expected.

Garmin is very consistent with their packaging, and nearly every Garmin product I’ve used has the same grey motif on the box, and the same high-quality presentation inside.

Nothing is over the top or particularly noteworthy. It’s not necessarily an Apple-like experience, but when you first open it, it feels like you’re getting a high-end product.

The scale itself is very good-looking as far as scales go. I’m not sure there is such a thing as a “sexy-looking scale,” but I think this is about as close as you’ll find to that.

While I opted for the black motif, it also comes in white as well.

In the box, you’ll find the scale, instruction manual, 4 batteries, and 4 risers in case you want to use your scale on carpet.

Setting Up the Garmin Index S2

Once I had the batteries in and turned the scale on, I found the setup process to be super seamless. I followed the prompts on the scale and in the Garmin Connect app to connect it to my phone – and it worked exactly as it should.

In less than 5 minutes I was paired and ready to weigh in.

I’ve read some other reviews where people had trouble setting up additional Garmin users on the same scale.

My wife is not a Garmin user, but I created an account for her just to test this out.

And personally, I didn’t have the same experience as others. It was pretty straightforward, and I was able to get her going in about as much time as it took me to get setup with my info.

Using the Index S2 Scale

One cool feature is that the scale can automatically detect who is using the scale.

So when you step on it, it will provide your weight and then show your name in big text after. It confirms it’s you, and then will display all of your additional data metrics.

If you don’t care about seeing, say, your skeletal muscle mass on a daily basis, you can set it to just show weight, which I imagine many people will do.

The screen isn’t huge, but it’s plenty bright, and is clear enough easily read. The fact it’s a color screen is a nice touch.

One feature I’ve found oddly useful is after weighing in and showing my weight metrics, it will also show the day’s weather.

Considering I weigh in first thing in the morning after I get out of bed, it’s nice to know what to expect for the day.

I’ve only been using the Index S2 for about 3 weeks, so I can’t properly speak to the 9-month battery life – but as long as it gets somewhere near that, I don’t have any concerns about battery life.

Accuracy of the Index S2 Scale

One of the big questions you’re likely going to ask about the Garmin Index S2 scale is “is it accurate?”

Weight should be a no-brainer. If a scale can’t get weight right, then there are larger issues at play.

But when it comes down to the science and tech of accurately measuring things like body fat % and muscle mass, that’s where things get trickier.

As far as weight goes, on 3 separate days I’ve weighed myself and then gone to the gym and weighed myself on their far more expensive commercial scale – and it’s always been within .2 pounds every time.

So as far as weight is concerned, it feels very accurate.

But how does it get data for things like body fat? In Garmin’s words:

“The Garmin Index™ smart scale uses bioelectrical impedance to calculate your body composition. The device sends a small amount of electrical current (which you will not feel) from one foot through your body to the other foot. The device measures the electrical signal after it passes through your body to estimate aspects of your body composition.”

I can confirm you don’t feel anything. It feels just like you’re standing on every other scale.

To be perfectly honest, I haven’t gone and gotten professional measurements for any of these additional metrics – so I can’t truthfully tell you if these are accurate or not.

What I will say is that my body fat % is exactly where I expected it to be based on where I’m at from a weight and fitness perspective.

While I’m making health a priority in 2024, I’m not an elite athlete. I don’t need to know these numbers week in and week out with extreme accuracy.

I’m happy to use them as benchmarks, and hope to improve upon them relative to each other.

So if the body fat percentage is a little off, but I can see the trend moving in the right direction? Great, that’s what I personally need.

To be clear, from everything I’ve seen and used with this scale, I have no reason to believe the Index S2 isn’t giving me very accurate numbers. I just know this happens to be a discussion point for all scales like this, and wanted to address it.

At some point soon I plan to get some more professional tests done, such as a DEXA scan, so when I do that I’ll update with how those numbers compare to what I’ve gotten from the scale.

The Garmin Connect App

I love how easy the Connect app makes it easy to see your weight, additional metrics, and trends.

You can easily see graphs for the day, week, month, or year.

 

If you’re actively trying to lose weight, you can set a “weight goal” for a visual reference of where you’re trying to get compared to where you are.

One thing I personally like about the scale itself, is when it displays your weight it also shows you the +/- difference compared to where you were during your last weigh-in. You can turn this off, but I’ve found it to be helpful and motivating from a diet and exercise standpoint.

You can also see this within the app for each weigh-in.

Final Thoughts on the Garmin Index S2 Scale

The bottom line is the Garmin Index S2 scale has been fantastic for me, and it’s done exactly what I bought it for.

It allows me to track my weight more consistently and conveniently within the Garmin app and eco-system.

It gives me even more data points which enable me to track, measure, and improve my health and fitness.

While yes, the Index S2 has been out for a few years now, it still feels just as relevant and up-to-date as ever in 2024. So I wouldn’t let the fact it’s not a “new” product deter you. After all, it’s a scale – it’s not like you’re going to see revolutionary new product features on a super regular basis.

As I enter into middle age, this is something that is on my mind more and more – and I’ve been excited by how many features I continue to discover with my Garmin products.

Are there scales that can offer more for less? Yep. There are plenty of scales out there that give even more metrics for much less money.

But if you’re in the Garmin eco-system, and it’s important to track your body composition over the long term, there’s simply no better product out there that will allow you to do it. 

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If you're in the Garmin ecosystem and want a smart scale? This is a no-brainer

9.3 Buy it

I've found the user experience with the Index S2 to be exactly what I'd hoped it would be. Setup was seamless, it provides the numbers I'm looking for on a daily basis, and it updates the Garmin Connect app every time with zero input from me.

The Good

1. Can a scale be sexy? If so, this one is.
2. Seamlessly updates all data direct to Garmin Connect app
3. Screen and display works great, and data feels accurate

The Bad

1. You're paying a premium due to the fact it's Garmin

• Presentation 10
• Performance 9
• Price 8
• Personal Affinity 10