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Whoop MG: One minute review

I really didn’t know what to make of the Whoop MG; I loved it and disliked it in equal measure. On the one hand, it’s a brilliant fitness tool, with a simple-yet-deep interface boasting comprehensive metrics. It’s got an in-app workout builder worthy of any of the best fitness apps, and an intuitive journaling mechanism. The journal entries you record feed into your recovery and strain information in a simple, clever way.

It’s really easy to use; being screenless, you hardly interact with it at all beyond taking the occasional ECG scan or switching off its haptic alarm with a few taps. Instead, all the interaction is done via the app, with the app sending through push notifications when it’s time for bed, or when the app needs a piece of information clarified with a quick journal entry.

Despite its limited interface, it’s a sophisticated tool, packing a host of heart health features including ECG to test for atrial fibrillation (the MG in its name stands for Medical Grade) and estimated blood pressure, which requires calibration with a cuff. Its new Healthspan tool gives you the Whoop Age metric, which is similar to Fitness Age on one of the best Garmin watches, or Metabolic Age on continuous glucose monitors like Abbott’s Lingo.

On the other hand, certain aspects of the tracker stop me short from recommending it for everyone. For one thing, the price for the Whoop MG – it’s only available on its premium Life subscription, with the medical-grade heart-screening features – is extortionate.

The lower-tier wearable, the Whoop 5.0, starts at a much more reasonable £169 / $199 / AU$299 per year. For this price, you can get a Whoop One subscription, which gives you the Whoop 5.0 device but locks metrics like Stress and Whoop Age behind a paywall. Instead, you get those (along with a nicer band and the wireless charger) with a Whoop Peak membership, which costs £229 / $239 / AU$419 per year. Then at the top end you get the Whoop Life subscription plan at £349 / $359 / AU$629 per year for life, which comes with the premium Whoop MG device with heart screening and ECG features. Stop paying at any tier level, and your Whoop reverts to an inert hunk of plastic at the end of your membership.

I tested the top-tier, super-premium Whoop MG, but the hardware is fiddly at times. Unbuckling the strap causes the metal clasp to come completely detached more often than not, the alarm is hard to turn off at times, while taking ECGs failed as often as it succeeded. Looking around the web, these aren’t isolated incidents.

It’s an impressive, sophisticated fitness tracker that some people will love, but I came away disliking it. While I appreciate that some people will see the subscription-based model as a monthly health investment, at this premium tier I don’t think the value is there, unless you’re very wealthy and extremely athletic or concerned about monitoring your health. Essentially, that makes it Batman’s ideal fitness tracker.

Whoop MG: Price and availability

(Image credit: Future)

• Whoop Life (MG): £349 / $359 / AU$629 per year
• Whoop Peak (5.0): £229 / $239 / AU$419 per year
• Whoop One (5.0): £169 / $199 / AU$299 per year

The Whoop MG’s value score, from the outset, is hampered by the membership scheme, especially as Whoop promised existing members free upgrades to the 5.0, turned back on that promise, then doubled back again after user outcry.

The Whoop MG device I’m testing is only available with the Whoop Life subscription, the most expensive tier.

The Whoop 5.0, without an ECG, blood pressure or Heart Screener features and more accurate, starts at the basic Whoop One tier (£169 / $199 / AU$299 per year), which offers Strain, Recovery, Sleep, VO2 Max, heart rate zones, steps, Strength Trainer, menstrual cycle insights and journal features. However, you don’t get the Whoop MG’s premium band and wireless charger, and software features Whoop Age, Stress and Health Monitor, which are locked behind a paywall.

For an extra $40 / £60 / AU$120 per year you can get Whoop Peak, which adds those hardware and software features back in. Now, all that you’re missing are the heart health features and improved accuracy for stats like menstrual cycle insights with the improved sensor array, which you get by spending another $120 / £120 / AU$210 per year on top of the Whoop Peak price for Whoop Life (£349 / $359 / AU$629 per year).

As we’re reviewing the Whoop MG, I’ll be focusing on this most expensive price tier, and to spend this sort of money on a wearable is far from unheard of – as a one-off payment, that is. To spend it annually is mad to me. Even though the app is terrific, it would have to do everything, pack GPS for better running insights, and make my coffee in the morning for me to consider this a good deal.

Things get a little better as you go down the tiers, as once you break down the cost by month, a subscription that aids your health and fitness in the way Whoop does starts to sound more reasonable. But even the best smartwatches, many of which offer excellent fitness credentials of their own, are a one-time payment – meaning Whoop will eventually out-cost them.

• Value score: 2/5

Whoop MG: Design

(Image credit: Max Delaney / TechRadar)

• Excellent app user experience
• Totally screenless
• Poor clasp

First things first: anyone who’s seen a Whoop device before will know it’s not a smartwatch. It’s a completely screenless plastic fitness tracker with its sensor array on the underside, wrapped using a Superknit or Coreknit polyester-fabric wristband over the top of the device. A bicep Coreknit band is also available. I like the screenless design – it’s distraction-free, and very easy to wear day-to-day.

Holding it all together is a stainless-steel buckle with a crossbar on one end to hook the fabric band, and two short pins to attach to the tracking device on the other end. This was one of my main hardware frustrations: I get that you’re not supposed to take the band off that often, but when I unclipped the band the buckle came off completely maybe one out of every three times. I had to forcibly bent the metal a couple of times to get it to stay put.

The design of the app, however, is very good – it’s one of the most user-friendly fitness apps I’ve tried in a long time. It’s easy to navigate, using color and circular graphs to provide clear context for your reams of data. The workout builder and journal functionality are intuitive and feed into other metrics. The only issue I had is that when viewing detailed heart rate graphs, the app inexplicably shifts to landscape mode.

• Design score: 3.5/5

Whoop MG: Features

(Image credit: Max Delaney / TechRadar)

• Automatic workout detection
• Very detailed, comprehensive metrics
• Workout builder

Whoop’s screenless ‘set-and-forget’ tracker is possible thanks to its advanced activity detection functionalities. Once the software learns what kind of workouts you take part in most often, it’s very good at anticipating your movements, tracking and logging them as the correct workouts. Towards the end of my testing, it successfully logged running and weightlifting workouts separately, without prompting.

Speaking of weightlifting, the workout builder is intuitive and fantastic to use, both as a diary of your strength-training progress and a way for the app to better pinpoint the amount of strain the workout placed on your body. I was able to create routines in advance and assign them to workout instances, and I was able to create and edit them on the fly if I had to go up or down a weight during a lift, for example.

Only a few very specific movements were missing, such as resistance band-assisted pull-ups, but for the most part its workout library was vast and comprehensive.

The Whoop Coach AI chatbot was also surprisingly useful, putting my personal statistics into context with its library of science-based advice.

The Whoop MG has an ECG feature, automatically exporting an ECG report that you can share with a doctor. Its blood pressure detection requires prior calibration with a blood pressure cuff for it to work, then estimates your blood pressure fluctuations based on other metrics. Otherwise, your step count, calorie burn, heart rate, sleep duration and more are folded into a trio of metrics, each scored out of 100: sleep, a measure of your overall sleep quality; recovery, the percentage of which your body has recovered from exertion or stress; and strain, which is how much stress you’re putting on your body during the day.

A ‘strain threshold’ is calculated based on your recovery and activity levels, indicating how strenuous your day should and can be before it veers into detrimental territory. Detailed graphs plot your stress, relation between strain and recovery, daily heart rate and more. With such a mass of information, it would be so easy for this to become confusing, but Whoop does a great job of packing a lot of information into the app without it feeling impenetrable.

• Features score: 4/5

Whoop MG: Performance

(Image credit: Future)

• Battery life is excellent
• Accurate heart rate and sleep tracking
• Geared for optimization

I found the Whoop matched up closely during testing with other wrist-based devices such as the Apple Watch Ultra 2 when it comes to heart rate tracking: in other words, it’s as good as it gets on your wrist. The sleep tracking was also accurate, recording without fail each time I woke up in the middle of the night.

Battery life was excellent. I averaged about nine days with the Whoop MG before I needed to use the attached charger, and even then I just clipped it on while I worked at my desk, and charged the device up without taking it off.

Generally, it was a terrific device, and I enjoyed my time with the Whoop. Its metrics aren’t just detailed, they’re actionable, offering plenty of context rather than spewing forth useless numbers in a vacuum. It doesn’t just tell you your sleep score, but also how to improve it.

However, I don’t think I’m necessarily the target audience for this device – I know it’s optimal, but I do not want to go to bed at 9pm, no matter what Whoop thinks my sleep need is. As it was telling me to wind down for the night, I was ramping up: I’d worked late, cooked late, and then had to do the dishes and sort some paperwork I’d been putting off. Only changing my goals in the app from “reach my sleep need” to “improve my sleep” stopped the Whoop MG from nagging me with push notifications at 8:30pm.

Well, almost. When I did take the device off, inside of 15 minutes, and without fail, I got a push notification telling me to reattach it, which irked me to no end. This is one of the most comprehensive fitness trackers I’ve ever tried, and certainly the best option for workout and recovery tracking if you don’t care about detailed running metrics; but it’s for the optimization-obsessed, and those who can afford its exorbitant annual fees.

• Performance: 4/5

Scorecard

Category

Comment

Score

Value

The super-premium Whoop Life subscription is not great value.

2/5

Design

Wonderful app UX, so-so construction.

3.5/5

Features

Varied and comprehensive.

4/5

Performance

Detailed and usable metrics produce actionable advice

4/5

Whoop MG: Should I buy?Buy it if...

You’re obsessed with performing better

Whoop is for the truly dedicated, who want every part of their lives dialled in for elite performance.

You want distraction-free fitness

No screen? No problem. Whoop’s sleek tracker is unobtrusive and light.

Money is no object

The Whoop MG’s top-end subscription tier is very expensive.

Don't buy it if...

You’re an endurance athlete

Without GPS, Whoop can’t give you the speed and distance information you need, only the stress a run or other activity places on your body.

You’re on a budget

Obviously.

Also consider

We're currently testing the Polar Loop and Amazfit Helio Strap, both screenless fitness trackers new for 2025 pitched as Whoop competitors. Check back soon for our full reviews on both devices.

How I tested

I wore the Whoop MG for 21 days, testing its medical ECG feature, building workouts, wearing it almost constantly, asking questions of its chatbot, and exploring the app in detail. I compared it against the Apple Watch Ultra 2 on a hike, wearing one device on each wrist.

First reviewed: September 2025

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Sony Bravia Projector 7 : One minute review

The Sony Bravia Projector 7 (VPL-XW5100ES) joins Sony’s projector lineup following the Bravia Projector 9 and Bravia Projector 8. It’s the cheapest of the three but still comes in at a staggering $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999. Compared to popular consumer projectors like the $2,999 Hisense C2 Ultra, that is a huge leap. But the Bravia Projector 7 is specialty hardware designed for die-hard cinema fans with plans for a robust home theater, and in that context, it’s fairly priced.

Like other higher-end examples of the best projectors, the Bravia Projector 7 is somewhat simple – it’s just a projector. There’s no Google TV or other streaming platform built in, and there’s no sound system or even audio output ports. The few ports the Bravia Projector 7 does have are a pair of 4K 120Hz-capable HDMI 2.1 inputs plus a smattering of ports used for custom installation.

Though it’s just a projector, it’s a truly excellent one. It has flexible optics with a wide zoom range as well as vertical and horizontal lens shift, making it easy to align the projection. The picture you’ll get on your screen is also stunning: bright, colorful, and with the deepest black levels I can recall seeing from a projector.

While I’d love to see a wider color gamut and support for more HDR formats, these never felt like more than minor shortcomings during my time with the Bravia Projector 7, which never failed to impress. If you’re considering a projector for a dedicated, high-end home theater, it should be on your list.

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Price & release date

The Bravia Projector 7 features manual focus and zoom adjustments on its lens (Image credit: Future)

• Release date: June 2025
• Price: $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999

The Bravia Projector 7 launch trailed behind the Projector 8 and 9, and though its price also trails behind those models, it is decidedly a luxury home theater product. The Bravia Projector 7 comes in at $9,999 / £6,999 / AU$13,999.

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Specs

Screen sizes supported:

90-130 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,200 Lumens

HDR support:

HDR10, HLG

Optical technology:

Laser SXRD (Silicon Crystal Reflective Display)

Smart TV:

N/A

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1, Ethernet, USB-A, RS-232C, D-Sub 9-pin, 3.5mm (12V trigger)

Dimensions (H x W x D):

18.3 x 18.59 x 7.88 inches

Weight:

15.4 pounds (7kg)

Dials on the projector's top provide 71% vertical and 25% horizontal lens shift adjustments (Image credit: Future)Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Design & features

The projector's connections include two HDMI 2.1 ports with 4K 120Hz and ALLM support (Image credit: Future)

• Large footprint
• No audio capabilities or smart TV
• Flexible optics

The Bravia Projector 7 is a sizable home theater projector on the scale of the Epson LS12000 and BenQ W5800. This isn’t one of those compact lifestyle projectors, and it’s even larger than some of the ultra short throw projectors I’ve tested. The upside to this size is that the Bravia Projector 7 runs quietly, and it can still fit onto a (sizable) mantle or shelf at the back of a room, but it is better suited to ceiling mounting.

Thankfully, the Bravia Projector 7 is flexible about placement. The lens has a 1.6x zoom range, letting it shift from a modest throw ratio of 1.38 to a longer 2.21. It also has vertical and horizontal lens shift, offering 71% shifting vertically and 25% horizontally in either direction. You manually adjust focus and zoom using rings around the lens, and lens shift with a set of dials hidden under a small panel on the projector’s top.

In addition to these optical adjustments, the Bravia Projector 7 supports digital keystone, though for a projector of this caliber, it’s worth just ensuring proper alignment.

On one side, the Bravia Projector 7 includes several controls in case you misplace the remote control. There is also a series of ports, though most of these are for professional features, like networking and special triggers. Two HDMI 2.1 ports will accept a 4K 120Hz input, but these are for video input only. Neither offers eARC to pass on an audio signal. And with no other form of audio output, the projector doesn’t play well with streaming sticks or even some home theater PCs if they lack a quality audio output of their own.

The Bravia Projector 7 includes a large remote control with a fully backlit keypad. It includes buttons to access preset picture profiles, along with sharpness, brightness, and contrast. A large directional control is also built into the remote and includes a toggle to let the projector display a test pattern to help line up and focus the picture.

• Design & features score: 4/5

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Picture quality Image 1 of 3

The Bravia Projector 7's picture is characterized by crisp 4K detail and deep blacks (Image credit: Future)Image 2 of 3

(Image credit: Future)Image 3 of 3

(Image credit: Future)

• Bright and sharp picture
• Deep blacks
• Support for 4K 120Hz

Inside, the Bravia Projector 7 is built around a laser diode light source and features a native 4K SXRD optical system. While it’s still not quite on the level of triple-laser projectors for color gamut coverage, the picture is still simply stunning. As much as I’d love to see that extra bit of color, the quality is otherwise the best I've ever seen.

Blacks on the Bravia Projector 7 are simply exceptional. I can’t recall another projector I’ve seen that so thoroughly sank into darkness when displaying shadows. Letterbox bars presented by the Bravia Projector 7 looked so dim as to be indistinguishable from the surrounding walls, which were only illuminated by the light bouncing around the room from the projector itself during my evaluation. The Bravia Projector 7 has such good black levels that you will really want to invest in some light-absorbing materials or dark paint to reduce reflected room light’s impact on the picture.

The projector also gets bright enough for various uses in the daytime, even with daylight coming in through multiple windows. Cartoons, bright video games, and even web-browsing were all possible. You won’t want to watch darker content in this environment, though. But given this is a projector intended for a specialized viewing setup, I don’t think a few blackout curtains would be a tall order.

Basic adjustments and menu nav controls are located on the side (Image credit: Future)

The Projector 7 uses Sony’s XR Processor for projector, and the resulting image is fantastically crisp, with the optics making even fine text appear clear from edge to edge. And that includes objects in motion. Panning shots looked fluid, avoiding stuttering and judder but also artifacts such as the soap opera effect that plagues many systems trying to smooth motion. The Bravia Projector 7 was also happy to game at 4K 120Hz, with smooth visuals and only faint ghosting, and its ALLM feature ensured any input lag was negligible.

Even though the HDR support doesn’t go beyond HDR10, the Projector 7’s XR Dynamic Tone Mapping provides features to enhance the look of HDR content, including three selectable tone mapping modes. An XR Deep Black feature also contributes by ensuring blacks look deep and highlights get maximum brightness punch. For example, when the earth ships decelerate as they approach Pandora in Avatar: The Way of Water, the picture looked simply stunning with the deep black of space contrasted with brilliant flames.

• Picture quality score: 4.5/5

Sony Bravia Projector 7 review: Value

(Image credit: Future)

• High price tag
• Price is still competitive for category
• Performance equivalent to competition

The Bravia Projector 7 is expensive, and you are only getting a display for the money with no speakers (or a way to output audio to speakers), and no smart platform for streaming. That may be a tough pill to swallow for some, but the Bravia Projector 7 isn’t meant for someone who wants anything less than a masterful home theater setup. And the display that you’re getting is a truly exceptional one.

There’s no getting past this being a big investment, both for the projector and for all the other elements you’ll need to make the most of the Sony Bravia Projector 7. And there are plenty of projectors that won’t look half bad next to the Bravia Projector 7 while being way less expensive.

So while it’s tough to say the Bravia Projector 7 is a great value, that still can’t undercut its greatness. And the truth is, the Bravia Projector 7 is still a bargain next to some, like the Epson QL7000, and it’s a comparably priced and worthy rival to the JVC DLA-NZ700.

• Value score: 3.5/5

Should I buy the Sony Bravia Projector 7?

(Image credit: Future)Sony Bravia Projector 7

Attributes

Notes

Rating

Design and features

Fairly huge, but it's smartly designed, and the adjustable optics allow for positioning flexibility

4/5

Picture quality

The picture quality is absolutely brilliant, and I haven’t seen such a deep black from a projector before. Its ability to run at 4K 120Hz for gaming also adds to the experience

4.5/5

Value

It’s not cheap, but the picture is great and the price is comparable to some of the other dedicated home theater projector options out there

3.5/5

Buy it if...

You want a truly gorgeous picture
The Bravia Projector 7 can provide a sharp, clean image with powerful contrast, great color, and impressive motion handling. View Deal

You have the rest of your home theater sorted
This projector requires more elements to make a complete home theater. If you’ve already got the sound, the seating, the light mitigation, and video sources in place, this is a great drop-in solution, especially with its flexible optics.View Deal

You know you’re going big with the picture
The value of a projector really soars as you move to bigger and bigger pictures. And the Bravia Projector 7 is happy to go even bigger than 100 inches while still maintaining a brilliant image.View Deal

Don't buy it if...

You just want to plunk it down in your living room
Tapping this projector’s full capabilities takes some effort. Just about any stray light or reflective surface in the room is going to degrade picture quality, and then you won’t be getting all of what you’ve paid for.View Deal

You like a simple setup
The Bravia Projector 7 is meant for complete home theater setups with an A/V receiver routing video and audio signals, and cables and wires running all over the room. If that doesn’t sound appealing, you would probably be better suited by a different projector.View Deal

You don’t like watching in a dark room
This projector’s extremely deep black levels are probably its greatest aspect, but you won’t appreciate them unless you black out your room almost completely. If you prefer watching with some lights on, look instead for a brighter model designed to work in a range of lighting conditions. View Deal

Also considerComparison: projectors

Sony Bravia Projector 7

Epson Pro Cinema LS12000

Hisense C2 Ultra

JVC DLA-NZ700

Price:

$9,999

$5,000

$2,999

$8.999

Screen sizes supported:

90 to 130 inches

50 to 130 inches

65-300 inches

30 to 150 inches

Brightness (specified):

2,400 lumens

2,500 lumens

3,000 lumens

2,300 lumens

HDR support

HDR10, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Dolby Vision, HDR10+, HLG

HDR10, HDR10+, HLG

Optical technology:

Laser SXRD

Laser 3LCD

RGB Laser DLP

Laser D-ILA

Smart TV:

n/a

n/a

Vidaa OS

n/a

Connections:

2x HDMI 2.1

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.1 (1 with eARC)

2x HDMI 2.0

Epson LS12000

The Epson LS12000 falls into a similar category as the Bravia Projector 7. It’s similarly large, but it’s significantly less expensive. It also supports eARC, potentially simplifying setup for users who won’t opt for an A/V receiver. Its picture is also stunning, though less colorful. It also features similar optical adjustments, helping with setup simplicity.

Read our Epson LS12000 review View Deal

Hisense C2 Ultra

If you’re wondering what you can get for a fraction of the price, the Hisense C2 Ultra is the perfect example. It’s incredibly bright, almost obscenely colorful (even more so than the Bravia), thanks to its triple-laser light source, and quite versatile. It supports a beautiful 4K image, but can also switch over to 1080p/240Hz visuals for gaming. And it has built-in speakers and Google TV for all-in-one capabilities. It may not be as pixel-perfect a projector as the Bravia Projector 7, but it’s a stunning projector nonetheless.

Read our Hisense C2 Ultra reviewView Deal

JVC DLA-NZ700

For $1,000 less, this projector gives you a very similar machine with excellent imagery, deep blacks, potent HDR capabilities, and a competitive color gamut. You’ll miss out on 4K 120Hz capabilities, though, and getting this projector’s 97% DCI-P3 color gamut requires enabling a filter that reduces brightness.

Read our JVC DLA-NZ700 reviewView Deal

How I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7

• Tested at home in multiple, real-world viewing conditions
• Presented the display with a variety of media and formats
• I have tested numerous projectors and displays over the last half-decade

I tested the Sony Bravia Projector 7 at home, in real-world conditions. This saw it faced with ambient light coming in from numerous windows, and in-room lighting,. The projector was tested both against a bare, white wall and an Akia Screens CineWhite screen. It was presented with streamed content, HDR and non-HDR, and PC gameplay.

My testing evaluates the projector’s performance with respect to its price and competition from other models I and colleagues at TechRadar have tested.

I have been testing projectors since 2021 and displays for even longer.

• First reviewed: September 2025
• Read TechRadar's review guarantee

The Bravia Projector 7 is a high-end home theater projector with an astounding picture. The price is high, but it fares well against the competition.