After a decade of using a variety of fitness trackers, starting with the Fitbit Charge, then the Fitbit Ionic, and now the Samsung Watch4 Classic, I was introduced to the WHOOP 4.0—a faceless fitness tracker that has been making waves in the market. It has been adopted by a diverse range of users, from slothful slackers in my circle to celebrity athletes, including footballing sensation Cristiano Ronaldo, maestro cricketer Virat Kohli, tennis player Maria Sakkari, and record-breaking swimmer Katie Ledecky.
Being among the most hyped devices currently, it only made sense for me to check it out. For this review, WHOOP provided me with a WHOOP 4.0 device, but I can assure you that there is no allegiance here. After over three months of use, here’s what I’ve learned about the wearable—and what you should keep in mind before investing in a new fitness tracker or upgrading from your current device.
What’s in the box?
It comes with the WHOOP 4.0 device, a SuperKnit band, a short charging cable, and a portable battery pod. Notably, the charging cable has been upgraded to USB-C in this version, replacing the previous micro-USB. A setup guide and an instruction manual are also included.
The packaging comes in a sleek, matte black rectangular cardboard box. Its compact design minimises excess waste, making it more efficient than some other device packaging.
Aesthetics & Design: Minimalism ‘objectified’, lightweight & without a display
Far from the chunky Samsung watches and beyond the simplicity of the Fitbit Charge, the WHOOP 4.0 is what I’d call minimalism ‘objectified’—or rather, made into an object. It has a textured, stretchable band with a metal clasp, with a cleverly concealed device.
As you wear it, you immediately feel how light it is, and after a few days of use, you almost forget it’s on your wrist. At 28 grams, it undercuts rivals like the Samsung Watch Ultra LTE (60.5 grams) and Apple Watch Ultra 2 (61.4 grams), but for something without a screen, I expected it to be even smaller or slimmer. The Ultrahuman and Oura rings, obviously, are still smaller and lighter, at under 5 grams.
From an aesthetic perspective, it has a polarising effect. In a city like Dubai, immersed in big cash and big fashion, the SuperKnit band, especially in the Onyx (black) variant, is rather inconspicuous. And it certainly doesn’t look the money. This isn’t an IWC Portofino Automatic that can rely solely on its brand appeal. But it was never intended to.
That said, it does make sense if you’re deliberately aiming for the “quiet luxury” look, a trend even billionaires like Mark Zuckerberg have embraced—with ordinary T-shirts costing $400 a pop. Also, being inconspicuous means it blends with whatever you are wearing. However, I’d suggest exploring the numerous other options WHOOP offers on its website, which states that you can “fully customise your WHOOP with up to 74,000 colour and material combinations.” You can also get the soft-touch silicone SportFlex band or high-precision metals like rose gold and titanium with the Luxe, or natural, fine-knit cashmere with the CloudKnit.
But its main USP is that it’s a display-free device, making it look like a concert band or charm. This is meant to discourage frequent glances at the device with every step taken or calorie burnt. However, this could lead to checking your smartphone more often—risking focus and discipline for endless hours of doom-scrolling. Furthermore, after three months, I can’t quite get over not looking at my wrist for the time. And with the objective of keeping it simple, wearing a watch on the other hand is not an option for me.
Build quality & Fit: Abrasion-resistant & waterproof
The WHOOP 4.0 is very comfortable to wear. The band is adjustable in length, with a slight stretch to the material itself. It has taken a few knocks and bumps and has held up well. While it’s not fully abrasion-resistant, it is tough—it doesn’t scratch easily, nor did it show any signs of rust or anomalies. However, the strap may be prone to pilling—the process that makes small, firm balls of lint form on the surface of fabrics.
Its sensor is IP68 dustproof and water-resistant at depths of up to 10 metres for up to 2 hours, allowing you to capture your data uninterrupted, even while running in the rain or engaging in water-based activities such as swimming. Also, consider getting the quicker-drying “Hydra-Knit” band if you frequent the pool or beach. This also allows you to wear it in the shower, but after several baths and washes, soap deposits may develop. I suggest either not wearing it in the shower or cleaning it separately and regularly.
Biometrics & performance: Provides unique metrics like HRV, Strain & Recovery with accuracy; no GPS or notifications
The WHOOP 4.0 has a design that “only captures the biometric data shown to have the most meaningful impact on your health.” It provides several metrics in a way that is tangible to the user.
‘Sleep,’ for example, indicates how much sleep is needed and how much sleep you got. It gives you awake time, light sleep time, SWS (deep sleep), and REM, along with the optimal ranges for each. It also provides wake events—how many times you wake up per hour—and your sleep efficiency, which should not be confused with the ratio of sleep had to sleep needed. Additionally, it tracks respiratory rate, i.e. the number of breaths per minute. On some occasions, it didn’t calculate my afternoon and power naps accurately, but you have the option to log them separately.
‘Recovery’ is the other main metric. It is defined by HRV (heart rate variability) and resting heart rate, which combine with respiratory rate and sleep performance to give you a percentage. HRV measures the variance in time between heartbeats and is considered an indicator of how your body adapts to its environment and stress. This is essentially WHOOP’s USP, as no one else does it as well. Note: It’s not worth comparing your HRV with others because this score is highly personal and uses your past performance as a benchmark.
The third main metric is ‘Strain.’ It measures cardiovascular load throughout the day and assigns a score (0–21) based on exertion. This refers to the amount of work done and mean activity levels, including effort walking, daily chores, exercise, and sporting activities. The more Strain you accumulate, the greater your need for Recovery and Sleep.
Not too long ago, possibly due to peer pressure, they also added ‘Steps’ to the metrics. This has, in many ways, become the universal language for health or at least an activity marker. However, its accuracy is questionable. Even with it strapped to my left hand, the less dominant one, it recorded more steps than anticipated.
WHOOP 4.0 also has the capability to measure skin temperature, which can sometimes indicate microclimate, illness, heat exposure, or location changes. It also measures blood oxygen saturation, a metric commonly used to assess lung capacity, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every morning, WHOOP allows manual logging entries that can be customised to include factors like exercise type or zone, CBD use, caffeine and alcohol consumption, and other lifestyle variables that might affect sleep—something many users may find useful.
The app also provides quick access to extensive literature and videos on health science, how to interpret scores, and ways to improve them. You can even chat with an AI Coach to ask about your performance. However, the sheer volume of information may seem daunting to some. It could have been simplified further and made more intuitive and readable.
And finally, here’s what the WHOOP 4.0 can’t do:
- It lacks a standalone GPS, meaning you can’t track your route or share it with community members.
- It can’t obtain ECG or blood pressure monitoring figures.
- It doesn’t calculate Bioelectrical Impedance Analysis (BIA) for body composition.
- Unlike smartwatches, it doesn’t offer access to notifications, apps, calls, or other smartwatch features.
Community: ‘Healthy’ competition
The WHOOP app lets you create your own group to keep the competition local, or you can join other communities that help you compare performances using the leaderboard. This can also be a motivating factor to get back in shape.
Imagine competing over who gets more sleep—though it’s a bit of a flex if you can function well with less.
Verdict: Love it or hate it for its no screen design; robust, reliable & affordable fitness tracker for the highbrow & health obsessed
For those embarking on their fitness journey or for seasoned fitness enthusiasts and athletes, the WHOOP 4.0 represents itself as a competent, purpose-built, durable, and relatively affordable fitness tracker. It provides a wide variety of metrics, such as HRV and skin temperature, beyond steps, heart rate, and sleep data, with agreeable accuracy to help assess your habits and current physical (and mental) well-being, allowing you to improve upon them.
The minimalist design, in its basic form, is lacklustre in appearance, but there is a variety of band/clasp combinations to suit your style or shade. It is also comfortable, reasonably light on the wrist, suited to a wide variety of workouts and sleep, and has found affinity among many, including fitness enthusiasts. It also gets props for its continuous 24/7 monitoring function, wealth of readily accessible guides, AI-driven coaching, and charging portability. However, the UX design could be further simplified.
WHOOP’s deliberate choice to omit a display removes the anxiety-driven habit of constantly checking a watch for every step or calorie burned. However, this could lead to picking up your phone more often, potentially resulting in doomscrolling—an even worse habit. Also, if you want extra connectivity, such as notifications and apps accessible from your wrist, or GPS functionality, this may not be the right device for you.
Price, options & warranty: AED 919 for a year with lifetime warranty
The WHOOP 4.0 operates on a subscription model but includes a lifetime warranty, with the option to upgrade to each new edition. Membership plans are available at AED 1,539 for 24 months or AED 919 for 12 months. Family memberships offer prorated discounts, starting at AED 827 per device for two users and reducing to AED 766 per device for six users. Chance are you may keep it, but I’d suggest doing the 1 month free trial for AED 0, which includes a preowned device. And a word of caution, don’t lose that battery pack! Getting a replacement will set you back another AED 199.
Options:
- SportFlex Band (Silicon): AED 259
- HydroKnit (Suited for Swimming): AED 199
- SuperKnit Luxe Band (Hammered Gold): AED 249
- CloudKnit Band: AED 259
- SuperKnit Bicep Band: AED 199
seems to be everywhere!
Yep, its catching on quickly!